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

Why Do Cold Calls Make Me Miserable? by Kimberly Schenk

The reasons cold calling is difficult for a lot of sales people are many and varied. The available solutions tend to fall short of reducing anxiety. ‘Logical strategies’ fail to make cold calls easier because processing emotions is unlike intellectual processing. The solution is to heal the issue from the inside out. If you’re in sales and have the desire, creativity, discipline, intelligence, and drive to succeed then internal demons are particularly frustrating.

Heal whatever is holding you back with Emotional FreedomTechniques (EFT) and sell your way to the life you deserve. We are all in need of healing of some sort. EFT is a simple, effective tool. The key to success when using EFT is truth and honesty. EFT will heal old emotional, physical, and even spiritual traumas. Subtle and even thunderous internal messages from our childhood may be sabotaging our efforts as adults.

If you freeze when it’s time to pick up the phone and make sales or prospecting calls address how you feel and EFT will dissolve those negative feelings forever. EFT is emotional acupuncture. It uses our focused thoughts and a series of tapping sequences on specific body parts to dislodge and erase old emotions. When those emotions evaporate, memories remain however they hold no power.

Maybe you were criticized incessantly as a child. You grew up and now criticize others. You continue to repeat self-criticisms that were never true and are undeserved. You feel fearful of making mistakes on the phone or fear the parties you contact will scold or verbally attack you. You’re not in the mood for more rejection so you put down the phone and suffer in silence.

The origin of your call reluctance may not be identifiable.  All you know is making calls creates anxiety within you so you avoid those calls in order to not feel miserable. EFT is a self-healing tool. Some folks fear talking with people on a different socio-economic level than they were raised. They feel overwhelmed with feelings of inferiority. Identify, tap, release, and replace outdated nonsense with a new reality.

Ghandi said, “Everything we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we create the world.” Get rid of old crappy thoughts and emotions. Clear out negative self-talk and destructive belief patterns.

Our parents may have done the best they could but still hurt us. Most of us fall short of being perfect parents regardless of our intention. Heal your internal wounds and free yourself to live the life you want today. Give your children this tool so they can remove internal obstacles preventing them from reaching their potential.

Maybe deep down you don’t feel worthy of success. Making phone calls produces successful outcomes and creates a new internal conflict. Everyone is worthy of success. We love to cheer for the underdog. We are the underdog!

If you talk more than is helpful during your sales process you may be insecure. Your desire to get unfulfilled attention as a child drives you to draw attention to yourself that is counter-productive. Don’t worry about the reason why you’re not a perfect all-star human being. Forget about labels. Help yourself by being your ultimate advocate. Heal old wounds with EFT.

Self-healing equals freedom. Sales people make cold calls. Selling is both challenging and honorable. We sales people make the world go ‘round. Free yourself from self-doubt, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and insecurities. Be strong and value yourself enough to know you deserve to feel worthy. You are worthy of success, great prosperity, happiness, and love.

Kimberly Schenk, Executive Recruiting Coach, and Author

Recruiting 2013: Get Out Of Your Rut!

It’s easy to get into a rut if you’re a recruiter. In 2013 let’s all mix it up a little to create more profits! Brainstorm with yourself if you work alone. Think outside the box if you work with a group. Dust off that white board! Shoot for bigger projects. Find employers who are ready to expand and offer to handle hiring the entire staff. They’ll fall behind and fall short of their goals if they think their current HR dept. can simply double their efforts.

If you’re a solo operator or a small group think about working onsite at a facility to ensure you’re involved with all phases. Be nimble and sensitive enough to modify processes that aren’t working. Create value and double, triple, or quadruple your profits at the same time.

The recession has taken it’s toll for sure however many companies are sitting on boatloads of cash. Everyone has grown tired of our do-nothing, bickering, Blockheads in Congress. As usual the public sector will lead the way out of the recession and our ‘leaders’ will eventually follow mainstream thinking. We cannot wait for Washington to get their act together before we act. Throw all the bums out next election but in the meantime, there’s opportunity everywhere!

In Colorado, Loveland (just south of Fort Collins) screwed-up a three-year negotiation with NASA. NASA chose Loveland as the preferred location for an incredible opportunity and the town still botched the job after boasting for years the deal was 'in-the-bag'. Instead of moving into an empty 850,000 square foot, former HP campus, NASA grew tired of the local politics and decided to locate their ACE project closer to Boulder. The inept, shortsighted, dim-witted power antics petty bureaucrats enjoy, cost the area 10,000 local high-pay tech jobs. Ugh!

