Over the years, it seems like one of the most frequently asked questions are those trying to find the keys to hiring the ideal recruiter. What background, behavioral traits, intellectual capabilities, etc.? These questions are important, but not nearly as important, in my opinion, as the question of how to start up a new recruiter. My premise here is that recruiters with great potential can start in areas with poor preparation and fail or languish, while average potential recruiters can achieve greatness with effective preparation. Many times people come in and work hard but all their energy is being expended on activities that are simply low gain or no gain. This frustration then causes a fight or a flight mentality. In the case of flight, the recruiter will quit because he/she sees no proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of hard work or the flight will take on the form of mediocrity and doing what is needed not to get fired. In the case of fight, the recruiter will press on and work even harder. He/she may eventually have enough quantity and energy to begin to find the quality and then success will come. It will come with a price though and that price is a potential feeling by them that their success was in spite of you, rather than inspired by you and loyalty easily deteriorates while independence accelerates potentially to one day when they decide to “go out on their own.” A key to increasing the odds of a successful hire and subsequently retaining that person dramatically increases the easier you make their initial climb. To this end, I will share a checklist of the areas of how to start someone and maximize the odds of their success.

1)    Database – Several hundred companies AND the relevant contacts in each firm should already be downloaded into whatever system you use prior to their start date. This can be done with many different online content providers. You can also at times purchase a directory on CD Rom and download it into your system. In harder cases, you will need to hire an outside research company to help with this. There are some overseas firms that can do it for $6- 8 an hour. Having a new recruiter surfing Google and Hoovers all day, trying to find companies to call that must first be entered into your database is poor utilization of their time, so make the additional upfront investment to ensure that they can “hit the ground running.”

2)    Marketing Materials – A new person is more likely to be asked for marketing materials, website, business cards, etc. than a veteran. However, many times the website does not reflect their market and neither do any marketing materials. Business cards are not even ordered on some occasions for some time. What reaction do you have when you go somewhere and someone hands you their card that they have to write their name in? Great, a rookie! What do you think they think though? Maybe something like “My company believes in me so little that they don’t even want to spend $50 on some business cards.” An effective marketing presence may not close deals but they can help rookies significantly when the materials are impressive. They are sometimes just the “ante” that is necessary to get in the game. They are also a part of the long term value proposition of them remaining at your firm.

3)    Training – Some firms have great foundational training programs but others rely on the old system of “just get out there” and do it and then occasionally throw in an old VHS/DVD by the trainer du jour. The old system did work in some cases but so did the abacus before the calculator was invented and so too has our industry evolved in the caliber of talent we can attract and that talent expects a professional training program to help them. The training should include a blend of teaching, watching select DVD’s, desk side evaluation, role playing, practice, and demonstration. They should be handed a schedule for their first 30-60 days and the activities should be on the schedule and followed within reason. For example, perhaps one day it is teaching MPC marketing for an hour. They then watch a DVD on marketing. (Try NLRT module #5!). After this, they must write their own presentation that someone will review and correct. They will then go and make 10 new marketing presentations or 70 attempts (whichever comes first). If they get a possible JO then they would let the hiring manager know that they would like to schedule a time to go over it in more detail with the team leader (You). There would then be a review of what transpired with discussion about what to keep doing, what to change, and what to stop doing. The coming and going time should also be realistically laid out. The key is that there is a formal program designed to teach them the fundamentals of being a successful recruiter. Training is critical to retention and even spurred the theme of “train to retain.”

4)    Coaching and mentoring – This is different than recruiting training. This is teaching them about their market if necessary and holding them accountable to specific performance metrics. A good plan is one that focuses on what THEY want and then builds a program of requisite activities and energy to achieve what they want. Meetings should be daily, and should spend equal amounts of time on market place education, numeric analysis, and specific coaching around any areas of need that are identified. Market training is critical in ensuring that the recruiter can talk “shop” as rapidly as possible in addition to being able to talk about recruiting issues. There should also be some specific collaborative activities in their start up. Perhaps the coach will participate in the first five job orders, first 10 closings, first 10 presentations of candidates to clients, etc. This way the recruiter can learn by observation and co-participation. They will also respect the organization for you putting their career first and working to make some deals for them quicker than they otherwise would have.

