I love to go over the basics with new recruiters and then write about them on RecruitingDaily.  It keeps me fresh and even the most veteran of us enjoy a reminder once and a while.  Here is a recent training we gave to a recruiter who had 4 years of experience, but no training!  Here are 5 Steps I gave her.

To be a successful recruiter we need to be great listeners.  We need to ask the important questions and catch every little word for insight in how we can best assist our customers.  But how often do we miss the vital part of our process, explaining our process?  It is not a good idea to assume that the candidates or client you are working with has had experience with a recruiting process.  Most have not and the best way to get them comfortable with what is about to happen is to explain it all right up front, when you decide this is a project worth undertaking.

“Let me explain to you how I work”.

  1. Describe to your customer up front your process.  What are you going to need, how are you going to work on the project, and what results can they expect.  Be realistic!
  2. Give them an honest assessment of where they fit into the landscape of positions you have as well as the job market that they are trying to penetrate.
  3. Make sure you understand what they do not want as much as what they want.  So much can be discovered during this process about how workable a situation can be.
  4. Explain to them the importance of communication, how and when you will communicate, and why.  Get all the contact methods possible, prioritize them, and don’t settle for just one, no one has one contact method anymore.  And then explain that you will not abuse the communication with irrelevant attempts.  Make every communication count, and they will see the value in you fast!  I use this simple breakdown: Phone Call = Hot and Email/text= Follow up/data, and please return my message within 24 hours or something important could be missed.
  5. Only promise what you can deliver, hard work.  We cannot fill every opening or find every candidate a new position exactly as asked, but we can work hard and try.  I tell every candidate and client this: “I can promise you maximum effort on a daily basis”.

What do you like to tell your customers about your process that sets you apart?  Thanks for sharing!



By Noel Cocca

CEO/Founder RecruitingDaily and avid skier, coach and avid father of two trying to keep up with my altruistic wife. Producing at the sweet spot talent acquisition to create great content for the living breathing human beings in recruiting and hiring. I try to ease the biggest to smallest problems from start-ups to enterprise. Founder of RecruitingDaily and our merry band of rabble-rousers.