Recruiter Training By Barb Bruno, CPC

The Staffing and Recruiting Profession is time intensive. To complicate matters even more, both sides of our sale has the ability to talk back and change their minds. One of your greatest challenges is where to place your focus and efforts. I hope to clear up this dilemma today!

Your job in three words is to “book send outs!” Every day ask yourself “where is my send out today?” To clarify…my definition of a send out is a candidate being interviewed by a decision-maker…a first interview. If you want a better month than last month, book more send outs! If you want a better year than last year, book more send outs!

Your employer doesn’t write your paycheck – you do! You can accurately predict your income if you know your send out to placement ratio. How many candidates do you put in front of a hiring authority before someone is hired?

Last year I spoke to an Engineering Network of Recruiters. The average send out to placement ratio of the group was 6 to 1. I then asked them how many send outs they booked each month and the average was 10. Think about those numbers for a minute.
If they had just sent out TWO more candidates, they could have closed TWO deals a month vs. ONE deal. Two more send outs could have also DOUBLED their production and their income!

REALITY #1
You don’t have to like the candidates you place.
Your personality might not gel well with your candidates, however, that is not important. The person who has to like your candidate is your client. Your job is to screen in not screen out.

REALITY #2
You should BOOK 100% of the Candidates you submit to your clients
You are paid on RESULTS not EFFORTS. Think of the time and effort you put into surfacing top talent for your clients. If you submit five candidates, you should book five candidates. If your client asks to set up three, it is your job to attempt to sell in the remaining two candidates that you have presented. If they are not your candidate, put the recruiter on the phone that is representing this person and give them the opportunity to overcome the objections or concerns of your client.

REALITY #3
When in Doubt – Send Them Out!
You really don’t know what your clients will hire – many of you just “think” you do. My client’s decisions surprise me on a continual basis. It is not your job to play “God”; you need to let your clients make their own decisions. I’m not saying for a minute to send unqualified candidates or candidates with questionable references. I am saying if they have the experience, skills and stability your client requested, send them out!

REALITY #4
Identify a new Candidate Resource every Quarter
It is important that you continue to find new resources for Top Talent. It is your responsibility to present the best candidates available – not just the best candidates in your database or on a job board.

Recruiting is a relationship building business and strong candidate rapport will result in increased referrals.

REALITY #5
Call the Candidates you have Sent Out!
It is important to call the companies where you have booked Send Outs six months later and ask for your candidates. You will be surprised how many placements were made without your knowledge. Once you have contacted your candidate and clarified start date and salary, you then bill the client for the fee.

When you complete your planner tonight – focus on Send Outs
When you arrive at your office tomorrow – focus on Send Outs
Strive to increase the number of send outs booked throughout your career. You will be rewarded with consistent increased production and income.

Never forget…When in Doubt – Send Them Out!

And what about those candidates you don’t send out? Until now, they were nothing but a cost on your time and money. We’ve introduced a system that will allow you to monetize on your candidate flow with the automated Candidate Next Step system. If your company is not using this, you are losing money every day! Please review the system by clicking on the link below!

Candidate Next Step

Contact our office if you have any questions after reviewing the Video!
219.663.9609

Recruiting has been, is and always will be a Relationship Building Business. Our Profession is no different than any other “sales” profession. People give their business to individuals they “like” as well as those who provide them with results.

It is not your job to agree or disagree with your Clients or Candidates. It is your job to accomplish the following:

1. Identify the priorities of your Clients so you present Top Talent they will hire
2. Identify the priorities of your Candidates so they will accept offers
Recruiters often attempt to develop candidate and client CONTROL. Think for a moment what you have done when someone has tried to control you? Normally, you would do the direct opposite.
It is more advantageous for you to develop rapport with your clients and candidates. Always emphasize the “what’s in it for them” if they utilize your services. This rapport must be based on trust and it’s important that they perceive you as an expert who can provide them with results. When you accomplish this level of rapport, you will now enjoy a profitable relationship that will consistently result in higher levels of production.

STEPS TO DEVELOP CANDIDATE RAPPPORT

1. It begins with how you present yourself, your company and your level of commitment to provide them with results.
2. How you schedule your interviews impacts your candidates. You must emphasize why it benefits them to schedule an interview with you.
3. Getting your paperwork completed up front, helps you focus on the candidates you will be able to assist. You do not want to waste time on candidates who do not have the experience, skills and stability mandated by your clients.
4. Conducting a “general interview” vs. one focused on a particular position helps you truly identify the hot buttons of each candidate. Candidates can sense when you are focused on one specific position – you slant your interview.
5. Never assume that your candidates want to do exactly what they have done in the past in their next position.
6. Utilize percentages to truly understand what your candidates have done and what they want to do next.
7. Refer back to your interviewing notes throughout the entire Placement Process.
8. Empower your candidates by saying “I take my direction from you.”
9. If you don’t like an answer, change your question.
10. Deliver excellence and show you truly “care” about your candidates.
11. The basic rule in any sales is under promise and over deliver.

