Why Recruiters SHOULD Sweat the Small Stuff

Kevin K_OP_Blog_Sweat the Small Stuff

Recruitment Professionals know that success means sweating the small stuff.

Anyone who has been in the industry for longer than a week knows that this is a ‘dog-eat-dog world.’ You lose focus for just 10 minutes in this business and you could find yourself losing out to the competition.

You absolutely cannot end up falling into a bad routine, go through the motions day-in-and-day-out, or end up taking candidates and clients for granted. We all know that the ‘big picture’ is filling job orders and or landing an awesome client you’ve been chasing. However, it’s the little things that can make or break your reputation in this industry, and in my opinion, you’re only as good as your reputation.

Here are a few tips and best practices that you should be implementing into your arsenal of ‘recruiting playbook tricks.’ With time, and a little practice, you’ll not even be thinking about them, and you’ll be watching your book of business grow, and you’ll develop that top notch reputation of being one of the best in the industry.

Be FRIENDLY!

If you are personable and friendly in the office, you are most likely friendly, personable, and respectful to a client / candidate. If not, you wouldn’t be in the business of working with people, right?  

However, being in the business of people, one could argue that it can be very easy for some of us to lose our temper and become cynical based on past experiences. More often than not, recruiters get a bad rap just for simply being a recruiter. There could be some hesitancy on the other end of the phone right off the bat.  

Every so often you’ll have someone on the other line who will lie to you, come off as defensive, or just plain mean spirited and unfriendly. It’s important to keep calm, cool, and collected when talking to someone who is ill-tempered or combative.

If you work for a company that is notorious for having bad attitude when you get on the phone, you’ll quickly ruin the reputation of the firm, and believe me – word travels fast…keep that in mind.

Be THOROUGH!

There are tons of details that should be taken into account when recruiting an A+ candidate: pre-screening, screening, qualifying, etc. There is a ton of information that can add up quickly and it’s important not to skip a step.

However you decide to run your desk, you must make sure that you are completing this accurately and on-time every single time. Whether it’s talking about a candidate’s career progression, passing a drug test or background check, owing back money from being on maternity leave…you can’t let anything slip through the cracks.

If you are thorough the first time around, you won’t have to go back and call or email with questions. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s every time, and you’ll become a more effective recruiter.

FOLLOW-UP!

One thing that I constantly hear candidates telling me is that they never receive a follow-up from an interview or feedback on a resume or interview.  

It’s one of the worst things you can do as a recruiter. Whether you’re calling just to check in, confirm an interview, verify an email, or let someone know that they didn’t get the job; you must follow up.

Following up is something so small and easy, yet it is something that will set you apart from the competition.

Each of this tips seems elementary in nature, but in order to be successful is in this industry, you need to relate to people on a basic human level.

This means being friendly and thorough, all while following through your on your promises.

There are plenty more, but one thing is certain: When it comes to your daily recruiting routine, you need to SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!


KKluge_Talution_OPKevin Kluge is a Sr. Recruiter, Salesforce Specialist, and Recruiting Team Lead at Objective Paradigm. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn here.

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