Have you ever been horseback riding?  I am solidly in what can only be considered the novice camp.  The last time I went horseback riding I was matched up with what appeared to be the oldest horse in the stable. The fact his name was “Old Blue” should have been a tip off.  I was joining a group ride, so as we all mounted our mighty steeds I discovered Old Blue only had 2 speeds, amble and what passes for a rather slow trot.   Sadly Old Blue and I were near the middle of the pack so while Old Blue was smelling the roses, the group in front of us slowly drifted further ahead and the group behind us was treated to an in-depth viewing of Blue’s caboose.  Blue being the veteran he was though, would kick into his trot to catch back up with the rest of our caravan setting off a chain reaction of horses and riders behind us transitioning to a gallop to catch back up with the rest of the troupe.  As a group the caravan can only move as fast as the slowest horse.

For third party recruiters, Old Blue might take the form of the hiring manager of your client or more likely one of the veteran HR ladies in the office.  As my friend Robin Schooling says, “HR doesn’t have to stand for Human Roadblock,” even though it might feel that way.  Luckily for me Robin knows all the tricks to help you keep your recruiting caravan on track and on time.

To begin you have to be able to recognize the pitfalls and avoid them.  There are many common derailers to this burgeoning partnership.  It’s a bit like instant-fails on a first date.  Rude to the server – no date #2.  Spend the conversation dwelling on an Ex, no date #2, etc.   Once you’ve navigated you way past those potential traps the focus becomes all about developing and then maintaining those relationships.  

Being a member of RecruitingBlogs we can assume you’ve got the recruiting chops to tame that req, but if you need an assist on how to handle the guardians of the gate AKA the HR ladies join Robin on October 6, 2015 at 2pm ET for our webinar Hey Third Party Recruiters! Tips for Winning the Hearts and Minds o....  She’ll be dropping some knowledge in her signature fashion  - No BS and with a side of snark.  Hope to see you there.