Candidate Control: Teaching Through Experience

Becky Metcalf : Corporate Recruiter - she went inside and never looked back. Well... Levi, Ray and Shoup, Inc . LRS is a computer consulting company that's been around through several generations of "the computer" having been founded in 1979.

Becky has been known to ask the tough questions and get to the heart of the matter with any candidate. Her consulti...

"You have to get loud sometimes and get real excited for yourself." Often working quite alone in her corporate world, she stalls loneliness by taking a walk and mingling with the other folks throughout the office. Becky shares the differences between corporate and contract , "You always want your client to be happy but on the corporate side it becomes much more personal if it doesn't work out." Having worked with others on the corporate side that are able to de-personalize it, she falters a bit as she states, "It is hard for me when I personally invest in a candidate that doesn't succeed and I don't have the opportunity to take that person to another client."

"Corporate recruiting = post and pray. That drives me nuts. I am a proactive recruiter. When I identify good candidates, I am invested to get them invested." Becky, like most recruiters dreads the sorry, you didn't get the job conversation, but she is adamant about making that necessary call and almost every time, she is received warmly because she cares and calling shows that. "I have always been a recruiter that has tried to expel the negative aspects that go along with our profession. I got an earful one time from a consultant that hated recruiters. This pushed me harder to make those calls. I try to keep people in the loop."

"Respect is ideal," she explained. "I learned a lot from various people in this industry, people who had a knack, the folks who had tons of referrals. What they did was develop a strong candidate relationship by asking many questions." Becky learned the hard way by losing a placement. She swore that would never happen again which is why she turned into a bully, browbeating candidates if she didn't like their answers. When she was called on it, a lesson was learned. Teaching through experience, Becky shares her bad stories along with the good. Admitting to having been driven by money in the past, "Now, it is the rewarding nature of my work. I really do believe in my company. I really do believe that what I bring is important." So do we, Becky, so do we.

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Permalink Reply by Claudia Faust on March 25, 2009 at 8:08am

The more I learn about you Becky, the more I like you! Thank you, Rayanne, for yet another great insight into the motivation of excellence in our industry.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on March 25, 2009 at 9:25am

Nice highlight Rayanne. Becky was also the first winner of my platypus :) as she is one of the most positive people on RBC, who is not afraid to comment or ask questions.

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Permalink Reply by Becky Metcalf on March 25, 2009 at 9:12pm

Thank you Rayanne, for taking the time to sit down to chat with me and get to know me a bit better. I am so delighted to have a forum like RBC where I can share this passion that is recruiting.

Claudia - I like you to!!! =)

Dan - I wear my Platypus badge proudly!

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 26, 2009 at 10:39am

Rayanne, you have to press Becky for more details about how she turns off dead candidates.

Look, you say she's received warmly. What about when the person's personality is the issue. People don't like him. Or you like her resume but once you get her on the phone you don't like the way she sounds.

What do you say when you turn them away? "Sorry, you sound like a drip."

Jerry Jerry Albright thinks he's being straight-forward when he says "it's not a fit". It's doesn't mean anything. They don't like your personality does.

Is that the kind of direct message Becky's candidates appreciate? Or, really, is the key to being liked and getting a lot of referrals, making the call to keep people in the loop but not really telling them what's going on?

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 26, 2009 at 10:55am

Becky, dear, you know I'm your fan. But the implication was that you are a model of transparency when in fact you aren't delivering any straightforward information at all. You're calling the candidate but it's an empty call.

If you say, it just wasn't a fit and the candidate doesn't ask you what that means, that's a red flag. Something must be wrong with her. No guts or no curiousity. Or no desire to improve.

Honestly, after reading this posting and your comments -- WHICH I APPRECIATE -- I have no idea how you deal with the bad personality issue.

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Permalink Reply by Becky Metcalf on March 26, 2009 at 11:21am

Maybe this will help - I think it's about respect, not transparency. If you able to give them something to help them improve for the next go, that is gravy.

Recruiting Animal said:

Becky, dear, you know I'm your fan. But the implication was that you are a model of transparency when in fact you aren't delivering any straightforward information at all. You're calling the candidate but it's an empty call.

If you say, it just wasn't a fit and the candidate doesn't ask you what that means, that's a red flag. Something must be wrong with her. No guts or no curiousity. Or no desire to improve.

Honestly, after reading this posting and your comments -- WHICH I APPRECIATE -- I have no idea how you deal with the bad personality issue.

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Permalink Reply by Recruiting Animal on March 26, 2009 at 11:31am

Oh Becky, I wish I had you on my show right now. I'd go after you like there was no tomorrow.

