Recruiting Skills: Power - Get It & Use It Wisely

New recruiters often feel insecure about their role as a headhunter. The way to curb that insecurity is with:
 1.    Knowledge – Learn how to be a recruiter, the process, and what to expect
 2.   Preparation – Have your questions and responses ready
 3.  Dedication – Keep pace with the routine and don’t judge mistakes, and keep practicing!
 4. Tenacity – Think of your career in survival mode – this is a street fight, a well mannered street fight, so take some chances!

If our internal view of ourselves is not one of authority with powerful resources, recruiting becomes much more difficult. Most of the time our verbal technique is what is judged because we do so much work on the phone. People make thousands of decisions all day long that are based on fleeting impressions and perceptions.

Improve your verbal presence by speaking slowing, enunciate clearly, use a positive, enthusiastic tone, speak from your gut, and sit or stand up straight. Speak with authority.

Authority

The weird thing about headhunting is we really have no authority. Yet we must get our clients and candidates to cooperate and work with us. Ultimately we must convince all parties it’s in their best interest to listen to our advice and we close the deal. Everyone wins. Once we ‘get’ the process we orchestrate and our work becomes fun. When both employer and candidate have had a great interview, they are invested in the process and want the deal to happen. We help by ironing out the details. We facilitate, which is no small matter.

Non-Verbal Cues

Ann Cuddy’s video on TED about non-verbal cues explains how we are judged and judge others with primal consciousness. Part of being a successful recruiter is using common sense and trusting our intuition. We often face the possibility of the deal falling apart. It’s our job to get to the truth about why one side or the other feels a need to withdraw. Surprisingly, once objections can be voiced solutions miraculously appear. Deals that should be done get done. Everything in Cuddy's video applies to recruiting and I believe it's worthy of your time.

Recruiters need to be able to set their ego aside and do whatever it takes to help all sides make good decisions. Communication skills are paramount. It’s not that hard. We ask questions and when someone is hedging, we ask more questions. Everyone tells white lies and when the topic is changing jobs emotions can magnify and charge the process with electric intensity. Changing jobs is stressful. 

The 2-Minute Power Exercise

Use Cuddy’s 2-minute power exercise and better still, help candidates prepare for an interview by asking them to watch the video. Skills matter certainly but chemistry is what propels a hiring manager to want a certain candidate. Chemistry is about “Presence”: Enthusiasm, confidence, passion, charm, kindness, friendliness, and a captivating personality, are a few subjective qualities.

As a Recruiter, I want to create a win/win irresistible experience for my clients and candidates. I listen to my clients’ wish list. I honor what they require and prefer in a candidate. On the flip side I listen to candidates. I honor what they’re looking for in a new position and corporate culture. I tell the truth tactfully. It works exceedingly well.

Some recruiters and some recruiting firms give the great headhunters and the industry a bad name by using a ‘throw spaghetti against the wall and something will stick’ routine. Placements (even if they are not right) and money are their primary motivators. For over twenty years these stupid routines have perpetuated distain for our industry. Clients may feel wary and cautious until they work with a pro. Then they feel they have an ally and partner in their recruiter.

Use your power wisely

Empower candidates by helping them present themselves in the most favorable light. Remove the discomfort of pending interviews. Help prepare hiring managers who only interview and hire once or twice a year. Coach them and provide questions that will highlight why the candidate is indeed a great match for their company. Never underestimate your power to influence, change, or impact good decisions by those involved.

by Kimberly Schenk, Executive Recruiter, Trainer, and Author