As a newbie recruiter I was keen to “cut my teeth” in the industry and “earn my stripes” as quickly as possible, I wanted to be up there with the best of them. As a complete novice I believed that I had to work on anything and everything that came across my desk, no matter how unqualified it was or how many other recruiters were working on the same requirement.

Obviously there are a number of drawbacks with this approach, among them being that you spread yourself to thin, you are unable to offer any sort of commitment, develop any sort of relationships or offer any measure of quality. By working on every requirement possible, you dilute your overall offering and unique selling point; i.e. your knowledge.

By heading down this path with a full head of steam, I managed a few placements along the way but the end result was that I missed a number of quality opportunities, missed a whole bunch of placements and ultimately rubbed a few people up the wrong way in the process. I had no time to really talk to people about what they wanted, the real reasons they were looking for a new position/hire, and I was too busy on the next requirement before I even hung up the phone.

After six months of frustration and desperation, I moved towards a breakdown where I decided there had to be a better way. Everyone I worked with had their own opinions on what it took to be the best (100 calls a day, 10 meetings a week, a large network) all of which could contribute to being successful. However, I felt there was something more I could do something simple, something that would facilitate my success.

The answer came in a moment of clarity; well actually over a few beers with a mate in the local pub, he’s a builder who runs his own company in Kent (UK). He was telling me about a bizarre request he had received a few weeks earlier to build something his customer had wanted in their house, but would have looked terrible and most likely have devalued the house. The customer was insistent that he build this structure for him, to the point of threatening him by saying he would tell everyone he knew how bad a builder my friend was.

When I asked my friend what he did, he replied “I said NO!” He explained that he could have built the structure this customer wanted, quite easily in fact, but it would have looked so bad if anybody had seen it or if anyone would’ve asked the client who built it for him his name would have been mentioned. He further explained that this could possibly do more damage to his reputation, more than a few bad words spread around by a disgruntled client. But my friend stuck to his guns and the upshot was that this particular client came back to my mate a week later saying he had thought about it and agreed that my mate was right, it would look terrible. To that end, the client then asked for an alternative.

So what’s the lesson here? You can say NO!

As a recruiter I have only ever worked in the IT industry - I have worked on all aspects from 1^st level helpdesk positions, to Global CIO’s and everything in-between. Now this gave me a great understanding of the industry and how the IT department fits into a company, but to a lesser degree I was still spreading myself a little thin. The result now is that with conn3cted/people I only work in the software arena because that is what we are good at, we have the technical knowledge and the experience to really offer a quality service to our clients. If I’m asked to work on any assignment outside of this area I quite simply say, “No, but I can recommend you to someone that can help you with that particular need.”

The initial reaction is normally shock and the question why? But when I explain that by working outside of my area of expertise I am going to dilute my service offering and I wouldn’t be able to guarantee the results as much as I can now, the reaction changes from shock to respect for my commitment and a stronger relationship.

You can also say no when deciding to work with a client. When making a decision to work with a new client you need to be looking at the opportunity long term, are they committed to working with you, are their expectations realistic, is it going to be a long term strategic move for you both or is it going to be a one of requirement? You need to make your own decision on this, but my view is that if it’s not going to be of a benefit to you or your client in the long run, it’s not worth taking on the job.

Finally, you can also say no to candidates. A candidate is not going to pay for your service, so unless they are committed to working with you in an effective manner, you have every right to stop working with them. As a recruiter, I am responsible for my time and how I spend it, who I choose to work with will affect my success and ultimately my income.

So the bottom line is if you have the courage to say no (with a genuine underlying reason) you will find that you gain a deeper level of respect from your customers and a greater understanding of your industry sector.

If you feel like you are wasting your time or worse still someone is wasting it for you, take a step back and say, “NO!”