NASA has decided to sell off thousands of patents they’ve accumulated since the sixties. They want companies to use the patents to develop green solutions to benefit the public and save energy. Colorado has a well educated, tech savvy work force and it’s easy to get folks to move to our beautiful state. No humidity, over 300 sunny days a year, fresh air, healthy lifestyles, and an abundance of activities make this a great place to live.

Companies are lining up to join this creative, inventive, manufacturing mixing pot of skill sets, ideas, and opportunities. Companies from Germany, Norway, the US, Japan and South America are interested in opening facilities here. This is only one fascinating, multi-dimensional project ready to pop across the country.

If you’re a recruiter, or want to be a recruiter get scrappy. Get in front of employers and talk about their plans and their projects. When the time is right, tell them how you can save them a ton of money. Tell them how you work and how they’ll get the exact people they need, not thousands of resumes from people without the skills they need but who are available.

Your ability as a recruiter to spot opportunities and create win-win projects can launch you into earning millions of dollars. The world is changing fast. Come up with a strategy and go forth with confidence! Be resourceful. Make it up as you go if needed. Be bold, creative, and tenacious.

Too many recruiters doubt their value. YOU are the hiring expert! Tell people, nicely of course, how you can solve their hiring problems. They’ll love you for it and you’ll get richer in the process. This blog is comprised of my opinions. If you’re a Loveland bureaucrat; I think you suck at your job and deserve to be fired!

BTW, the former HP campus has been bought and plans are supposedly underway for a similar technological campus, without NASA. Whatever.

Happy New Year Recruiters! Don’t let the economy push you around or skew your thinking. Get your hands dirty and make things happen. Find the movers and shakers like yourself. Recruiters rock!

by Kimberly Schenk, Author, Recruiter, Recruiter Coach

TopRecruiterSecrets.com and Cold Call Therapy eBooks

Recruiting Success: Would I Make a Great Recruiter?

Recently I read an article on Recruiter.com that talked about how recruiting firms work. In one section they advised those who are considering recruiting to make sure they know which part of recruiting they would be happiest working. Recruiting is about contacting employers to get searches and then finding candidates and managing the process until they get/receive an offer and start their new job. 

They broke it down this way (I agree with them!)

"You should be in sales (obtaining searches) if you are:

* A great negotiator

* Good with handling rejection

* Self-guided with your time management

* Motivated by expansion potential (developing sales channels)

* Good at cold-calling for new business opportunities

* Enjoy making presentations and entertaining


You should be in recruiting if you are:

* A great communicator

* Good at relaying hard facts and picking up inferences

* Highly organized

* Great at Internet work and research

* Motivated by task accomplishment (making placements)

* Good at building relationships based upon mutual interest

* Enjoy interviewing and networking"

A good portion of Recruiters are good at both tasks. If you prefer one more than
the other find another Recruiter who likes to do what you don't. Splits are great.

In my experience a consistent, daily effort will do the most to ensure you make multiple placements a month. Rookies tend to bet on one placement being made with one send out. Too often they lose that deal for a variety of reasons and create unnecessary stress. My advice is to work toward 3 send outs a week. Do this every week and you'll have multiple placements and a great income each month.

If your focus is on getting a minimum of three send outs a week, you'll get better and better at organizing your time. You'll waste less time on chores that don't produce send outs.

It's that simple. Do you want to be a recruiter? Get started. Find some recruiter training.

Kimberly Schenk,  Author/Headhunter,    Top Recruiter Secrets    Cold Call Therapy

Recruiter Training: Discuss Counter Offers Before It's Too Late!

There are common issues that can derail the placement process. New recruiters need to know what lies ahead and prepare to address these pitfalls before problems arise. There are at least 15 reasons why it’s unwise to accept a counter offer. This topic must be discussed several times before any employment offer is extended to a candidate.

If a candidate has sound motivations to change positions a counter offer will not resolve the basic problem. Most often a counter offer shores things up temporarily. Surveys and statistics show that within six months an employee who accepts a counter offer will leave that company anyway. Don’t lose a placement because of a counter offer!

