WorkPuzzle

Following Up With Candidates in Your Talent Pipeline

One of the most common questions we get from our clients is:

“What do I say to the candidates who are in my talent pipeline?  I know I need to follow-up with them consistently, but how do I keep a person engaged and interested over a long period of time?”

This is a great question and one that we’re going to attempt to answer in this week's discussions.  We’ll start with a simple principle that Dale Carnegie once recognized:

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

The natural way to approach a talent pipeline (our term for the pool of candidates you are most interested in recruiting) is from a perspective of “What can these people do for me?”  After all, you are recruiting them for the contribution they can make to your organization, not the other way around, right?

In the recruiting process, however, you’ll find more success by operating under the opposite perspective.  You must legitimately put yourself in a mindset where you’re asking, “How can I help this person accomplish both their personal and career goals?”  This is what makes a lasting impression in the minds of your candidates.

This may sound oversimplified, but the human spirit has a way of drifting back to self-interest unless we continually prod it to take an interest in others.

The first step in this process is to focus your conversations with candidates on what the candidate is trying to accomplish in their life.  We already know that people like to talk about themselves, so ask questions that allow a person to talk about their accomplishments, what they’re proud of doing, and how they do their best work. 

During these conversations, listen for frustrations and obstacles that keep the individual from being more successful.  Don’t act on this information at this point—just listen and catalog the information for later use.

Next, find ways to address or solve one or two of these frustrations.  These solutions will carry more impact if they come from outside your organization and have nothing to do with the recruiting process.  In fact, the most thoughtful and empathetic people are able to pick up on the smallest cues during a conversation and turn them into action. 

I’ll give you an example from my personal life: 

I was at dinner with a group of guys last week.  During the conversation, the topic of youth baseball came up.  One of the guys in the group had some apprehension about his son leaving the Little League environment (only for 12 years and younger), unaware of what options are available at the next level.  Because I have sons who have played at various levels and in various leagues, I was able to answer some questions and refer him to a couple of websites and individuals who may be able to help him make a good decision.   

While my example doesn't pose a huge dilemma of sorts, it does illustrate how you can listen for a small frustration/concern and then act upon this information to help alleviate the frustration. 

If you can integrate these types of interactions into the conversations you have with those in your talent pipeline, it won’t be long before those with whom you interact see you as a resource.  It becomes natural (and comforting) to them to imagine themselves working with people who are helpful and insightful, like you. 

Articulating Your Value

On Friday, Dave challenged each of you to figure out the compelling value that your company offers to a prospective employee.  If you’re not able to offer something that distinguishes you from your competitors, then being successful at a recruiting process will be difficult.

Over the last several years, we’ve had the occasion to work with a few companies that really struggle with this principle.  They want the benefit of bringing in many new recruits, but they don’t want to do the work of making their environment the most attractive option.  When companies are operating in such a manner, the “blind spot” that develops is atrocious.

For example, we occasionally hear of hiring managers poking fun at candidates who choose to work at other companies.  They’ll say something like:

“I can’t believe that Kristine went to work for XYZ company just because they offer a better marketing system to support their salespeople.  I told her that individual effort is what really makes the difference between those who are successful and those who aren't, but she wouldn’t listen.  What an idiot.”

There is an idiot in this story, but it’s not Kristine!  Kristine responded in a way that is common for people making important decisions.  Assuming other significant factors are somewhat equal, a candidate looks for smaller things to differentiate one option from another.

This is a critical juncture in the fight to win the decision of a candidate.  People respond to concise messages that articulate value.

For example, I met with the owner of a real estate office last week whose business model is focused on offering support to full-time agents who are well-established in their careers.  On the surface, this business model seems expensive, and the owner has to constantly fight off the marketing messages of other companies who seem to offer similar services at reduced fees.

He’s boiled his marketing message down to something very simple:

“If you’re a full-time agent who is able to consistently execute two or more transactions per month, there is no better place to work in [his State] than this office.”

Of course, he can back up his statement with tangible benefits and results.  But, the singular focus (agents who execute two or more transactions) and the sense of being elite (it’s not for everyone) articulate the value that he offers to prospective agents.

