Recruiter Training: Cold Call For New Searches by Kimberly Schenk

Recruiter training should include how to initiate conversations with potential clients. If you want to operate as a full cycle Executive Recruiter finding new clients is a regular part of your recruiting life. It's not hard to find new clients, even though it seems the majority of recruiters prefer recruiting candidates to finding new searches.

When cold calling, the trick is to engage your prospect quickly. He or she is busy so be direct. Two methods work best, in my experience. Either ask about their immediate needs after you introduce yourself as an expert in their industry niche, or lead in with the facts of a candidate. When leading with a candidate use facts only and be brief. When you lead with a candidate, you close with, "Can you use a person with this background?"

If you understand your niche and the most desirable candidates many employers seek, within a few phone calls you'll get a positive response. If an employer asks, "How much?", that's a strong buying signals. They have a need. Generally, tell the employer your fee range and without hesitation continue to the search. "My fee can be anywhere from 15k -24k on average for a person with this skill set however to give you an exact quote, and make sure you have the best person for your situation, I need to ask a few questions. If this candidate's not be a perfect match for you there's no sense interviewing her...What position are you looking to fill right now?"

How the employer responds at this point can vary and as recruiters we keep asking and answering questions until we have a fee agreement, know we're talking with the top decision maker, and believe we have a healthy win/win search assignment. Where many recruiters get hurt is by accepting a search that has unrealistic requirements compared to what the employer wants to pay...(translation, you won't be motivated to work the search or continue the relationship). If you don't respect the employer and don't want to place good candidates with them, move on.

Don't be afraid to be selective. We're talking about your livelihood. Everyone wins if there's mutual respect and clear parameters surrounding expectations on both sides. The more information you have, the better you’ll be able to serve your clients and candidates.

When it’s time to make a formal candidate presentation, stick with several facts about the candidate that align with the requirements your client advised were of the utmost importance. Presenting candidates is not meant to be a complete life story. A good presentation concludes with a scheduled interview, not more questions. But that’s a topic for another day.
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