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The Business of Recruiting

Industry News, The Business of Recruiting

“The Headhuntress” Airs Tonight on Bravo

by on Nov. 14, 2011


the-headhuntress

Bravo is airing a one-hour special tonight that may do for executive headhunting what Simon Cowell did for talent shows.

In the space of 60 minutes (commercials included), Wendy Doulton dispenses such bits of advice to her six-figure job candidates as “You need to lose the cleavage,” and “You make me feel like taking a nap.”

Born in the U.S., educated in London, Doulton’s blunt, unvarnished advice is delivered, in a clipped British accent. “A résumé should be like a skirt,” she declares. “Long enough to cover the basics, but short enough to keep them interested.”

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The Business of Recruiting

In Memoriam: Robert P. Style, Esq.

by on Nov. 8, 2011


Robert P Style

September 13, 1943 – July 18, 2011

Editor’s Note: Bob Style’s passing was a loss to our community and we were saddened to hear the news earlier this summer. This tribute is from Bob’s professional colleague, Jeff Allen, as a memoriam to a valued member of the agency recruiting family. Out of respect for Bob and as a small tribute, we have added information on his passing to his online bio on The Fordyce Letter.

The passing of Bob Style happened quietly. As a result, I’m receiving calls from clients and friends – many of whom didn’t even know he died. Not fun to tell them.

Bob’s family has asked me to say a few words about him. I’m honored to do that, but a few words won’t do Bob justice. So I’ll say three words, and try in vain to convey what they mean.

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The Business of Recruiting

Personal Discipline – The Path to Personal Freedom and Success in Search

by on Nov. 1, 2011


pathway

Personal discipline. This is a daily challenge for me. We live in a world full of distractions, unhealthy choices, and pressure to do a myriad of things that are not in our true self-interest. Modern culture has created an increasingly noisy, busy, artificial, short-term focused, pleasure-seeking world. The human temptation to slip into the path of least resistance, to seek out safety and comfort, and to avoid risk and hard work is ever present.

I’m writing about this subject in relation to success in the search profession, as I believe that the ability to be incredibly self-disciplined is one of the most important requirements for success in this business. We all know that without doing “the work,” sustainable success as a recruiter will not happen. For the great majority of us, our work is done alone, either as solo practitioners, or in offices or cubicles, as part of a search firm. We each decide, in the “privacy of our own privacy,” what we will do with the hours we are blessed with each day.

Recruiting success, simply put, requires excellent productivity. Since our work as recruiters is primarily made up of our personal actions (phone calls, emails, meetings, letters, research, writing, listening, etc.), the productivity that I am talking about is “personal productivity,” as opposed to equipment, office, or other measures. Sustained personal productivity, or the amount of value-added work done per personal unit of time, over the long run, is one of the most significant indicators or predictors of success in this great business.

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The Business of Recruiting

“The Phone Rang…” Lessons from Robocruiter, Part 1

by on Oct. 28, 2011


Robocruiter logo

The Total Account Executive

The phone rang.  I answered and boy was I surprised.  At the other end of the line was someone I hadn’t spoken to in quite a long time and yet someone who had such a dramatic influence on my recruiting life.  It was, in my opinion, the best recruiter who has ever lived, bar none.  So good at our craft, in fact, that years ago I nicknamed him ‘Robocruiter’ (half man; half recruiter) after the 1987 futuristic movie Robocop.  I also wanted to give him a nickname so that I could teach his techniques without disclosing his identity.  I didn’t want him to be bothered by curious recruiters and I knew that would happen if I divulged his name.  After all, we recruiters are not a shy lot.

Robocruiter called because he had committed to a speaking engagement and, since he knows that I do an awful lot of training and standup presentations, wanted to ask me some technical public speaking questions.  We talked about speaking and then our conversation moved into the recruitment training arena.  I told him that his concept of The Total Account Executive (AE) was one of my favorite topics.  I also said that over the years, I have taught so much of what I learned from him that I couldn’t tell where he left off and I began.  He thanked me and we went our separate ways.

For those of you who haven’t been exposed to Robocruiter before, buckle your seatbelts.  I am going to take you on a brief flight through some of his more memorable (to me) recruitment technique snippets.  By the end of our journey, you will be able to appreciate his complete mastery of our profession.

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Relationships, The Business of Recruiting

“The Phone Rang…” Objection Responses

by on Oct. 14, 2011


Office Telephone

My phone is ringing off the hook. More calls than I can remember receiving in a long time. Good news. The recruitment marketplace is heating up again. The callers are expressing a desire to re-attack their niches. This means they are getting ready to market again  — an activity many of my students haven’t really concentrated on in months. And with marketing will inevitably come those pesky Hiring Manager (HM) objections, so now it’s time to remind everyone how to respond to them.

Why we make Marketing Calls

But first things first: why do we make marketing calls? We make marketing calls to find companies that fall into three general categories:

  1. First and foremost, those companies that have a tremendous urgency to fill a position. We recruiters are most often paid to circumvent the time factor.
  2. Those companies that have a difficult position to fill. They have run ads, offered referral bonuses to employees, checked with competitors, consulted with colleagues, and extensively interviewed with no success. In this scenario, the recruiter offers these companies a window of opportunity – a “court of last resort,” if you will.
  3. Those companies that wish to be kept apprised of top-notch talent as those talented people surface, regardless of whether there is an opening.

