| How do you build a relationship in one phone call? It's | | | | "You're funny, not like other recruiters". |
| a challenge. My approach is very simple. I | | | | In the world of recruiting consultants building |
| fundamentally value the time of the candidate I am | | | | relationships is difficult because if the candidate is on |
| calling. I greatly resent wasting people's time with | | | | the job board, he has potentially dozens of other |
| useless questions and selling tactics. I get straight to | | | | recruiters calling him. Building a relationship takes time, |
| the point. Sometimes this makes my calls rather | | | | while the recruiting cycle of a consulting candidate |
| short, other times I can spend10-15 minutes on the | | | | can be as short as 24 hours. One drawback of this |
| phone with the candidate. | | | | kind of recruiting is that while we speak with |
| So what's my goal? I want to make the candidate | | | | thousands of people, we build relationships with a |
| laugh. If the candidate is interested in speaking with | | | | few. National recruiting is even harder because the |
| me, I might get right into the thick of things or I | | | | recruiter never meets the candidate. Passive |
| might talk about the weather. Living in Boston | | | | candidates often want permanent jobs and thus are |
| provides me with an incredible array of weather | | | | hard to recruit for contract opportunities. |
| conversation topics. I can usually joke about how bad | | | | So just be yourself, don't pretend to know all the |
| it is and how much I miss the sunshine. (Even now it's | | | | answers. Try not to waste people's time. Qualify |
| dark and gloomy outside). I want to make a | | | | your candidate before you call him. And don't ask |
| connection that is natural, I don't force it. Sometimes | | | | senior people basic questions. Don't ask a Java |
| I compliment the candidate on their expertise, | | | | architect what OOD is. Don't ask a Network Engineer |
| sometimes I get them to talk to me about their | | | | if he has experience with TCP/IP. You'll sound |
| career, but not in a dry chronological manner, more in | | | | ignorant. It's hard at first, but know your req before |
| a philosophical way. I've had several people tell me; | | | | you call to build a relationship. |