I’ve spent 8 years in sales and 3 years in talent matching.
I initially transitioned into talent because of my background in sales, my desire to help companies grow and feel the satisfaction of helping someone along in their career. What I’ve come to see is one of the biggest challenges faced these days, the complete oversight of implementing a sales process in recruitment.
The market is competitive….. no matter how you look at it. You have a great idea but so does the next company. So how do we overcome losing out on great candidates? It’s simple, start selling. This can not only lead to getting you the right candidate, but also when you need them. Most of you will think I mean old school car salesmen (no shade to my fellow sales people in automotive), I’m talking about true consultative sales and having a strong talent pipeline.
Step 1: Turning over stones
- When you really know what they want vs starting the relationship talking all about what you want, chances are it will last longer. Just like in other areas of our lives.
- Cover topics like goals, hobbies, and influences.
Step 2: Matching
- If you’ve asked the right questions in step 1 then ticking off items on their checklist with your offering should be a breeze.
Step 3: Turning over more stones
- Now that there seems to be a genuine interest, its time to dig for potential objections(other interviews, counter offers, personal obligations, etc..)
Step 4: Courting
- If you’ve bothered to invite someone to your office, give them an experience. Take them to a late lunch or early dinner, get them to interact with the team. Buying is an emotional and logical process, and so is joining a company.
Step 5: Time
- In the hopes that you’ve followed Steps 1-4 the most important step is here. Putting someone through a rigorous 4 hour technical interview to then take more than a week to get back to them only hurts you.
- Ensure multiple checkins if you need more time to evaluate other candidates.
- Silence is not your friend!
Step 6: Making an offer
- Hopefully you’ve uncovered in the first step what the package options you can present to meet your future team member’s expectations. Will you need to offer something more to prevent counter offers?
Implementation is easy, think new relationship vs new hire and see drastic improvements in the performance of growth objectives.
Next week’s topic Building a Talent Pipeline, detailing methods and tools to generate a consistent flow of engaged talent.
– Kyle