Three Recruiting Strategies to go from Survival to Success

Three Recruiting Strategies to go from Survival to SuccessThree Recruiting Strategies to go from Survival to SuccessThree Recruiting Strategies to go from Survival to Success MuzioYou cant verify this with your dictionary, but if you work as a recruiter, you probably often feel like your title is synonymous with convenient scapegoat, underpaid mercenary or misunderstood go-between.At first glance, your job sounds simple enough connect potential talent with the hiring managers who need to fulfill the recruiting process. In reality, your job lands you directly between two different, equally unrealistic sets of hiring expectations those of the managers and those of the candidates.And now, thanks to the recession, you face mora candidates clamoring for jobs than ever before and a population of hiring managers who is so resource-constrained that every hire simply must be absolutely perfect and done in an instant. Also see time management for recruiters. How can you keep from going crazy as a recession-time recruiter? Here are three recruiting strategies.First, Be a Teacher When a job candidate is expecting a salary 20 percent over the market rate, or a hiring manager seems to think it will take about 24 hours to find the perfect candidate, you know theyre in for a disappointment.In cases where employee compensationis in question, you may be tempted to simply walk away. After all, you dont want to be seen as a part of the failure you already know is looming on the horizon.Consider an alternate approach. If youre trapped between irrational demands around a jobs market value, that means youre the one person uniquely equipped to understand them. Take time to teach both job candidates and hiring managers what they should expect.Rather than walking away, educate your customers on both sides of the fence about what their salary expectations should be. Begin by asking permission to play the role of teacher for example, you could reply, If youd like, I could share with you some of my experience in working with other candidates and hiring managers.Youll almost invariably get an affirmative answer.When you do, be as specific as you can be without betraying any confidences. For example, to a candidate who is seeking an over-the-top salary, you might say, Ive recruited around ten people with similar qualifications to yours and last year I conducted benchmarking studies of starting salary offers in our industry. Im sorry to say that my experience suggests that your expectations are high by ten to twenty percent. I dont mean to discourage you, but I thought you might like to know what I know.Or, to a hiring manager who is intent onreducing time to hire and tells you that because of the recession I expect you to find the right candidate even more quickly, you might draw parallel to abedrngnislageher marketplace I see myself as a sort of real estate agent, only I find candidates to hire instead of houses to buy. But remember, youre looking for a house that w orks for you. More inventory means you may spend more time looking for the perfect fit, not less. Thats true in housing, and its no different in recruiting.Second, Be an AdvisorTeaching is the first step in your recruitment strategy, but its not enough. In reality, youre not just an educator, but also an advisor.Remember, most candidates only land in the job market when theyre unemployed or unhappy. Theyre not studying the job market theyre trying to survive And most hiring managers dont understand the market either, for the saatkorn exact reason they only participate in employee sourcing and hiring when theyre overwhelmed and looking to hire the right candidate.Unlike your two sets of customers, however, you spend your career on both sides of the job market. You know whats different this month and this year, and you also know that some things never change.Of course, candidates and managers dont know that you know all this. They only know what they see, and too often they see you do ing administrative things passing along resumes, extending phone calls and conducting interviews.To be seen as an advisor in the hiring process,you must behave like one. In other words, make sure your candidates and your managers see you offering useful counsel at least as often as they see you performing clerical duties. That means taking the time to come up with sound advice, and offering it as part of a recruiting strategy.When you deliver a resume to a manager, for example, add some commentary about recent experiences with other graduates of the same degree program, or other ex-employees of the same company. (That degree program is considered among the best in its class, for example, or weve hired three other people from that company I can put you in touch with their managers if you like.) Be honest about what you do and dont know, and ask for the managers impressions to help formulate your post-interview knowledge base for the future.You can also provide advice to candidates.O bviously, as a representative of your company you might have information about competitors hiring practices that you dont want to share. Still, that doesnt prevent you from offering advice at a more general level. For example, by giving candidates tips about what to expect in your companys interview process, you can help them to relax and put their best foot forward. Thats in everybodys best interest you want your hiring manager to get a sense of the candidates real potential from the interview that can be obscured if the candidate is unprepared or nervous.Finally, Be an Account ManagerWhether internal or external, as a recruiter you dont just work for hiring managers you work for accounts. Depending on your position, an account might be a company, a division or department, or even a single hiring manager who uses you for multiple needs over time. Whatever the arrangement, to be truly successful as a recruiter, you need to manage your accounts.Managing your accounts goes beyond teac hing and advising individuals. Thats because the needs of accounts are complementary to, but different from, the needs of the individuals within them.For exampleThe hiring manager needs a person to fill the requisition so that work gets done, now. The account needs a hire that is going to last over the long term, not one that will cost time and money for training today, only to leave for another job in six months.A manager needs to conduct interviews that get to the heart of whether the person can do the job. An account needs to conduct interviews to maintain a fair and legal hiring process.A manager needs to put together a team. An account needs to create a sustainable workforce.Also, dont forget that as the recruiter, you have complementary but separate goals for individuals and accounts too.Completing the hire is different from growing the account ideally, you want to do both. A good recruiter adds value today and positions him or herself to do so again in the future.When you int eract with hiring managers, think and speak in terms of account-level needs, as well as individual needs. Set the example by balancing short term and long term considerations, such as gently reminding managers about the high cost of common hiring mistakes.If you can position yourself as a resource that helps your account find the right hire at a reasonable cost, not just the first hire at the lowest cost, you will stop being viewed as clerical and instead become a valuable asset to the accounts that fund you.Recruiting is what You Make ItYour role as recruiter, like everyones, goes way beyond its title. We all have bad days at work, and some days you will certainly feel like recruiter is synonymous with scapegoat or mercenary. But if you work to make your title synonymous with educator, advisor, and trusted ally in the job market, you may be pleased with the results. Not only will you get more respect and more rational expectations from both sets of your customers, but you might eve n enjoy your job a little more too.Author BioEdward G. Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics, is the author of the award-winning books Make Work Great Supercharge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence One Person at a Time and Four Secrets to Liking Your Work You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want. An expert in workplace improvement and its relationship to individual enjoyment, Muzio has been featured on Fox Business Network, CBS, and other national media. For more information visit Make Work Great and follow the author on Facebook.