What is the differentiating value that you can offer your prospective candidates?  Once you figure this out, spend some time boiling the concept down to a single sentence that you can repeat to those around you on a regular basis.  By doing this, you’ll internalize this value and be able to naturally communicate it to your candidates.

What's Your Value?

We are in the midst of preparing a series of articles on how to become a great recruiter.  No matter what business you're in, recruiting should always be a priority if you want to grow your business.

For our clients, recruiting is always considered a top priority.  But saying this and actually doing it, are two very different things!  Before we go into all the specifics regarding great recruiting, I want to address the fundamental foundation of recruiting.  You MUST be able to answer, with certainty and conviction, the following questions:

First, what distinguishing value do you provide, that's not provided by every other company in your industry?  And second, what, specifically, do you have to offer that is unattainable elsewhere?

If you don't know the answer to these questions, even the most steadfast discipline and best system of recruiting won't get you where you want to be.  

Here's a personal example:

When I began building a private practice as a Clinical Psychologist in 1987, I had to market my practice.  But, the problem was that the Seattle market was saturated with Psychologists.  So, I had to ask myself fairly quickly, what set me apart from others?  It became very clear to me, early on, that the busiest Psychologists were the ones who had gone beyond the work they had done to receive their Ph.D., and had invested in several years of extended supervision to learn a specialty, or a very specific way of offering great psychotherapy.

So, after some due diligence, I found an orientation of psychotherapy that made a great deal of sense to me.  I paid thousands of dollars each year for five additional years (beyond the initial nine years of school) to become proficient at delivering this very intense and disciplined way of helping people heal.

Now of course, all the while, I was marketing myself, by speaking publicly, meeting with physicians, etc... all the normal things you do to get your name out there.  However, what caused my practice to reach a state of critical mass, where marketing took care of itself, was offering services that people knew worked for them, services that were above and beyond the standard.

This is what will create the buzz - It's what caused me to pay top dollar to seek specialized training, and what caused my clients to follow a referral to my door.  Oh and by the way, it also happens to be the right thing to do... to offer something of true quality is in everyone's best interest; In my case, I improved myself by undergoing the intense training, and my clients benefited from my unique set of skills as well.

So, if you want to become an exceptional recruiter, ask yourself:  What do you offer that other managers or owners don't?  What value do you add, that's difficult to find anywhere else? 

Hiring Managers who can clearly articulate answers to these questions, and stand behind them, can recruit with confidence... 

Why Do People Make Career Moves? - Part 2

Let’s suppose you make contact with a candidate, Brian, who you feel would be a great fit in your organization.  More than likely, you will have spent time and resources locating and contacting this person.  
 
After making a connection with Brian over the phone, you convince him that it would be mutually beneficial for you to set up a short, informational interview with the Hiring Manager, Nancy.

You follow up after the interview and discover that the Hiring Manager loved the candidate.  A quick call to the candidate reveals a similar feeling:  

“This is a great opportunity and I appreciate you setting up the interview with Nancy.  We really hit it off, and I can see myself working on her team and thriving under her leadership.”

Like many high-quality candidates, Brian is already immersed in his current job and does not really need to pursue the opportunity immediately.  He has a good income, a family to support, and a network of friends and contacts who regularly share new opportunities with him.  The next part of the conversation often goes something like this:

“I have a lot to process from what Nancy shared with me.  I’m also in the middle of a significant project at work that is going to take a lot of focus over the next couple of weeks.  Can you give me a call in a few weeks, after I'm done with the project?”

Now, what happens if you call Brian in a couple of weeks and ask him if he wants to work at your company, and he says he’s not ready to make a decision?  Many recruiters communicate a message something like this:

“Brian, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to learn about the opportunity in Nancy’s group.  You have Nancy’s contact information.  If you decide that you want to move forward with the opportunity in the future, just give Nancy a call.”

Of course, you never hear from Brian again.  Nancy never hears from Brian again.  Both of you have moved on to the next candidate, starting back at the beginning of the process.  If you're like many recruiters, you rationalize this course of action by telling yourself that if Brian were really a good candidate, he'd chase you or Nancy down and show initiative on his own.

This thought process is not reality.  It is your bruised ego telling you to justify an emotional decision.  "You'll teach that candidate for blowing you off!"
 