I know you're a gutsy broad, one of Rayanne's amazon women, but you can't even see that you're evading the question.

You told us that you don't give candidates any direct information when their personality is the problem. Instead, like Jerry, you use codewords that they might not understand - and you pray that they won't press you on what you mean.

Becky Metcalf said:

Maybe this will help - I think it's about respect, not transparency. If you able to give them something to help them improve for the next go, that is gravy.

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Permalink Reply by Claudia Faust on March 26, 2009 at 11:43am

Animal, in the past I've chosen to be blunt with candidates, and I've chosen to be indirect. I have to decide what is the most effective use of my time, and what is the ROI in becoming a defacto career coach for that individual. It doesn't always make sense to get into the details with someone; if they're in the mood to argue about it, or if they're really not interested in the reason as much as they want to press their case further. The decision won't be any different at the end of that conversation, and sometimes it is just better to say, "You know, chemistry has to be there for both parties. It wasn't there for the hiring manager."

Recruiting Animal said:

Oh Becky, I wish I had you on my show right now. I'd go after you like there was no tomorrow.

I know you're a gutsy broad, one of Rayanne's amazon women, but you can't even see that you're evading the question.

You told us that you don't give candidates any direct information when their personality is the problem. Instead, like Jerry, you use codewords that they might not understand - and you pray that they won't press you on what you mean.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 26, 2009 at 12:35pm

Animal - you are misinformed. A quick snipet from your radio show is not quite the same thing as a detailed response.

I most certainly DO tell candidates why they did not get the job. You are hung up here on some ambiguos "it's just not a fit" type scenario. Any recruiter worth his/her salt will have a FAR CLEARER understanding of what was missing. "Too quiet" "too blabby" "Not enough accounting background" "No project management background" etc.

REAL REASONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED.

Any recruiter who hides from giving true feedback is a wimp and I'll personally call them out on it. Sometimes ALL WE HAVE is the clients general feel that there was not a fit. If that's all I've got - then I'll pass it along. If I have more - then I'll find the best way I can deliver that truth to them.

Some of the guests on your show yesterday said "candidates don't really want to know why"......which made my jaw drop to the floor! Don't want to know why the didn't get the job? Are you kidding me? What planet are you recruiting on?

Here on Earth people want to know why. It is our job to tell them. If you can not step up the plate then take your uniform off. You shouldn't be on the team.

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Permalink Reply by Slouch on March 26, 2009 at 12:41pm

I heard your mouth hit the floor.

Jerry Albright said:

Animal - you are misinformed. A quick snipet from your radio show is not quite the same thing as a detailed response.

I most certainly DO tell candidates why they did not get the job. You are hung up here on some ambiguos "it's just not a fit" type scenario. Any recruiter worth his/her salt will have a FAR CLEARER understanding of what was missing. "Too quiet" "too blabby" "Not enough accounting background" "No project management background" etc.

REAL REASONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED.

Any recruiter who hides from giving true feedback is a wimp and I'll personally call them out on it. Sometimes ALL WE HAVE is the clients general feel that there was not a fit. If that's all I've got - then I'll pass it along. If I have more - then I'll find the best way I can deliver that truth to them.

Some of the guests on your show yesterday said "candidates don't really want to know why"......which made my jaw drop to the floor! Don't want to know why the didn't get the job? Are you kidding me? What planet are you recruiting on?

Here on Earth people want to know why. It is our job to tell them. If you can not step up the plate then take your uniform off. You shouldn't be on the team.

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Permalink Reply by Becky Metcalf on March 26, 2009 at 12:52pm

Jerry, will you do me the honor of discussing this with us in more depth here?

Jerry Albright said:

Animal - you are misinformed. A quick snipet from your radio show is not quite the same thing as a detailed response.

I most certainly DO tell candidates why they did not get the job. You are hung up here on some ambiguos "it's just not a fit" type scenario. Any recruiter worth his/her salt will have a FAR CLEARER understanding of what was missing. "Too quiet" "too blabby" "Not enough accounting background" "No project management background" etc.

REAL REASONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED.

Any recruiter who hides from giving true feedback is a wimp and I'll personally call them out on it. Sometimes ALL WE HAVE is the clients general feel that there was not a fit. If that's all I've got - then I'll pass it along. If I have more - then I'll find the best way I can deliver that truth to them.

Some of the guests on your show yesterday said "candidates don't really want to know why"......which made my jaw drop to the floor! Don't want to know why the didn't get the job? Are you kidding me? What planet are you recruiting on?

Here on Earth people want to know why. It is our job to tell them. If you can not step up the plate then take your uniform off. You shouldn't be on the team.