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
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