Candidate control.
Sounds like a painful thing to acheive, huh? In all actuality it is more painful to live without it. I am not talking about "fetch me a latte" kind of candidate control - I am talking about control disguised as setting expectations. It is the best way to foresee potential problems and close deals.
In the recruiting world it can be very difficult to manage all the moving parts of a placement. You have the recruiter (you), management (yours AND your clients), the specific hiring manager you are working with, the candidate and if you are a really unlucky recruiter then you have to deal with your client's HR department to boot. At any point the deal can get blown out of the water. Setting expectations along the way can help you get your placement more easily. What?! An easier path to revenue? Whee!
You have to set expectations for each and every person through each and every step. No small feat. I know. You don't have to tell me twice. But trust me...it makes a difference. You just have to commit to adding the steps into your recruiting process. It can be time-consuming on the front-end of your deal - again, I get that, but put the work in at the beginning and get an easier, faster close on the back-end.
From the very beginning it is critical that your candidates understand exactly what you will be doing for them and what you expect them to do for you. You have to, absolutely have to, make sure your candidates are on board every step of the way. Ever try to close a deal when your candidate has gone MIA on offer day and you never get them to return your call again? I have and THAT is a party and a half! Whee!
I have found that interviewing in stages is one way to get candidate buy-in along the way and ensure their commitment to the process. I conduct a short phone conversation to pre-qualify the candidate and then schedule a longer phone interview - or an in-person if the candidate is local to me - for later in the same day or the next. I can't tell you how many times the candidate who looked great on paper was the candidate who bailed on the phone interview and therefore, saved me A LOT of time and energy.
After the phone/in-person interview is complete I will either submit my candidate to the client or have the candidate provide me with additional information through written responses to questions pertaining to the job. Those responses are a great tool to get the hiring manager excited about your candidate. It many cases it has allowed me to skip my candidates past a client phone interview and straight to an in-person interview. See! Faster! Hee!
You have to set your candidate's expectations on salary and as the interviews progress you have to make sure your client is on the same playing field. There is nothing more frustrating - or more detrimental to your reputation - than getting to the offer stage and being blindsided by an offer that is never going to lead to a close. I vividly remember working my tail off on one of my first big deals and finally, through blood, sweat and tears, I got the offer. An offer that was about $10,000 less than what my candidate needed before he would even consider taking the job. We spent a few days trying to meet in the middle, but it was an utter disaster. My candidate lost faith in me, my client lost faith in me, I lost the deal and I learned a very valuable lesson.
You.Must.Set.Expectations.
The key to candidate control is to discuss each step of the process as each step is completed. At the end of your first conversation tell them the next step and let them ask questions. At the end of your interview tell them the next step and let them ask questions. What happens when you submit them to the client? What is the interview process at that point?
You have to find out what their concerns are if you want to put together a deal your candidate can't say no to. And let's face it - you want an offer they can't say no to!
See? Piece of cake!
Mmmm....cake....
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2 comments:
I really enjoyed this article. I actually met with a recruiter earlier in the week. The process happened in the following steps.
1.) They called me to set up an interview because they were impressed with my resume.
2.) We met the following day and the interview went great. They also told me about a job that they thought I would be a great fit for, and asked me to get them reference letters within a couple of days.
3.) That afternoon I sent them an electronic copy of my resume so they'd have it in their email.
4.) They responded telling me they had forwarded me to hiring company and and hoped to hear back soon.
5.) Two days later I got them my reference letters.
How long will it be before I hear back as to whether the company wants to meet me or not?
Well, it can be hard to tell because the recruiter is likely waiting on the hiring manager. Generally speaking, the longest delay is between the time the recruiter submits you to the client and the time the client gives the recruiter some feedback.
I would suggest calling the recruiter and politely asking if they have received feedback yet. If they haven't you can ask when they would like you to check back.
It can be really frustrating waiting - trust me, I know! I can't even count the number of times a client has left me, and my candidate, hanging for weeks. There is only so much either of us could do at that point.
Try to stay positive and stay in touch with the recruiter! Good luck to you!
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