The Simple Things

My father is a dentist. No one likes going to the dentist. It usually costs a lot of money, and without a doubt, there are varying degrees of pain. A toothache is awful and the thought of someone working on that tooth is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Being unemployed is not fun. It is not any different than getting a tooth pulled.

One thing is certain though, people come back to see my father. He is nearly 70 years old and his patients are loyal. Some of his staff has been around for 40 years and people genuinely like him. No one dreads seeing my father. He is the man Bill Cosby describes in his standup act “The Dentist” and always asks questions when you have a mouth full of gauze and a needle in your mouth. People still come back. Why?

It is the simple things. My father has always called his patients after he eats dinner. This is not required. No one is telling him he has to do this, but it means so much to the people who trust him and his expertise. Their mouth is usually sore and they usually don’t feel great. My father erases the fear, and makes them smile (even if it is crooked from the shots).

How can we as recruiters learn from this? Have you ever been unemployed? Have you ever received that call that said “I’m sorry, unfortunately company performance isn’t where it was projected and we need to let you go”. If you haven’t, you are one of the lucky ones.

What separates the good recruiters from the great ones? Here are 10 simple things that can make a great recruiter.

1) Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. Every candidate should be given the same level of respect as the other. Go the extra mile when working with them.

2) Have an excellent response time. No one likes to hear from a recruiter 2 days later. Try to get back in touch with them within 30 minutes. This is for working with managers and recruits.

3) Don’t have a “what’s in it for me” attitude. What you do for others will come back ten- fold. Do something out of the kindness of your heart, not because you expect something in return.

4) Listen. Don’t try to fit a round peg in a square hole. Don’t talk over them. Find out what their ultimate job is and help them realize that goal.

5) Maintain relationships. If you are a recruiter, you will run into them again somewhere. Make sure their onboarding experience is the level that you would want it.

6) Build your personal brand. You are the product they are buying. You are the expert.

7) Be thorough. Explain the job, the benefits, the people they would be working for and what to expect.

8) Get to know the candidates on a personal level. Make the recruitment process easy for them.

9) Be honest, if they aren’t selected, tell them why. You would want the same thing if you were the candidate.

10) Smile. It is contagious. Make people laugh. People can tell if you are smiling on the phone. Give it a try.

Comment by Dan Hunter on August 9, 2012 at 8:13am: Couldn't agree more Will. What a great blog post :-)

Comment by Christopher Perez on August 9, 2012 at 11:35am: Good stuff, Will. If you can find a way to attract, positively influence, and enjoy people, you will have a hard time avoiding success in this business, or in life in general.

Comment by Pritesh Vaidya on August 10, 2012 at 9:05am: Thank You Mr. Will Thomson, for sharing this blog. It will for sure help recruiters me :-)

Comment by Peter Ceccarelli on August 10, 2012 at 5:11pm: Nice job and so true!

Comment by Sarah Calverley on August 13, 2012 at 1:33am: This is just such a lovely post. All true and in general we as recruiters need to remember we are in the 'people' business... we need to love working with people and this job will love you back

Comment by Sunil Suri on August 13, 2012 at 1:47am: Great points. If recruiters follow even 50% of them it would make them more human. One should get out of this mind frame that 'I am the one who is giving the job'.

Comment by Julia Briggs on August 15, 2012 at 8:35am: Quite simply - if you have to tell people this stuff they shouldn't be employed in a job working with people. This is just being professional and a decent human being and would apply to so many circumstances. I suspect the people you need to convince are beyond redemption!

Comment by Christopher Perez on August 15, 2012 at 9:59am: I agree that these principles should be basic to most well-adjusted people. My take on this post was that it would be especially helpful as a reminder and possibly to those just starting out in the recruiting industry. We get our heads filled with a lot of how-to's when we're starting, technical stuff about workflow, process, sourcing, Boolean search strings, etc. It's helpful at some point to sit back, tell people to clear their heads of all that, and just use some common sense and considerate, professional behavior. The rest will come in time if one combines a good work ethic with experience and observation.

Comment by Rebecca B. Sargeant on August 15, 2012 at 5:20pm: Great points!!! Please should print this out and have at their desk so they can see it daily!

Comment by Sunil Suri on August 18, 2012 at 6:33am: @Julia Briggs, I agree with your observation. If followed not many recruiters will be left in their profession.

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