" did the technique work? - then it was the right technique".

These words of wisdom came from my martial arts instructor..The point being it is fruitless to worry about adhering to a particular "way", when the goal is survival.

What does this have to do with recruiting you ask? Well, ones recruiting methodology most likely mirrors that of the people who taught you to recruit, and much like habits, methodologies have a direct impact on ones success,

Methodologies are driven by doctrines, such as:

" You can only recruit by using the phone" - so we spend all day in voicemail - land. - 'cause it's a numbers game, right?

" Using Email is wrong" - So we ignore the method by which the world stays connected.

"cold calling is dead" - So we surf all day on LinkedIn.

" Social media is the devil" - So we ignore groups of people we can help.

"Job boards are the lazy way" - Because qualified people NEVER look at job boards, right?

"nobody returns voicemails" - so we hang up and miss a chance to connect with a prospect.

" we never work with HR " - so we annoy the only people authorized to pay our fee by trying to go around them.


Are any of these familiar? My view is that methodologies and doctrines limit our chances of success.

I resolved a long time ago to do in recruiting as I was taught in the dojo - become effective at utilizing ALL of the tools available to me - because just as there are no guaranteed, sure fire, never fail moves that always work in a fight, there are no guaranteed, sure fire, never fail moves that always work in recruiting either.

By "becoming effective with all of the tools" I mean:

Telephone: If I fear the phone in this line of work, I'm dead. I sucked at cold calling in the beginning, but kept at it until I got good at it. I learned to leave pertinent voice messages that were all about them, because nobody cares about me, only what i can do for them.

Email: Many folks say that email is impersonal, cowardly, or cumbersome because emotions are hard to convey - I say BS..I became a better writer, and got more results. Some candidates get PO'd about being approached this way, but if I'm approaching them at the right time, with the right opportunity, they'll jot down my info and email me from home... newsflash - they're annoyed by being approached by recruiters anyway - unless they want something I have.

Social Media & Job Boards

Why NOT use job boards? I focus on being pertinent, and I put in the effort to find niche specific communities to post to. And social media is great.. again, anything that enables me to reach out to those I might help is a good thing, and shouldn't be ignored.

As for working with HR, I'm a fan - Ignore them at your peril.

My overall point? we should never focus on "one way", as the "only way".