Jumpstart Your Recruiting Career: Work With A Recruiting Coach!

If you're starting a new career as an executive recruiter you can go farther, faster if you work one-on-one with a recruiting coach. If you plan on working out of your home you can maximize your efforts by not wasting energy on insignificant activities. If you work alone, networking over the phone with other recruiters around the country (or world) minor distracting tasks can cause you to lose a precious week of recruiting time. Recruiter coaching will keep your focus on actions that create placements.

I read a story years ago about the artist Pablo Picasso. He was dining with friends at an upscale restaurant in Paris. Toward the end of the meal a woman approached the table and praised his work, asking him to sign her napkin with a doodle. He obliged and as he handed her the napkin said, “That will be $20,000.” The woman gasped, ”It only took you a few seconds to scribble this!” “No”, he replied, “It took me 20 years.”

His point is obvious. Over several decades Picasso mastered his technique and visionary approach. He knew the value of his work and the effort he put in to develop his distinctive style. He respected his talent and the sweat and tears he poured into his craft to attain the recognition of the world. As recruiters what we do looks easy to our clients and candidates. There’s a huge turnover in recruiting and more recruiters will succeed when they understand the skills needed and practice.

Anyone can learn the recruiting process. The art of recruiting is in the details. Recruiters who succeed learn to ‘listen between the lines”. They develop a keen sense of how to follow up a vague response with the exact right question. They learn to clarify and make decisions quickly. Great recruiters are both analytical and intuitive.

Working with a great recruiting coach is equivalent to an internship program where a new recruiter has tailored guidance learning each new skill. With daily practice the success rate of these recruiters  skyrockets. Recruiters who get on the phone and ‘wing it’ tend to feel frustrated. There's no need to fail in a recruiting career when a small investment can buy the expertise that will change your life.

A good recruiting coach guides the thought process of a new recruiter. They do not do the recruiter's work for them. Recruiters ask me to make their calls all the time and I don’t. I do tell them exactly what to say, outline how the conversation will unfold, and provide support that builds confidence from the onset. I’m available throughout the day for questions and guidance at the moment it's needed.

A music teacher cannot practice for the student. That would be ridiculous. They instruct by demonstrating how small corrections in style and technique improve ability quickly. We use tennis pros and golf pros to improve our performance in sports. In professional football we watch teams with multiple coaches. Each coach is responsible for incremental improvements in a targeted area. A lot is at stake and the best teams invest in paying attention to every performance detail.

It’s the same in recruiting. There are skills to learn and proven strategies that make deals happen, almost by magic. Recruiters are expected to produce results while working without any formal authority. Our skills are subtle and effective. We work with a sense of urgency and eliminate those who are unworthy of our efforts. We know when to use patience and when to nudge, even push the parties involved in a negotiation to take action.

Recruiting is a sales position. Often surgical precision is required when choosing the right words and psychology to close a deal. Finding the best employees is still the foundation of successful companies. We recruiters are always in demand. If you’re a serious wannabe executive recruiter, learn the process, identify what skills you need, practice, and work with a recruiting coach for 4 – 10 weeks. Learn your craft and create the income and life you deserve.

by Kimberly Schenk, Executive Recruiter (20 years), Recruiting Coach (7 years)

Author of the 'Top Recruiter Secrets', 'Cold Call Therapy', and 'iCommunicate' eBooks