Tips and Interview Strategies For Successful Hires

Great interviews do wonderful things for a company and the candidates involved. The purpose of an interview is to: 1. Make sure a candidate can do the job in question, and 2. Fit into the culture. When these two criteria are met a match is made. Why companies complicate the process is a mystery. If your company has more than 10% turnover there’s a hiring problem.

If a company has defined systems they need employees to follow with a religious zealousness, don’t hire people who like to think and solve problems. Hire folks who are willing to follow your rules and be happy doing so. Don’t utilize panel interviews and implement behavioral techniques for positions that require basic skill sets a good percentage of the population possess.

If your cookie-cutter process fails to limit the revolving door of turnover, it’s time to get real.

What’s needed for a good interview is common sense and thoughtful preparation. Why does someone need good communication skills if they work alone 90% of the time? Will you hire a talented techno geek or a social butterfly for the position? Who will get the job done on time and without mistakes? The social butterfly will probably interview well and score high on likability. You’re not hiring a new friend; you’re filling a position.

Think backwards and forwards about who the candidate will work with on a daily basis and what kind of thinker is best suited for the position. What skill sets is the company prepared to enhance to help the right candidate achieve an outstanding performance?

Too many companies look for clones when we all know inbreeding is not healthy long term. If some tech people need better communication skills so what? Hire the best person for the job, identify areas that need improvement, and provide training. Basic training in communication is good for everyone and cheap.

Speak with the hiring manager and find out her managing style and what kind of employee responds well to her style. If her style is the problem, let her know. Does your company ask for feedback from employees on how management is doing and what they could improve?

The secret to a great interview is to make a genuine connection with the applicant. Is that so hard? Smile, offer a firm handshake, describe what will take place during your time together, and what the candidate can expect at the end of the interviewing process.

1.     Ask questions that reveal whether the person can do the job. Dig deeper if answers seem superficial. Get specific.

2.     Ask questions about the candidate’s views on life, work, their role in an organization, immediate goals and long term goals.

3.     The candidate should do 80% of the talking, so establish rapport and make them comfortable. 30 – 45 minutes is plenty of time to understand if the candidate has the basic skill sets required, and assess their basic outlook on life and personality. Ask point blank questions if the candidate is skirting the issue.

Prepare questions ahead of time. Many HR departments have an ivory tower image. Often they’re perceived as drones who don’t care about anyone but themselves. They’re seen as marching as many bodies through the mill as possible to meet their own objectives. When the attitude is resumes matter, not people, you're in trouble. ersumes are worthless in defining a person’s character and ability.

Maybe the metric to evaluate HR performance should be based on the longevity and expertise of new hires. What gets measured gets noticed and results follow. All departments should provide feedback to HR on their ability to assist department heads with hiring high caliber talent. If turnover at your company is greater than 10% truly there’s room for improvement.

The truth is most hiring practices are inadequate. Poor matches create unhappy employees who are less productive. Poor hiring practices produce turnover. Everyone loses when the wrong person is hired for the job. Find the best person, not the most available one.

Great hires start with a great interview. Let the candidate know what will happen after they leave. They should feel great about you and your company even if they don’t get the job. Treating people respectfully builds a true positive brand. It’s also the right thing to do.

by Kimberly Schenk,

I train recruiters and companies on how to hire the best candidates.

Top Recruiter Secrets, and  In-House Headhunting

Full Cycle Recruiting - Qualifying Good Clients by Kimberly Schenk

Headhunters (or executive recruiters) are trained to complete all facets of a search. For recruiters transitioning from corporate recruiting over to full cycle recruiting obtaining new business can be a stumbling block. Getting new clients or solo searches is not difficult once one knows the basics. Keep these 3 tips in mind as you enter conversations with potential clients.

1. Be selective

The real challenge when finding new business is to make sure the client meets your parameters of what a healthy working relationship entails. It’s important to define what you require and prefer to see in a client. When a job order conversation clearly reveals information that is incongruous with your values and definitions you can kindly reject the assignment. Not all companies are worthy of your time and expertise.

2. Qualify clients

Qualify clients the same way great recruiters qualify candidates and your hiring ratio will steadily increase. It’s easy to find companies with hard-to-fill vacancies. The trick is to find out about their internal decision-making process and management style. If you wouldn’t work for a company how can you place a candidate with them in good conscience?

There are no perfect companies and no perfect employees. Good matches are always a matter of degree. Don’t confuse a client willing to pay your fee with desirable business. Getting agreement on your fee is only one small hurdle. If someone offered you $25k to rob a bank hopefully it would be a no-brainer to turn the deal down. A rational professional would not risk going to prison for a paltry few bucks.