5)    Physical space – Not much needs to be written here other than to make sure that the person has the supplies, technological equipment, and furniture needed. The physical surroundings are a reflection of who you are. Does it convey who you are or want to be?

6)    Quality job order and potentially quality candidate – Some firms start people only recruiting and others teach both from day one. However, in either case, the new recruiter should start by working on a job order or with a candidate that has been pre qualified by someone at the firm. The odds of an early success are increased and the recruiter will get an early opportunity to know what a good candidate/ job order looks like for the future.

7)    Cultural Assimilation- Depending on your size, it is always good to make sure that the new person feels at home. Giving him or her a buddy to show them “the ropes” is a good way in larger environments. In smaller ones, it should be some orientation about the firm’s vision, mission, and values. It should focus on the “why” the organization exists. Are you in business to earn a profit or do you earn profit to be in business? If it is only the first, then that is all that they will ever care about. If it is the later then this is the first time to enroll them in something bigger than a job and a paycheck and feel a sense of meaning in pursuing the firm’s purpose.

Some of these areas you/your firm may do well. Some you may not need to do. The main message here is that spending quality time preparing a new recruiter for success is as critical to their success as the caliber of the person hired, and it will impact their subsequent attitude and work ethic. A great tool is to create a checklist much like NASA has to launch a mission and only after the checklist is completed does the “take off” or the mission move forward! This month’s top producer’s tip comes from Christine Alan. Christine has been with Kaye/Bassman since 1989. In those 18+ years Christine has not only billed millions of dollars and been named a Managing Partner at Kaye/Bassman, but also has had a profoundly positive impact on developing many others and the face of Kaye/Bassman overall. In 2006 she billed $420,000 as a solo producer and is pacing to do the same this year while battling and beating breast cancer and raising her son and daughter.  

“The Power of Reaching Out”

Never underestimate the power of communication between a candidate and his/her future boss. There often comes a time in the negotiation process when we as recruiters need to step out of the way and let magic happen. I would hope that we are all in the common practice of having candidates follow-up directly with their new employer to confirm acceptance of an offer that we have extended on behalf of our client. The latter is a simple courtesy whereby a candidate calls to thank his/her new boss for the offer they have received and for the faith they have shown in the candidate.

Then there are times when we extend offers that are not immediately accepted. It happens to the best of us. In a case like this, a simple follow-up call from the hiring manager to the candidate can help keep the romance alive. More importantly, it is a forum whereby any issues that are delaying the candidate’s acceptance can be addressed and resolved.

For example: I recently had a situation where my candidate went from being 100% in love with the client and the opportunity, to practically talking herself out of the job after receiving a good offer. As it turns out, she was admittedly the recipient of some negative 3rd hand information, and bad advice in general. This resulted in making the candidate “conflicted and confused” about accepting my client’s offer versus another company’s offer that was on the table. It was a classic case of “fear” (false expectations appearing real). The solution? I had the client reach out to the candidate to discuss the newly surfaced “issues” head-on. The result was a candidate who felt great relief after talking things through with her future boss, and an acceptance of the offer that same day.

Another example is that of a candidate who gave a verbal acceptance of an offer I extended on behalf of my client. He even confirmed his acceptance by reaching out and calling his new boss, as I suggested. However, when he received the written offer, panic set in. The company has a policy of including the job summary in the written offer letter. The summary was actually more comprehensive than any written job description that had been previously shared with the candidate, causing him to second guess his decision and wonder if he was being set up for failure. The remedy was for me to direct the candidate to reach out to new boss and get clarity and comfort directly from him. After all, there is no better time than the present for a person to get in the habit of open and direct communication with his/her new boss. The result was a message from the candidate stating that he had talked with his new boss. In the message he stated, “We worked through the issues to my satisfaction and everything is fine.” I then took my own advice and reached out to both the candidate and client to confirm!