Two consequences of accepting a counter offer are:

• The company now knows a candidate is unhappy. Counter offers tend to create resentment and a candidate who accepts one will be seen as having questionable loyalty. Down the road when it’s time to promote someone those with unwavering loyalty tend to get promoted first.

• In tough economic times if a company decides they need to implement an austerity program, it’s easy to cut those who were thinking about leaving anyway.

Recruiters who are equipped with all the reasons why accepting a counter offer is a bad idea are in the best position to talk about these perils with candidates who already trust them. When the time comes for a candidate to resign, it’s important to understand how stressful the candidate perceives this step. Counter offers surface a wide range of conflicting emotions in most candidates. Good recruiters use a risk management approach counter offers by preparing candidates to handle them properly.

Recruiters talk with candidates multiple times during the interview stage. Each conversation reveals more about the candidate’s mindset. If a candidate says they would consider a counter offer you must find out why and be prepared to put the candidate aside.

The time for a candidate to negotiate higher pay, and resolve problems they have with an employer is before they start looking for a new job. Candidates who have tried to improve their situation and exhausted their options are far more determined to make a job change.

Candidates who’ve approached management with their needs and career aspirations generally know where they stand. Their ability to analyze opportunities and specify where they want to be in five years is superior to candidates who really don’t have a defined career path. Most folks are so busy working they have not given much thought to their career strategy.

Candidates in their thirties and forties tend to become more focused on where their career is going. They start to examine their life and estimate the chances of getting to the level they want. During the past twenty years companies have implemented screening processes and applicant tracking systems that actually work against employment longevity. Candidates who feel they’re a disposable commodity have less loyalty.
 
Companies will pay recruiting fees for good candidates with in-demand skill sets. Counter offer situations create havoc during the placement process and everyone involved tends to get upset. Memorize all the reasons why counter offers are not worth considering. Recruiters manage the placement process.  Your ability to present logical arguments and stay calm makes you an expert in your field and a valuable asset to your clients.


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

Recruiter Coaching: Is It Worth The Money?

Recruiter training should cover all the steps in the placement process. Executive Recruiters (Headhunters) work on commission. We are consultants and sales people. If you’re considering a career change, executive recruiting offers independence, challenge, and control over one’s income. Having a Recruiting Coach on your side ensures success. Recruiter coaching will save you time and money.

Corporate Recruiters and Contract Recruiters generally don’t ‘hunt’ for candidates. Contract recruiters usually show up to an employers’ place of employment and have higher monthly placement quotas. Contract recruiters are paid an hourly rate. Contract recruiting offers stability and a consistent paycheck.

Corporate recruiting tends to be part of HR. Online ads and social networking sites are used to attract candidates. Corporate recruiters speak with candidates who float their resumes in cyberspace or respond to ads. Corporate Recruiter’s interview and screen candidates.

Headhunters are in demand. Of the various types of Recruiters, contingency fee based Recruiters consistently are given the highest marks by clients for providing top-notch candidates. We’re the Navy Seals of the recruiting world. We fearlessly sniff out the best candidates and work quietly until the deal is closed. We’re called upon to function as a psychologist, spy, friend, consultant, negotiator, rainmaker, closer, and detective every single day. What could be more fun?

Executive recruiting is tough. The pay is great but the work can be brutal. The onset   of your recruiting career is the optimal time to develop the mindset, work habits, thought process, strategies, and skill sets needed to be a successful recruiter.

Like learning how to drive, the details seem overwhelming at first. When we get behind the wheel, we must use our skills to drive safely. It’s the same with recruiting. It’s important to practice good habits from the onset. On day one clients and candidates depend on us to do our job well. Preparation is crucial.

Miss-steps kill deals. The good news is there are remedies for just about every mishap. If we lose a client or candidate, it’s okay. There’s always another client and another candidate to contact.

Recruiter coaching is a resource. Having an expert at your side keeps deals on track.  A Coach provides in-the-moment guidance and shortens the learning curve. Instructions during each phase allow recruiters to self-correction and improve instantly. The first recruiting phone calls are intense.

For new Recruiter there’s pressure to remember hundreds of details. After a placement Recruiters have a storehouse of experience. Phrases have been memorized and responses become confident. All day long there are decisions to make. How recruiters respond to comments, reactions, or misinformation is the difference between a paycheck and going without.

