Comment by Sandeep Sood on May 18, 2007 at 5:58pm

The best Recruiting lesson I ever learned is "there are no rules in this game".

Reason being we deal with human beings and variables are not configurable. There's no clear cut set path to success in recruiting other than having a mindset to turn all the stones we can, learn from each transaction, create an ecosystem around us, leave our footprints wherever we go in our quest for knowing who's who and where.

Comment by Paul DeBettignies on May 20, 2007 at 1:48pm

“The best Recruiting lesson I ever learned is your name (reputation, image, and standing in the business community) is everything”.

The first and only search firm I went work for had a bad reputation. I was looking for a job and did not do any research on them. Their ethics were horrible and if you worked for them, you were branded as unethical.

The flip side has been true too. Having had a positive reputation has brought candidate and client referrals, returned phone calls I may not otherwise should have received, quotes in articles, and a general acceptance of being someone good to work with.

Be a person that people can trust, call or email back as quick as possible, be respectful of all inquiries, and be willing to help others out. Building that kind of name is not only priceless but frankly the right thing to do.

Comment by Moises Lopez on May 20, 2007 at 2:18pm

The best Recruiting lesson I ever learned is that the most stupid question is the one you don't ask. You can have the best reputation, have the strongest negotiation skills and an awesome presentation. It is always the one think you forgot to ask that can and usually does cost you the deal.

I agree that reputation image and standing in the business can make you go far, but I've seen some recruiters that are total jerks to candidates and still they make a lot of money. What drives our success in recruitment is our ability to draw our the prospects objections the only tool we have to do so is our ability to intilligently ask.

Comment by Harry Joiner on May 21, 2007 at 3:19pm

The best recruiting lesson I ever learned is that the odds of my closing a search skyrocket when I get my candidates to help each other get the job. Here's how I do it:

At the beginning of a search, I assure my candidates that I will do every-ethical-thing in my power to help them get the job.

HOWEVER: In good faith, they agree that if they get knocked out of the search, they will make themselves available by phone to discuss my client's interview process with all surviving candidates.

For example, imagine that I submit six highly-qualified candidates for the same VP of Marketing job. Usually, four will get knocked out before the two survivors get called in for final interviews. My method allows the final two candidates to have confidential, in-depth calls with the four "dead" candidates before going in for their final interviews. From what I hear, a ton of outstanding intel is traded among these executives.

What's in it for the "dead" candidates? A great networking opportunity to help a colleague who's about to get a plum VP-level job at a company they respect.

What's in it for the "live" candidates? Valuable intelligence.

What's in it for me? Usually money.

Now, kindly send my Fordyce subscription to:

Harry Joiner
130 Saddle Creek Court
Roswell, GA 30076

Comment by Slouch on May 22, 2007 at 2:31pm

The most important recruiting lesson I have ever learned was that when a candidate says no, they don't always mean it. Sometimes, the easiest thing to say is no and alot of times, you need to use that as a way to re phrase what you are asking in order to get them to see it in a different way.

Comment by Ginnie Bellville on May 23, 2007 at 3:08pm

“The best Recruiting lesson I ever learned… is, quite simply, 'Shut up and Listen!' In other words, there appears to be a reason why we recruiters (and others of the shared human species) have two ears, yet only one mouth.

This fact can be a good one to remember, from the early phases of the search start-up through the full cycle recruiting processes. It may be construed as especially important - albeit critical - during initial telephone ID/sourcing phases, for obvious reasons; i.e., there's absolutely no reason to spit out too much useless information, when instead you could be listening and gathering vital information you need. Saying too much can prevent this and shut you out needlessly.

Well, that's all I'm gonna say... think I'll now listen and see what others are saying!"

Comment by Kalch on May 23, 2007 at 11:00pm

The most important lesson I have learned is that my time should be seen as valuable to both myself and my clients. A sense of both urgency and seriousness should be established by the client. As a "contingency" search firm in the biotech space, many companies are trying to use as many search firms as possible, and to limit clients from just using me as "another" search firm, I have instituted a $5000 engagement fee model, which hooks the client from both a commitment and financial perspective.

Now my cash flow and client commitment is at a steadier pace...

Comment by Leslie O Connor on May 24, 2007 at 8:40am

The best lesson I ever learned was that there are three kinds of people: i) people that watch things happen, ii) people that make things happen, and iii) people that wonder what the heck happened. Your success in both recruiting and life depends on what type of person you are.

In recruiting, nothing happens unless we make it happen. As a recruiter, it is your job to drve the process from start to finish. Regardless of what type of a recruitng and sourcing strategy you have implemented at your company or agency - you have to continually be the driver. You can never rely on someone else doing things the same way as you, and as Craig stated, "you have to inspect what you expect". This includes driving the Sourcing and Candidate Generation by being in touch with the pipeline at all times; driving the Recruiting Coordinator, particularly if they are responsible for interview schedules, travel arrangements, etc; drving the hiring team around timely responses to resume submittals, telephone and onsite interviews - subsequently driving them to make decisions and give timely feedback; you have to push yourself to get on the phones often and build relatioships with the candidate so you know what their motivating factors are and what is their decision-making criteria, and just to get to know them; and most importantly driving the offer to acceptance.

Delays to any of the steps along the way can hurt the candidate experience, and ultimately weigh on their final decision. As the point person, it will reflect on their opinion of both you and your company - and this will hamper their ability to provide referals that could be potential additional hires.

What kind of person are you???? Don't ever be the one to wonder, "What the Heck Happened"!!

Comment by Heather Hartmann on May 24, 2007 at 10:54am

The best recruiting lesson I ever learned is that you have to understand the business to be successful. This is important for both corporate and third-party recruiters. For example, when I was working with a coal mining company, I took the time to go visit the mines, and take a trip "down under" so that I understood the work environment, the culture, and exactly what type of a person would excel in the position I was recruiting for - which was a mining operations engineer at the time. This might be a bit of an extreme example, but it works in a more corporate environment as well. While working at a Big 4 consulting firm, I took a week and worked on one of the project teams. Not only did I foster better relationships with the hiring managers, but I improved my credibility because I came away with a much better understanding of what these consultants actually did all day. I could then talk to the candidates in a more educated manner, and sell them on our opportunity because I had actually lived it (even though it was for a short time). Believe me, even the most generic positions are different in every organization. And only by knowing the business, where the business is going, and what kind of candidate will work in that environment are you going to be able to distinguish yourself and get the placements you and the organization both need. It's a win-win for everyone.

Comment by pam claughton on May 24, 2007 at 11:12am

The best lesson I learned, I fortunately learned very early on, with my first client. That lesson was to never force a placement. The client's gut instinct was that our very nice, and personable candidate just wasn't up to the demands of the job. It was a very entry level clerical role. We talked the client into giving the candidate a shot, and the candidate promised to put in extra time to improve her skills. Three weeks later, the client called and said it wasn't working out. They loved our candidate, she was a real sweetheart, but she couldn't collate!

That stayed with me over the years, and I went on to have the lowest 'falloff' ratio over ten year period, because I take the time to make sure the fit is really there, on both sides, and in a sense, let the candidates close themselves (with helpful reminders from me of course on what they said was important to them).

It was an important lesson because it changed how I approached filling a job as well. I learned to really listen to what was most important to both the client and also the candidate and it's made all the difference in the world.

Pam

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