The reality is you’ve wasted the sourcing time and resources it took to originally make contact with Brian.  You’ve also wasted the time that both you and Nancy spent teaching Brian about the benefits of working in your organization.  This type of waste makes the recruiting process inefficient and frustrating for you, the managers you recruit for, and your candidates.
 
How can this be remedied?  Here are some thoughts:

1. Stop insisting that your company’s timing takes precedence over the candidate’s timing.  The best candidates have lots of opportunities and make career moves according to their schedule.  You need them, they don’t necessarily need you - At least not today.

2. Stop playing a numbers game you can’t win.  On occasion, you will happen upon a high quality candidate whose life circumstances have caused him/her to make a job change in perfect sequence with your company’s need to fill a position.  But as you well know, this doesn’t happen very often.  The candidates who immediately jump at your opportunities are often misfits, losers, and desperados you don’t really want anyway.

3. Approach your candidates with humility and empathy rather than arrogance.  The high quality candidates that you want to attract to your organization have lives.  They are going to respond to thoughtful and empathetic dialog much better than to someone implying they’re an idiot for not jumping on the opportunity that is in front of them today.

If you want to recruit the Brians out there, don't give up so easily.  Follow the advice above and be diligent in your follow-up.  When these candidates are ready to make a change, you will be there to guide and entice them to consider joining your team.

Why Do People Make Career Moves?

The quick answer to this question?   ...Because they have to make a change.

About a month ago, I wrote an article highlighting Po Bronson’s book, What Should I Do With My Life?  Bronson later published a follow-up article in Fast Company Magazine highlighting the most common misconceptions regarding finding meaning in one’s work.

The misconception that I’d like to discuss today is:

“People are the architects of their own change.”

Bronson notices:

“Extremely few people quit because of career ennui.  Rather most are pushed into change:  they’re laid off or can’t make ends meet or have at-home family demands or find their new, postmerger boss to be an absolute jerk.  They are not naive idealists.”

If you are a Hiring Manager or are responsible for recruiting in your company, this should be a principle you should consider nearly every day.  From a recruiter’s perspective, timing is everything.  Being in the right place (in the back of the candidate’s mind) at the right time (when the candidate is being forced to make a change), has a lot to do with your success.

This is one of the most important differentiators in separating successful recruiters from those who struggle.  It only makes sense that if these right place / right time interactions are left to chance, they are not going to happen very often.
 
Successful recruiters do the hard (and often boring) work of maintaining a presence in the back of the most desirable candidates’ minds.  This work takes creativity, persistence, and an understanding of human nature.  Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the principles that help recruiters find success in this endeavor.

Knowing Your Business

A friend of mine, who once grew an accounting firm from four million to 400 million annual revenue, recently told me that an important epiphany for him was the day he realized that he was actually in the recruiting business, not the accounting business.  Yes, his company provided accounting services and always needed to provide top notch and often specialized services.  But in order to do this, he realized his company had to be exceptional at recruiting.

He realized that if his company focused on the goal of being the best recruiter in the accounting business, they would rise above and beat out their competition.

I don't know about you, but that gave me goose pimples!  How insightful and how true.

What business are you really in?  I know that many of you are our clients - And most of our clients are in the "Real Estate" business.  But is this really your primary business?  What separates you from your competition?  I suspect, more often than not, the most successful Real Estate companies are not so coincidentally, also the best recruiters.

So what is good recruiting in Real Estate?

Is it waiting for people to knock on your door?  Believe it or not that is what many companies really do.

Is it going after the lowest hanging fruit in your pipeline; the ones that you only have to call once?  Again, many Real Estate companies operate with this focus.

If you are only accepting people who take little effort to recruit, you're going to get the most desperate people.  Is this really how you want to define the core of your business?

Here is a analogy we can all appreciate:  When you were dating, did you only date people who approached you, or did you pursue someone, or at least flirt with someone, that you had your eye on?  If you waited to be asked, you might have settled...  Generally the pursuit is well worth the work.

The most talented candidate for any given job is out there doing something else right now.  They are doing a very good job and they are not desperate, and more than likely, they are not actively looking for work.  To entice those individuals to join your team will take time, patience, creativity, and persistence (not to mention a well-run system to track the pipeline).