STEPS TO DEVELOP CLIENT RAPPORT

Before you can achieve Client rapport they must understand that your job is to “make them look good.” They must sense your high level of commitment and always feel like a top priority.
1. Learn one personal fact with every third contact. Your clients would rather talk about themselves than listen to what you’re trying to sell.
2. Always treat your clients like a priority and maintain a concerned, helpful, positive attitude.
3. Provide a weekly update by phone every Friday on any open orders.
4. Strive to become the best listener in this client’s life, their sounding board.
5. Always emphasize the “what’s in it for me” of your client in every step of the Placement Process.
6. Provide information on trends and their competitors.
7. Survey your clients to receive their input and feedback.
8. Under-promise and over-deliver.
9. Inform your clients that it is your hope to become their Trusted Advisor.
10. Provide them with your cell phone, home phone and remain accessible 24/7.

If you begin to implement these steps you will develop profitable relationships with both your candidates and clients!

Attention Owners:

Join Barb Thursday, March 4th for a F.R.E.E Training Webinar titled “Achieve Remarkable Results By Helping Your Employees Fulfill Their Dreams” to help increase your profits.

Barb will share the following:

• The 12 rules for bringing out the best in your team
• How to determine what will motivate your team to higher levels of production, success and Income
• The 12 daily affirmations that will enhance your management skills

Click the following link to register for Barb’s free webinar:

Register For Barb’s FREE Webinar Here!

To your continued success,

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS
Good as Gold Training, Inc.
Recruiting Tools: Candidate Next Step and Top Producer Tutor

What’s Hot – What’s Not?

It’s time to stop writing just “any” job order or assignment. One of the greatest mistakes in the past twelve months has been the time spent working orders that should have NEVER been written!

Unless you’re working Retained Search, you do most of your work for “F.R.E.E.” It’s only if your client hires someone and pays your fee, that you make money. Take a moment to answer the following questions:

1. How many Job Orders or Assignments did you write in the past 12 months?

2. What percentage of them did you fill?

3. How many did you work that should NOT have been written?

4. How many were a big waste of your time?

Take time to review where you have made placements, not where you wrote orders. If you write orders that mirror past placements, those are hot orders! It’s often easier just working a current “bad” order than getting back on the phone to generate “hot” business. However, you will NOT generate the results or income you deserve.

The following is a seven-step process GUARANTEED to identify the “hot” business that you should be focused on filling.

STEP ONE:
When you write an order, ask for three interview times. This proves the commitment on the part of the hiring authority to interview and shows your commitment to provide them with talent. This also forces you to write an order that you know you can fill.

STEP TWO:
Get the name of a “second person” you can call to confirm the interviews. This will eliminate your frustration of hiring authorities disappearing after you have surfaced qualified candidates.

STEP THREE:
Obtain a specific TARGET DATE to fill the position vs. ASAP, Yesterday or Immediately. In Real Estate it’s all about location-location-location. In our profession it’s all about timing-timing-timing. Show your clients the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) to provide you with a specific date. Often their ASAP is two months away!

STEP FOUR:
Ask probing questions to identify the “problem” that exists as a result of this position being open. If there is no problem, chances are there is no urgency to fill the position.

STEP FIVE:
Email a copy of your job order to everyone involved in the interview process. You will be amazed at the changes that are often made by the second or third person in the process. Now you have everyone on the SAME PAGE, before you begin to work the assignment or job order.

STEP SIX:
Share with your clients the advantages of you “back-filing” candidates who are eliminated in the interview process. Explain that your plan is to have 2 or 3 of your candidates in the final interview process.

STEP SEVEN:
Provide your clients with a list of expectations:
1. What they can expect from you
2. What you expect from them (always stressing the WIIFM)

These seven steps take the mystery out of which orders deserve your focus. It’s time to walk away from business that is a “waste of your time.” In the current market you still may need to double or triple your marketing efforts in order to maintain a healthy job order flow – but at least now you will write business that you can fill!

To your continued success,

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS
Good as Gold Training
Recruiting Tools: Candidate Next Step and Top Producer Tutor

The outcome of this year’s Super Bowl was surprising, when the favored Indianapolis Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints! It was surprising to everyone, BUT the players on the Saints team and the people of New Orleans.

This is a team and city who continue to face incredible challenges since Hurricane Katrina. It would have been easy to “blame others” or “give up” but instead, it brought out great resolve to come back better than ever.