3. Reject sub-par client companies

Don’t feel guilty about backing away from unethical or dysfunctional clients. When a recruiter accepts such an assignment the result is a half-hearted effort or no effort to find such a client candidates. Recruiting requires systematic strategy and intelligent, consistent calling. It’s work! When we accept search assignments from clients we like and respect it’s easy to feel motivated and passionate about the work we perform on behalf of those clients.

As contingency fee recruiters we become our clients’ allies. We route for their success and share their excitement about accomplishing their goals. We become trusted advisors in many cases and establish long lasting, genuine relationships with hiring managers. While we may work behind the scenes headhunters often become an integral part of the hiring team.

Netflix created a no-sound video, which has reportedly accumulated 5 million views. They’ve defined a rare outlook and corporate management philosophy. What’s heartening to see is their ability to skirt meaningless platitudes and articulate both their values and how they implement those strategies. In my experience few companies have the capacity for this kind of clarity. While recruiters cannot expect most clients, even good clients to match this level of definition, the video provides a framework for which a recruiter can create  questions of potential hiring managers.

When we interview candidates we gain a sixth sense of where to dig deeper into a candidate’s background. Headhunters are not fooled by generalizations and quickly see discrepancies between answers to similar questions. Take time to understand what potential clients will be like to work with and what the environment has in store for new hires.

The secret to increasing your personal sense of job satisfaction and reducing stress in your full cycle recruiting efforts is to work with companies and hiring managers you respect and like. Choose to work for clients who respect and value the service you provide. Maintain high standards and your self-respect will remain in tact. You’ll make more placements, more money, and control your career.

Sourcing Candidates: Email or Calling Direct? by Kimberly Schenk

Full cycle recruiters who work on commission quickly become experts at cultivating new searches and finding great candidates. The fastest way to qualify an ideal match for a search is by cold calling passive candidates. Social media sites are helpful for building lists of contacts however direct conversations close deals. 

Recruiting requires good to great communication skills. 

The ability to ask intelligent questions during each phase of the process is central to success. When a candidate does not meet the parameters of the search, switch gears and ask for referrals. People are willing to help and supply names. The best referrals come with phone numbers and a little background. Learn how to ask for contacts and keep asking.

Headhunters are organized. They categorize candidates by skill sets, location, years of experience, etc. Friendly business-to-business relationships are not the same as friendships but they are authentic none-the-less. Recruiters build strong networks quickly by connecting via the phone!

For every 50 recruiters relying on LinkedIn or online resume pools, there’s only one headhunter directly calling candidates. Five minutes in conversation can change the course of your day. Direct calls lead to qualified candidates. A well designed phone call leaves a lasting positive impression that’s personal.

Most happily employed candidates don’t float their resume online. 

While many receive frequent contacts from recruiters, the best recruiters distinguish themselves with sophisticated techniques and engaging questions. Top recruiters establish some trust and rapport within minutes. It takes less than ten minutes to determine if a candidate is warrants an in-depth interview.

Great recruiters spend their day rejecting multiple candidates who don’t specifically match the hiring criteria that’s needed immediately. Many of those candidates may be outstanding and there will come a time to reconnect with them for a position that meets their career and emotional needs.

Mass emails are a turn off. It’s easy for candidates to ignore or delete these messages. No one likes to feel they’re part of some giant herd. Calling can be tedious. The biggest challenge is reaching candidates who send their calls to voice mail. Take heart! Keep dialing and believe you’ll connect to the right candidate.

If a candidate’s not willing to have a five minute conversation or able to offer proof of performance, move on. Skip emails until they’re meaningful. Serious recruiters don’t allow frivolous distractions. The truth is great recruiters can track down a great candidate within 13 – 18 conversations in one or two days.

Is recruiting easy? No, it’s not, until one develops basic skill sets. 
When one understands the process they’ll persevere because experience proves success is certain. We are detectives, hunters, problem solvers, psychologists, decoders, and confidants. Recruiting is challenging and far to many good recruiters give up and leave the industry too soon. Far too often new recruiters find themselves in a no-win situation with unethical organizations. Training can cure ignorance.

If a headhunter seriously wants to earn 15k - 80k a month they’ll pick up the phone. I have a friend who owns physical therapy clinics. He receives up to 20 emails a week from recruiters. He deletes them. About every three months he gets a call from a recruiter and takes a few minutes to talk. When one calls they get answers and spend less time wondering if a candidate has potential.

Cultivate your phone sales skills, phone presence, and format for contacting passive candidates. Call passive candidates directly for two weeks and see for yourself how advantageous this single skill proves to be for your recruiting career! Social media is a tool. Direct contacts create placements.

