11 recruiter tactics to smash 2022

The world has problems. Recruiting has challenges.

But hiring will continue. Our industry will grow in 2022, and beyond.

Not all recruiters will rise equally on this tide.

Here are 11 tactics to help you thrive in 2022

Each sector and country, and person, are different. Adjust and adapt my suggestions as you need. But these are the behaviours that will make the difference. And I mean a fundamental difference in fun and money.

So don’t just read this and nod.

Do something to ensure you get 5% better at each of these. Then get 5% better again. The rewards will stun you – in a good way.

1.     Ask this question every time you speak to a client or candidate who is ‘in play’. (I.e., you are actively recruiting for them or placing them). “Has anything changed since we last spoke”? Ask it every time, even if you spoke to them last night. Avoiding assumptions will save you a world of pain in 2022.

2.     From your first conversation, through the interview, and at every point after that, work to understand your candidates ‘Motivation to Accept’.  Where are they on the ‘Commitment to move’ scale? Flirting with the idea? Considering a move? Or are they committed to changing jobs right now? Make sure that you understand one of the great ‘misunderstoods’ in recruitment. Just because a candidate says they are ready to accept a new job, there is no reason to believe that they are ready. Your job is to find out!

3.     Countering the counteroffer is now a critical recruiter skill. It always was, but now it’s a total dealbreaker. Literally. And it starts in your very first conversation with a new candidate. In that meeting, you take the candidate to their resignation day. In that meeting, you get the candidate to articulate what their current employer will say and do. And you dig into how they say they will respond. I have done the work for you here. Now you do the job with your candidates in the real world.

4.     Change your behaviour around candidate communication. It will be hard. But you want to succeed, right? The secret sauce = CCCCF

5.     Learn how to approach potential candidates. You must learn that, because trust me, not enough suitable ones are going to come to you!  But the big secret to candidate outreach (Headhunting) is this. You don’t spam them with jobs, like everyone else. You pitch your credibility first. That’s what they will value. Then offer a career discussion. You have insights, right? That is what you offer. Specific job conversations will come later

6.     Become a world champion at navigating the Valley of Death. Not sure what I mean? Here is your 19-step process.

7.     Qualify every job order in detail. If the client doesn’t come with you on that journey, maybe they are not a client you want to work with. Your role is to consult and advise. To make that job ‘Fillable”. Why work it otherwise?

8.     Prioritise your job orders. Every day. Several times a day. Not all jobs are equal. Do not spend equal time on all jobs. Understand the meaning of ‘triage‘. You must know the ‘fillibility factor‘. You do not have time to waste on orders that are ‘long shots’ or where the clients are not bending to the realities of the market. Get paid for a higher percentage of the work you do!

9.     As recruitment gets more ‘remote’, you get more engaged. Delve deeper. Ask better questions. Listen more. Seek to understand. Think always about the real motivations of all parties. Where appropriate and possible, speak to people, phone, zoom or in person. The degree of disconnection multiplies exponentially the more ‘digital’ you get. Go the other way.

10. Be smart about where the likely hire actually is. You need to change your definition of a ‘good client‘. Often it is not the big conglomerate that people aspired to years ago. Smaller companies are sometimes more agile, more in tune, closer to their employees, and they work much harder to understand candidate ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. People’s values have shifted. Their priorities have been re-calibrated. And this has collided with an evolving labour market where they have more choice than ever. Candidates seek something different. You know this because they are turning down offers you would expect them to accept, and taking counteroffers, and much more besides. The definition of a good client is one who works hard to attract and hire good people. Works in partnership with you. Moves fast. And most importantly, where candidates want to work! Think about it. We have always thought ‘getting an offer’ for our candidates is the holy grail. Not anymore. Put your energy where the acceptance will come.

11.  Work exclusively. With clients. (watch this video!) With Candidates.

I have prepared a 90-minute video on how to maximise your time in 2022.

It covers these points and much more.

It is available at the Savage Recruitment Academy with plenty more material to ensure recruiter success. Give your team every tool to win in 2022

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