Lisa was worried. She made a placement a few weeks ago, but hasn't spoken to the candidate since.

From Lisa's point of view, the silence was deafening. She was afraid the candidate wouldn't like his new job; or that the added responsibilities might be too much to handle.

And if that were the case, the candidate might quit, or try to solicit a counteroffer from the his previous employer.

So Lisa popped into my office to ask for guidance.

"What do I say to the candidate?" Lisa asked. "Should I assume that everything is okay, or should I take a defensive or pre-emptive position?"

"I've got the perfect script," I said. "Do you have something to write with?"

"Sure," said Lisa, eager for my sage advice.

"Okay, here's what you say to the candidate:

"Hi, this is Lisa. How's it goin'?"


Found in Translation
Words have power. And words pay our bills. But we're not paid by the word. If that were the case, we'd all be millionaires.

Every time I hear a recruiter on the phone, I'm amazed at how many words it seems to take us to express our ideas, and how often we tend to dominate the conversation.

If we could delete all the unnecessary verbiage and get to the point more quickly, we'd get better information, save time and make more placements.

To help reduce our dependence on excessive words, I've devised a Recruiter/English dictionary to simplify the way we speak. Here are some common translations:

I recently heard a twist on an old saying. To make the point that reading and listening to words can often create a more powerful impression than watching TV, it was said that a word creates a thousand pictures.

I couldn't agree more. By focusing on the quality—not the quantity—of words, you'll create stronger impressions and a sharper expression of your ideas.