Question to Ask Yourself…
When you’ve had to face a difficult month, quarter or even a challenging year (2009) did it bring out YOUR resolve to come back in 2010 better than ever?

Back to the Game…
The Coaches didn’t hold back and called very gutsy plays. What about going for a touchdown on 4th and goal rather than putting up “3” almost guaranteed points? I’m sure the fans were beside themselves when the Saints didn’t score.

Then there was the on-side kick…pretty gutsy again. The outcome of this play produced pretty quick results, but it was a surprising call by the coaching staff. The Saints came to the Super Bowl to WIN and nothing was going to stop them.

Questions to Ask Yourself…
• Do you arrive at work every day expecting to WIN?
• When is the last time you made a “gutsy play” at work?
• Do you let outside distractions influence your results?

Winners expect to WIN. They view their past failures as valuable lessons and they CHANGE the way they do things. They realize if they keep doing things the same way they will get the same results! It takes “guts” to get out of your comfort zone and try new techniques, but the reward is worth the effort.

Realize that 20% of what you do provides you with 80% of your results. Focus most of your time on results oriented activity. Identify and stop doing things that are a waste of your time – immediately! Doing so will leave room for you to try new techniques that will elevate your production and income.

Back to the Game…
The Coaches had studied their competition and called plays that would change the way they played the game. The Colts didn’t know what to expect so their rhythm was thrown off as evidenced by the late game interception.

Questions to Ask Yourself…
• How are you differentiating yourself from your competition?
• What is your Personal Brand?
• Why SHOULD I do business with you?

SUGGESTIONS TO BEAT YOUR COMPETITION…

1. Provide a Friday update on all open orders

2. When you write Job Orders obtain:
a. Target Date to Fill (not ASAP)
b. Interview Times (to guarantee send outs)

3. Segment Your Day
a. Focus on results-oriented activity during
Prime Time
b. Plan your 6 Actions Closest to the Money Daily

4. Provide a List of Expectations
a. Inform your candidates what they can expect from you
and what you expect from them in writing
b. Inform your clients what they can expect from you and
what you expect from them in writing

One Comment on the Super Bowl Commercials
Companies paid millions of dollars on commercials that in many cases were just “okay.” Why did the commercial with Betty White work? It made us laugh!

Questions to Ask Yourself…
• When is the last time you laughed out loud at work?
• When is the last time you had fun at work?
• Would you clients or candidates say you’re fun to work with?

People enjoy working with someone who loves what they do. There was do doubt the Saints were passionate and having fun. Bring that same passion and fun attitude to work and watch your results improve!

There is no Staffing and Recruiting Profession Super Bowl but if there was, you need to KNOW you would WIN!

To your continued success,

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS
Recruiting Tools: Candidate Next Step and Top Producer Tutor

Recruiting is a sales profession, which of course insures a high level of rejection and objections. If you are not taking three objections you are making “customer service calls” not sales calls.

If you are to reach your potential as a recruiter it is extremely important for you to realize that objections are actually buying signs – requests for more information.

When I’ve had the opportunity to speak in front of Corporate Audiences they have shared the following facts with me:

• We are getting more calls than ever from recruiters
• They all sound alike
• I don’t have time to break in a new recruiter
• I can get a recruiter off the phone very quickly if I provide one of the following three responses:

1. We don’t use Recruiters
2. We are not hiring
3. We don’t pay FEES

In many cases these three objections are not necessarily true, but they are effective in getting YOU off the phone!

You are in a sales professional, and should be able to overcome at least three objections in a successful presentation. Once you realize that objections are buying signs, they become less intimidating and easier to handle.

There is only one type of objection you can’t overcome, and that is silence. If someone hangs up the phone, the only option you have is to call back and say “I’m sorry; it appears our call was disconnected.”

All other objections fall into four categories: Price, Service, Personal and Postponement. It is much easier to effectively handle an objection when you learn what type of objection you are facing.

For instance, if someone says “send me a resume”, that is obviously a postponement objection. If you are asked to quote your rates, you are facing a price objection. A personal objection could be a complaint directed at you or the firm you represent. A service objection is easy to identify. Have you ever heard the phrase “You people”?

Write down the twenty most common objections you hear, place them in one of the four categories and prepare your responses. It is very important to have your responses ready and well-rehearsed so they come across very natural. Once you master the art of overcoming objections, you will experience a higher level of success in client development as well as recruiting.

Once you master the skills of overcoming objections your personal success will escalate and so will your income!

To your continued success,

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS
Good as Gold Training
Recruiting Tools:
Candidate Next Step
Top Producer Tutor