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Recruiting tip - Getting the
interview
Make the call by asking for
the person directly. When the hiring source answers the phone,
respond with good volume, enthusiasm, confidence and absolute
conviction that you are providing a valuable service. Tell
him/her who you are and what you do and then, without a pause,
present your applicant in no more than three sentences. Wait
for a reply no matter how much dead silence. WAIT! If
the manager starts asking questions, answer them quickly and go for
an interview time. If the manager begs off on an interview
time and wants a resume, try to get a conditional time for
cancellation if the resume doesn't check out with what you have
described. You should make at least three attempts for an
interview time without a resume.
Even if you don't overcome
objections and don't get the interview or even a job order, remember
that you earn your money from information and rapport. Get
information and record it in your staffing, applicant tracking
or resume database software for the next time you call. Here is
a list of some sample questions that will give you an idea of the
type of information that will be useful for the next
call.
| Have you used agencies?
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| How is
business?
Expanding, losing
money? |
| Who is your
toughest competition? |
| How many people in the company in
your recruiting specialty?
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| What kind of a company is it to
work for?
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| Is brochure information available?
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| How long have
you (the hiring source) been there? In present
position?
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| Try to determine some key dates
from the hiring source, such as anniversary, performance
review, stockholder meeting, etc.
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| What areas are you responsible
for?
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| What are your major goals?
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| In evaluating
Executive Search Firms, what
do you look for?
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| What's the biggest challenge
facing you in your present position?
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If the client refuses to
provide information, then your final words should be, 'Thank you for
your courtesy and time. I will just send you some information
on our company and check in with you at a later date to see if
things have changed.’
Taking the
Job Order
If the client has an
opening, get the job order! Recruiters often do not recognize
the opportunity. For example, after your pitch of an applicant, the
client responds: 'Salary too high.' 'You must talk to
personnel.' 'I need someone with more ....' 'Can't use
agencies.' 'You are calling the wrong area.' 'I know
this applicant.' These are all clues that there is a job
order! Now you should get some specifics; don't let this
person off the phone until you get the following, because you never
know when you will be able to get him/her on the phone again (the
golden minute).
Questions to
ask when taking a job order. Remember, you want to
leave both the applicant and client with the confidence that you are
thorough. Some of these questions apply only to lower level
positions. Please don't make the mistake of asking a question
for a low level position when the position is at senior level and
vice versa. These questions are only meant to get you started
in the right direction.
| Title of
position?
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| New position or
replacement?
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| How long has the position been
open?
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| The position reports to whom?
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| Education
requirements?
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| What will the person do (describe
a typical day)?
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| Salary range; highest they will go
for the perfect applicant?
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| Raises: when, how much,
performance or cost-of-living?
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| Benefits: flex hours,
medical, dental, vision, medical for dependents, pension,
profit sharing, maternity benefits, parking, lunch
program?
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| Will the person supervise or lead
in any way?
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| Intangibles; what would you look
for between two people with the same technical skills,
experience and educational background?
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| Travel? Overnight or
same day?
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| What's more important to your
group: technical abilities, product experience or
personality?
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| Career path, opportunity for
promotion, long term opportunities?
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| How rapidly have people been
promoted?
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| What is the 'drop dead' date for
having someone hired?
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| Is this a growing
company? How many people?
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| What does the company
do?
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| Private or
public?
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| Dollar volume of
sales?
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| Division or corporate
office?
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| Major
competitors?
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| Location/address of
interview?
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| What's the interview
process?
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| How long will the interview
last?
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| Who will
interview?
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| Is there a test/application to
fill out?
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| Who extends the
offer?
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| When does Personnel get
involved?
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All of the above
information should be entered on the job order record
in your
recruiting or staffing software.
Remember, responses to the above are from the point of view of one
individual. Policies and biases of others will influence this
person. The interpretation by the recruiter from the
answers only represent what was 'said' by the hiring source.
Very often, what people say and what they do are completely
different. For example, a hiring authority might say the
person must have a degree, and then you find out at a later date
that they hired a non-degreed person because she/he had so much
experience in a particular area. Very often job order
descriptions are formed by what and how the job order questions are
asked. For example, 'A degree is required, isn't it?' as
opposed to 'Which is more important, specific experience or
education?' The ideas, attitudes and perceptions of one
individual can change very quickly. Judgment is a big part of
handling a job order. The more specific information on
qualifications, the greater the potential for unfavorable
results. Over qualification and pre-judgment by the
executive search recruiter
often lead to failure. This may sound like an about face but
it's not. You can never have too much information; information
provides the opportunity for creativity. But specific
information on the 'must haves' of a job order and blind adherence
to them is dangerous because it kills creativity.
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© Copyright 2006, BlackDog Recruiting Software Inc.
PO Box 3004 Crested Butte, Colorado, 81224
Contact us: go4recruitingsoftware@go4.bz
Phone: 970 349 0364
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