Note: If you're new to the profession please get yourself relevant recruiter training. Your career will soar and you'll be happier in your job.

New Blog Location!

Hi. For several years I've had several blogs. This week a new, easy to navigate version of the website Top Recruiter Secrets has launched. From now on, all my blog posts will be at this website.
Thank you for reading and please let me know what topics matter to you most.
Kimberly Schenk

Recruiting Passive Candidates by Kimberly Schenk

Fewer than 20% of Recruiters know how to skillfully recruit passive candidates. Passive candidates are not actively looking for a new position. They are employed. These candidates are busy doing the job in front of them and headhunters extricate them from those positions by introducing a better opportunity.

Contingency fee Recruiters work on commission. Their paychecks depend on effective skill sets and results. The ability to successfully approach passive candidates and engage them in a productive discussion consistently sets them apart from in-house or contract recruiters.

One must eliminate multiple candidates during the search process. This requires focus and a dependable strategy. Cold calling reaps the fastest, and greatest rewards. Most big biller Recruiters cold call. Calling passive candidates gets the job done faster and more effectively than sending emails all day long.

Executive recruiters are able to gain a candidate’s attention, create interest and intrigue, within 45 seconds. They are headhunters. Seasoned pros cultivate their skills and flow with the natural decision-making process candidates’ follow when making a job change.

How do they do this? They understand and follow each step in the recruiting process. They introduce themselves as an Executive Recruiter with an opportunity to discuss and ask if a candidate can talk privately. Great Recruiter’s qualify first then zero in on a candidate’s motivators to make a move.

“Ben, in order to make a move, and feel like you’re advancing your career, what would have to be place?” Not many people shut down a discussion that’s all about them.

The best Recruiters master specific skill sets. They learn from others. While conversations may seem natural and casual, they are strategic and crafted to produce results.

Successful Recruiters know the strongest matches are when clients hire a qualified candidate who is eager to make a change for reasons other than money. Recruiters must ask questions about skills, work history, goals, personal attributes and challenges. Good Recruiters are not afraid to halt conversations once they know a candidate is not right for the present search. They tactfully back away and leave the door open to talk again in the future.

Recruiters change lives. The best Recruiters create an atmosphere that makes all parties feel their Fairy God-Mother has stepped into their lives. Recruiters solve problems and close deals. They are consultants who manage the process through intelligent questions. They listen carefully and make tough, analytical decisions. They follow the process and are not swayed by misplaced sentiment. They challenge misguided conclusions.

When recruiters coerce or pressure a candidate to do what’s best for the recruiter vs. what’s best for the candidate and employer, deals fall apart. That type of recruiter does exist. Recruiters who are ignorant about recruiting best practices tarnish perceptions and jade interactions. If they continue to use unprofessional practices they hurt themselves most.

I prefer to think their behavior reflects a lack of skills vs. ill intentions.  Recruiters who choose to operate with integrity last longer and enjoy their career. Investing time and energy to master the best methods and techniques has a ROI that never diminishes.

The only self-serving agenda a Recruiter should have is to do what’s best for their client and candidates. This is the way to grow professionally and feel proud of every success. Headhunters who work ethically out-perform other recruiters and earn the most money.

Kimberly Schenk is a Headhunter, Trainer, and Author

Your Recruiting Career Begins With A Great Recruiting Process

Recruiting is an attractive career because it offers a high income, and the freedom to work independently. Once one knows the recruiting process and develops the necessary skill sets, she can choose to work on contract, as part of an agency, as a high level corporate recruiter, or create unique arrangements tailored to the individual needs of a client (volume assignments).

A good recruiting program, in my opinion, is one that provides an overview of the placement process and then breaks down the process into easy to manage steps. During each phase a recruiter should know what to do and say to optimize results and keep the process moving ahead. There are countless decisions to make all day long in the life of a recruiter and it’s very easy to waste time on tasks that don’t generate revenue.

A sound recruiting method helps one to work efficiently and stay focused. Every day a good recruiter will:

1.     Send a candidate out on an interview

2.     Find a new search assignment

3.     Discover a qualified candidate

4.     Or Close a deal, and set a start date for a new hire

It’s easy to over complicate recruiting however the best recruiters keep life simple. They don’t tolerate distractions. They know their role and equip themselves with the tools and tactics to run the show in a productive way.

During the recruitment process common situations arise repeatedly. One must memorize proven statements and when the time is right, use those statements in a manner that conveys authenticity and sincerity.

Too often new recruiters get hired by less-than-ethical agencies and are duped (only for awhile) into sitting at a desk with a phone and without training. They are told to ‘find candidates’ or 'Get a new search'. They may as well have been told, “There’s the wall, start pounding your head against it until you find a candidate”. If you're going to cold call then you should have training, guidance, and knowledge of what to do and say.

