
6 actions of great recruiters
The ‘market is hard‘ is the word on ‘Recruiter Street‘.
And it is true. It has changed since the post covid boom, for sure.
But the real truth is that recruitment is hard. The market is normal, in fact. Just another stage in the inevitable cycle.
What is essential is how recruiters respond to the market and how they prepare for inevitable swings.
This is what intelligent quality recruiters are doing right now to get ahead.
And, of course, it is working for them.
I delivered this session at the RCSA Talent X Conference in Melbourne, Australia, last week.
It’s just six actions that successful recruiters are taking. More than actions, really. ‘Values’ or ‘Beliefs’, almost.
I can’t repeat a 30-minute presentation here, but I have provided the key slides from the conference session and summarised each key ‘action’.
Firstly, here is what it looked like during my presentation: There was standing room only, and the standing at the back of the seats stretched for 20-plus rows.
So that was good. And scary.
And from the back row 🙂
1: Attitude and mindset
It all hinges on mindset. And great recruiters are a class apart in that regard. They never blame the market. They don’t talk about ‘luck’. They believe intrinsically in their value and can articulate exactly what it is. They are ‘honest’ and don’t live in a world of constant denial, self-pity, and blame. They have strong resilience which does not mean macho chest-beating, but rather the ability to bounce back and depower that which cannot be controlled. They have credibility and work for ‘Recruiter Equity’ with clients and candidates.
2: Focus on quality activity.
Activity drives success in agency recruitment, and trust me on this. If you don’t do enough ‘stuff’, you will fail. And then leave the industry blaming the market and much else. It is a cop-out to deride KPIs and whinge about ‘micromanagement‘. If you are ‘micro-managed, have you ever considered that you might actually need it? And if you don’t, that’s just poor management. Measuring what you do so you can actively focus on implementing change and measure improvement is a fundamental action for great recruiters. Indeed, what field can you name in which top performers don’t measure inputs and outcomes and shift tactics accordingly? You need high volumes of the right activity. You need to do those activities at an ever-increasing level of quality. And you must do that activity with the right candidates and clients (your ‘target market’)
3: Hone your ‘influencing skills’
Don’t ask, ‘Will AI and tech replace recruiters?‘ Ask, ‘What parts of the recruiter’s jobs will be better done by tech?’ Then, relentlessly acquire and polish the skills that will keep you relevant. AI will not destroy recruitment. But it may take your job. The real value of a recruiter is selling…advising…consulting… insights… influencing. Great recruiters do not default to hiding behind digital. They have mastered the ‘craft’ of recruitment and are skilled at engaging, building trust and credibility and creating outcomes. Pretty soon, that will be the only part of the job that tech will not do!
4: Run towards the Tech
Great recruiters understand that agency recruitment is a marriage of art and science. The influencing skills are the art (or the craft). But clever use of tech, measurement and acting on data, plus nuanced human interaction, is the magic cocktail. Those recruiters do not try to debunk or deny the impact of tech. They master it, use it, manage it, and ensure that the tech creates an excellent experience for stakeholders (clients and candidates) – but also frees up their time so they can engage in the craft.
5: Develop a sales ethos.
Everyone is clamouring to do business development. This is like planting crops in the middle of a famine or trying to fix a hole in the roof when it’s raining; you need to sell when you don’t need to. Because that is when clients and prospects will talk to you. But a sales ethos is forever. Not just when jobs are tight. Always nurturing current clients, always re-igniting lapsed clients, always looking for prospects, chasing leads and opening doors
6: Closer to candidates than ever
The recruitment industry seesaw is a disaster. We can see it right now. Two years ago, we were desperate for candidates, and every recruiter was trained and targeted on candidate care, outbound enquiries to candidates, and looking after every individual. Now we are short of jobs, jobs, and the pendulum swings to ‘client-love’. Meanwhile, suitable candidates are ignored. Their calls are not returned, interaction is haphazard, and the price for that will be paid when the pendulum swings again. Great recruiters understand that everyone is a candidate all the time, and they build ongoing relationships with candidates long before those people are actually looking to move jobs- because they know they will move jobs at some point. Great recruiters act as agents for the candidate, not simply a referrer of resumes. They know how to work exclusively with quality candidates. Great recruiters understand the candidates ‘motivation to accept’ the job. They are outstanding listeners. They dig deep, and they make the right match.
There is so much more, of course. And it might vary somewhat in your market. But this is what I am seeing right now. It might be wise to jump on board.
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- Posted by Greg Savage
- On May 13, 2024
- 0 Comment