So, get your team together, and make sure that you are in agreement regarding your key business and how you'll pursue the best talent out there...

Coffee Research and Recruiting

Yesterday, I shared how I recently became a guilt-free coffee drinker due to the research that recently surfaced regarding the health benefits of my addictive obsession.

As I read more of the article yesterday, something caught eye - The article explains why coffee got a bad rap in the first place:

“Many people take their coffee with a small dose of guilt, worried that it isn’t good for the body.  That’s a holdover from studies done in the 1950s and 1960s showing that coffee drinkers were prone to pancreatic cancer, heart disease, and other woes.  These studies failed to account for cigarette smoking, which once went hand in cup with coffee drinking.  Since then, the medical community has done a gradual about-face on the health effects of coffee.”

I think there is a principle here worth considering when it comes to recruiting. 

Part of the service offering we provide our clients is the design and implementation of recruiting systems.  From an end-to-end system perspective, recruiting can look very different than it does if you just examine each component on its own.

For example, we often hear comments such as:

“We’ve tried job boards, and they don’t work for our company.”

or...

“I took an assessment in the past that indicated I would be a poor salesperson, but I’m a great salesperson!”

or...

“I’ve called and left voice mails for the candidates on my sourcing list, and they don’t call back.  We must be calling the wrong candidates because these people aren’t interested.”

Just as the coffee researchers discovered, the overall system matters most when it comes to results.  Just because your Uncle Joe drank a lot of coffee and died of a heart attack, doesn’t mean the coffee killed him...It was more likely his overall lifestyle that led to his demise, from which coffee drinking was a mere part.  Likewise, it is not likely the pieces of the recruiting process that cause recruiting failures, it is the system itself that is faulty.
 
As humans, it is much easier for us to focus our attention on part of an overall process, rather than to look at things holistically.  Why?  Because whatever is causing the pain is what gets our attention.  If you’re responsible for recruiting, that’s a mistake. 

You’ll get much better results by identifying as many parts in the recruiting process as possible and then testing to see how changing each component affects the end result.  This takes time, attention, and focus...but it works!

Predicting Who Will Make a Job Change

Recruiting is a time consuming process.  Nothing is more frustrating than spending time and effort pursuing a candidate who is not willing to make a change.  You not only lose the time you spent trying to dislodge someone who is stuck, but you also forfeit the opportunity of engaging someone else who might have a higher propensity to change jobs.

With the susceptibility for such waste, it makes sense to put some thought into the inclination a person has for change at an early stage in the recruiting process.

Many years ago, Steve Hieman, the co-founder of the sales training company Miller-Heiman, developed a model for thinking about change.  The model was built to help salespeople understand how decision-makers would potentially react to sales proposals.

Heiman observed that people generally fall into one of four modes depending upon their perception of reality:

1.  Growth Mode:  The perception that there is a hopeful difference between today’s reality and the potential for short-term gains.  Something needs to be done to reach the potential.

2.  Trouble Mode:  The perception that today's reality will soon deteriate.  A person in this mode has anxiety about the difficulty looming on the horizon.  Something needs to be done to avoid the trouble ahead.

3.  Even Keel Mode:  The perception that that there is no difference between today’s reality and what will actually be accomplished in the months ahead.  “Rocking the boat” is risky and unnecessary.

4.  Overconfident Mode:  The perception that growth and prosperity are inevitable.

If you think about these concepts from a recruiting perspective, the definitions apply.  Each candidate tends to have a perception of reality that matches one of these modes. 

It’s not hard to figure out a candidate’s mode during a conversation.  The questions that get a candidate to reveal his/her perception of reality are natural and easy to ask.  Once you’ve made this assessment, you have some insight into the candidate’s propensity to change.

Candidates who are in a Growth Mode or Trouble Mode have a high likelihood of making changes.   Candidates who are in an Even Keel Mode have a much lower chance of making a change.  And candidates who are Overconfident have very little chance of making a change.

In working with a candidate in your talent pipeline, those in the Growth or Trouble Mode are going to be much more open to direct conversations about making a job change.

Those who are in an Even Keel Mode will most likely need to percolate over time.  As a recruiter, staying in touch and being seen as an indirect resource is the best way to spend your time while you wait for an external event to dislodge them from the Even Keel mode.