The way to survive and thrive as a recruiter is to get recruiter training and find a mentor. It’s one thing to learn the mechanics of how to recruit and another to manage the process with finesse. Recruiting takes practice. After feeling like a deer in the headlights a few dozen times, the motivation to access the correct tool in the moment is so strong, success happens.

If there's no one to mentor you, pay for recruiter coaching. This small investment will lead to hires and help you refine your style. Recruiting is only fun if you’re making placements. A coach will get you to the next level. Be prepared with questions and if a strategy does not resonate with you, push back and ask for another.

The right recruiting method, powerful tools, insightful strategies, and practice combine to create results quickly and keep placements flowing. Keep developing your recruiting skills. Each day review the activity and think about how you can tweak your phrases and improve your process. This is the way to become a better recruiter and the way to love your career.

by Kimberly Schenk, Executive Recruiter, Trainer, Author

Become A Recruiter: Find A Recruiting System That Resonates With You! by Kimberly Schenk

Executive Recruiters are contingency fee recruiters. We only get paid if our candidate is hired. Employers surveyed give contingency fee recruiters, or headhunters, the highest marks for delivering top quality candidates. Good recruiters are in demand. If you want to be a recruiter pick a recruiting system that will train you like executive recruiters have been trained.

Whether you choose to work on contract, as a corporate recruiter, alone, or in an agency setting, the top-notch methodology headhunter’s use will allow you to work efficiently and find the exact candidate needed for every search.

Contingency fee recruiters focus on passive candidates. I believe passive candidates are the easiest to place. They're not desperate for a job because they already have one. They're not looking for a job so their responses to qualifying questions tend to be genuine. Their motivation to switch employers should be sincere for an ideal match.

If a candidate feels their everyday work life will improve with a shorter commute, better management, more responsibilities, or an attractive culture, then everyone wins. In my experience, a good candidate with strong motivation to make a career move can be found in 13 – 17 conversations. One needs to be able to trust their recruiting methods to achieve results quickly.

Because recruiting involves people each recruiter must have a recruiting system to manage their candidate pipeline. Time is a precious commodity for us all however if a recruiter wastes their time on unproductive tasks it’s a career killer. Recruiting can be brutal for recruiters who don’t feel they have any control over how the process unfolds.

If you wish to be a recruiter, follow a well-defined process. Learn your craft. Equip yourself with techniques, skills, phrases, psychology, and a systematic method to manage interviews, find new search assignments, negotiate well, handle resignations, rebuff counter offers, close effectively, and get paid promptly.

Avoid sweatshop agencies. If an agency promises training, make sure they don’t define training as handing you a phone and telling you 200 phone calls a day will make you successful. The only thing 200 calls a day creates is depression. Ask your prospective employer when was the last time she made 200 calls? Don’t be anyone’s fool. Take charge of your own training. Calling without process and technique will get you thumped in the head all day long.

Will your sweatshop show you how to conduct a One-Call Close? Why not? Walk away from scumbag operations. Can you tell they make me mad? The recruiting profession has a ton of turnover. Crappy training is one reason for high turnover. Ruthless agency practices hurt people. Don't be victimized. 

Spending 4- 5 hours a day on the phone is draining so make your efforts pay well. There’s a great deal of thinking, strategy, asking questions and listening that;s necessary to succeed as a recruiter. You’ll increase your success rate by 1000% if you know what to say and do during any phone call made. While this sounds like common sense, don’t trust your career to a stranger without asking them some tough questions first.

What words do they use to initiate a conversation with a candidate? Listen carefully. How would you respond to those words if that person called you? Candidates in high demand industries get calls from recruiters multiple times a month. How will your call be different? How will your introduction establish rapport, create trust, and engage a candidate who is busy working?

Recruiting is a soft sell. One needs a proven recruiting system to work effectively. With the right method a new recruiter can quickly build a pipeline of commissions. Getting started is the hard part. There will be mistakes made and frustration because in addition to trying to do your job well, there’s a lot to learn. Learning to recruit is similar to learning a new language. With repetition comes mastery.
Is recruiting worth it? You better believe it.

A no-fluff, step-by-step recruiter training program on how to recruit will take your production to the next level within months. We stand ready to place this process in your hands. Kimberly Schenk has recruited in multiple industries for 20 years and has been coaching recruiters and business people for 10 years. Schenk cares about your success and over 1100 professionals have benefited from her programs.

 Programs: Top Recruiter Secrets, Cold Call Therapy, How To Recruit Loan Officers