A good Recruiting Coach guides Recruiters carefully through the minefield of a deal. Their advice can save a search at every phase of the process. For everyone who thinks it’s easy to be a Recruiter and who envies those big fat commission checks, hear this: We’re worth every dime!

A Recruiting Coach is worth the money. If you follow their instructions and do the work you’ll have one or two placements within weeks. You won’t waste time second-guessing yourself. You’ll have someone telling you exactly what to say during sticky situations. You’ll juggle multiple searches without going crazy. Ideally, your first fee will come quickly, pay for the Coach, and leave you with a profit.

The expertise a Recruiter Coach provides enables you to perform at a high level. No one will know you’re a novice. You’ll be energized and encouraged by small milestones. You’ll have support when you feel overwhelmed. Benefit from the advice, experience, and wisdom of your Coach as surprises unfold daily.

Recruiting is fun. The rewards are great monetarily, emotionally, and intellectually if you’re committed. My recommendation is get recruiter training and find a Recruiting Coach. Make some money and have a ball!

Kimberly Schenk

Are You A Cold Call Critic? Don't Be! by Kimberly Schenk

Cold calling has critics and believers. I'm both. I think cold calling day in and day out can be boring. I block out about two hours a day and cold call consistently. The rewards from these calls are monumental. It was not always that way. I'm not a natural sales person however after years of practice,  I can hold my own against any 'natural'.

Here's a few cold calling tips:

1. Be sincere.

2. Offer value. When you believe in your product/service your conviction is conveyed to the person on the other end of the phone.

3. Demonstrate your credibility by asking intelligent questions to uncover needs. Listen to your prospect. Prospects buy when the see there is a cost effective solution to their problem.

4. Design an effective call script. A good sales script engages prospects quickly in a meaningful dialogue.

5. Listen for the big picture, not for a pause where you can interject a feature or benefit about your product.

6. Have a conversation with your prospect vs. talking at them. Inquire about her business and areas of frustration.

7. In your first introductory sentences offer one or two benefits. Every prospect cares about WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?) If you do these seven things a prospect is more likely to listen to you.

Asking intelligent questions is the fastest way to establish rapport. Prospects have problems and they want their problems solved. You're one of the good guys! Don't 'sell' to anyone unless you've qualified him or her. If someone does not qualify, (meaning they don’t have a need or the money to buy) don't push. I know scores of sales trainers advise otherwise, but if you're in sales for the long haul, make your life enjoyable by selling to people who want to buy and are ready to buy.

When you walk away from a prospect because they really don't need or want what you're selling, do so with grace. Not turning off a prospect leaves a positive, or neutral feeling with prospects about dealing with sales people. Leave the door open for a change of heart down the road should circumstances change.

As an Executive Recruiter, I ask support staff of the business owners or VP's to help me find decision makers. In today's world I leave messages and get calls returned when a potential client has a need. Don't waste a decision maker's time. Messages should be to the point: "My name is Cinderella and I'm an Executive Recruiter who specializes in mortgage banking placements. I have clients in the area and if you're looking to expand your operation or have hiring needs, call me at (my number)."

I get several calls a week from messages. When someone returns a call I know they have a need and jump into a conversation that will define their search requirements.

Expect to make sales. Cold calling is a task and sometimes it's tedious. Make a plan and develop your skills. Determine whether there's a need and manage the conversation in a way that leads without offending. Recognize the difference between a true objection and an objection that's masking a buying signal. Selling is strategic. Interacting with customers takes practice. The more you practice the better your closing ratio!

Accept cold calling as a fact of life. Reconcile the tedium with the excitement. 4 - 5 meaningful conversations an hour will increase production. Keep track of your calls, your conversations, your sales, and your pipeline.

If you have call reluctance or any anxiety related to cold calling, there's help. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) works perfectly to get rid of negative emotional patterns held within our bodies. EFT is being used effectively to eliminate pain, anxiety, depression, fears, addictions, and heal traumatic events. Neutralize cold call fears with EFT.

If cold calls are part of your professional life, enjoy the process. Allow your prospect to 'buy'. Let them decide they cannot live without your product or service by presenting value, asking questions, describing benefits, and listening. Sell them what they want to buy.

Kimberly Schenk is the author of, 'Top Recruiter Secrets' and 'Cold Call Therapy'