Those who are Overconfident will not be responsive until they “crash and burn.”   It’s a waste of time to try to engage them until their arrogance causes them to enter the Trouble Mode themselves.

Try making these assessments with the people you work with this week -- See how quickly you can become adept at assessing their modes.  With this knowledge, you’ll be more focused on the activities that produce results.

5 Reasons to Keep Building Your Talent Pipeline During a Recession

Last week, I ran across an article that answers a question that we get frequently:

“Should we continue to invest in recruiting while the economy is in such bad shape?  Or, would it make more sense to pull back our efforts and concentrate on other things?”

The article was written by Pedro Silva.  Silva is a Candidate Relationship Manager with JCSI, a staffing company in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Silva makes the point that the recession is being blamed for a lot of things that really have nothing to do with the economy.  It becomes justification for some people, to do nothing.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, inaction now means poor results later.  Silva goes on to encourage us to continue the process of building our candidate pipelines even though times are tough: 

"Below are five powerful reasons why companies that want to come out on top will continue to develop their candidate pipeline.

1. Pipeline development is part of their growth strategy. You don’t wait until it snows to gather firewood, and these companies don’t wait until they need a hire to start identifying candidates who are equipped to be a part of their company’s success.

2. They know that long-term hiring success requires a process. It is a lot easier to keep a fire going than it is to start one, so these companies will start an ongoing dialogue with candidates with the intention of making an offer when the time is right.

3. A developed candidate pipeline removes major competition from the equation. When the time to hire arrives, these companies either have their offer prepared or they are at the top of the candidate’s mind. This reduces the chances of a salary war.

4. Having qualified candidates on hand minimizes delays in production.  A developed and managed candidate pipeline allows these companies to rebound quickly and efficiently.

5. A company that is actively recruiting is considered a strong company.  By continuing to engage prospective candidates, these companies strengthen their own company brand among others in their industry and remain aware of other trends within their market segment."

My favorite on the list is #2.  Several of our clients have cut back spending due to financial difficulties, but they've had the wisdom to keep their hiring systems active at a reduced level, rather than stopping altogether.  Restarting the fire is difficult.

The last reason, #5 on the list, also resonates with me.  Many of our clients strive to be perceived as strong and healthy by consumers.  This perception is critical to mounting their own recovery.  Recruitment advertising is a great way to help build the perception of health.  With 30% of the workforce in some mode of job search at any given time, your recruiting ads are in front of many job seekers and potential customers. 

Visibility and proactivity is key in separating yourself from your competitors.  Don’t wait for the recovery to begin…if you do, you’ll be lagging behind those who are working now.

GIT-R-DONE Discipline

Yesterday, my favorite morning radio program featured "Larry the Cable Guy."  He was live on the air for about ten of the funniest minutes I've ever experienced.  I've never really given the guy a chance, quickly changing the channel whenever coming across him on T.V.  I have to admit, however, he had me in stitches during the entire show.

In listening to the interview, it became apparent that  he'd been on this radio program before, typically to promote an upcoming performance in the Seattle area. 

Near the end of the interview, the host mentioned that every time Larry is a guest on the show, he seems to have brand new material.  The host was curious about how he managed to keep his act so fresh and not repeat any old material.

For the first time in the interview, Larry became very serious and replied:

"For the past several years, I have disciplined myself to write comedy bits for two hours every day."

He went on to describe how he frequently has to force himself to find time to write.  Even on those days when there seems to be no time... he "forces" himself just the same.  He credits his great success to holding steadfast to this discipline, and believes that he wouldn't have lasted in the competitive world of comedy without it.

The lessons here are so clear:

1. What appears effortless, usually takes an incredible amount of diligence and hard work behind the scenes.
2. Any success that lasts, is built on hard work and consistent discipline.
3. There are no short-cuts to success.
4. Your success is up to you.  No pointing fingers.
5. You've got to have a system!

No matter what you do, without a system and accountability to that system, you probably won't accomplish what you intend to.  For example, if recruiting is part of your job, you can't be flying by the seat of your pants.  You must set aside a certain period of time every day to recruit within the parameters of a system.  Only by doing this day-in and day-out, without fail, will you succeed.

"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving:  To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor." (Oliver Wendell Holmes)