It is generally accepted by top producing recruiters that these three types of companies, which we will ultimately place with, make up 4% of our marketplace. So, if our marketplace contains 1500 contacts (which I recommend), then 4% of that marketplace equals 60 companies with which we will place. Multiply those 60 placements times an average fee of $10,000 and we have a $600,000 per year desk. Multiply those 60 placements by an average fee of $20,000 and we have our basic $1,200,000 annual operation. That, my friends, is how recruiters, by themselves, bill over $1,000,000 per year. They understand the math.

So now we have been reminded of why we need to make marketing calls. However, when we make them, we are invariably going to hear HM objections and there will be a tendency to give up way too early.

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Entrepreneurship, How-To, The Business of Recruiting

“The Phone Rang…” How To Acquire the Right Attitude

by on Oct. 7, 2011


Businessman Holding a Telephone Handset

I caught myself staring out the window at the front pasture so icy and desolate in the late winter afternoon. It had been cold lately…unseasonably cold for Atlanta. And, with the vanishing warmth, I started having negative daydreams. Was this economy ever going to recover? Did our political leaders really know what they were doing? Was recruitment, as I had known it, a thing of the past, like typewriters and Polaroids? Sad thoughts. And then, as always, the phone rang.

I returned to the present and answered the phone. Another like soul was full of some of the same doubts I had just been having. But it was his question that shook me out of the doldrums. He asked, “What is the difference between success and failure in recruitment?”

This took me back to a meeting I had in Atlanta with one of the greatest sales trainers who ever lived. His name was Steve Brown and he was the Chairman of the Board of The Fortune Group. I told the caller to sit back and relax and listen to what I remembered from that memorable meeting — the meeting where Steve explained to me how salespeople acquire the Right Attitude.

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The Business of Recruiting

Jeff’s On Call!: Business Forms

by on Oct. 6, 2011


law_gavel

This week’s inquiry comes from Sean Kirk:

Jeff, thank you for your column and for your time! I appreciate the motivation you give to recruiters like me with all your advice. I have a few simple questions regarding business forms for new contingent-based permanent placement firms starting up. What standard business forms do you recommend recruiters can’t run their business without? How has the job order form evolved over the years and exactly what information do recruiters need to capture within a one page form? Regarding fee agreements, how has this form evolved over the years and what language must be included to ensure a successful business relationship and collection of service charges?

Any advice or specific examples of business forms would be greatly appreciated and warmly received.  Thanks Jeff!

Sean Kirk

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The Business of Recruiting

“The Phone Rang…” Goal Setting

by on Sep. 23, 2011


Telephone Receiver

The phone rang. I answered. A new client started to unburden himself. His name was Benjamin. He was concerned about his somewhat anemic production in this sluggish economy. His was not an uncommon call these days. As the year begins to wind down, many of my clients are looking back over their production and, if substandard, are begging for help. Ben was one of these. He had heard me speak at a virtual summit and, since I was one of his favorites, was very excited about working with me. He had started his own firm eight years ago and had grown it at one point to ten recruiters. Now he had seven. His personal production had been as high as $550,000, but was now down in the $300,000 range. Technically, he knew how to do this business, but he had forgotten the ‘structure’ part of the equation. And so, Ben and I began by building the right foundation. We began with Goal Setting for the coming year. 

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The Business of Recruiting

“The Phone Rang…” Recruiting the Candidate

by on Sep. 16, 2011


telephone3

This time the phone rang after hours. Lucky for me I was working late and answered the call. It was from one of my favorite students. She was having problems navigating this sluggish economy. She complained that she hardly ever wrote a ‘recruitable’ Job Order anymore and that her main problem was once she had a great JO, she was unable to recruit anyone for it. She was stuck!

We talked about recruiting for a while and it was obvious to me that she had a knowledge deficiency that was leading to an execution deficiency. Yes, she was indeed stuck. The bottom-line was that she had forgotten how to do the “recruiting” part of our business. And so, I began at the beginning…

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The Business of Recruiting

Recruiting and a “Blank Canvas”

by on Sep. 1, 2011


blank canvas by Chris Palmer

There is endless advice all around about how to become a great recruiter. There are many outstanding “big billers” who have used, perfected, and shared their best techniques, often times here on The Fordyce Letter. I appreciate very much the advice that I receive, and look forward to each publication.

While I’ve been successful in the four short years that I’ve been in the search business, I’m still a long way away from achieving my ultimate goals. I’m driving hard to grow my business to $2.5 million in annual revenue. This will be a journey, and one to which I’m committed.

As I take an honest look at what makes me successful, and what will make me even more successful in the future, it is the extent to which I can control my thinking. There are hundreds of books written on the subject, and countless approaches. Staying free of fear, anxiety, worry, and stress are key to having the energy and focus to perform at a high level, and on a sustainable basis. None of the world-class recruiting techniques are worth a darn if you, the recruiter, are burdened with emotional baggage of fear, regret and worry. These emotions are absolutely paralyzing for the search practitioner. I think it is critical to pay attention to one’s “thinking” and emotional approach to work. Staying away from negative influences (like television) and negative people are critical. Making a conscious effort to read motivating or instructional material, spend time with people who will lift you up, enjoy nature and simple abundance, and in general be influenced in a positive way by the choices you make is very important. Regular exercise is also a key, as vibrant physical health is a prerequisite for sustained positive emotional health and energy.

There are several visual images that I use to set my mindset for peak performance and success each day.

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