Clients who lose their funding, change their minds, or don’t fully understand what it will take to get a person into their positions abound. So what can you do about it? Many trainers will tell you to “take control” of the situation, but with the news proclaiming higher and higher unemployment numbers, that has become easier [...]
Artices Tagged ‘clientmanagement’
Help Your Clients Frame a Quality Offer Letter
December 15th, 2009
In Sync: Support Clients Through Economic Changes
December 10th, 2009
In an attempt to stay afloat in this shaky economy, many businesses are taking a close look at their operating processes, reevaluating their hiring needs, and determining how best to obtain top-notch talent. As you are well-aware, these companies have also taken a good, hard look at their current relationships to determine which are aiding them [...]
Building a STRONG Client Relationship
December 8th, 2009
I’ve often heard recruiters comment that their main responsibility is to provide a service by sourcing and hiring candidates. I find that although sourcing and hiring is certainly at the heart of what I do, I believe that the keystone of my role as a recruiter is to continually build and refine my client relationships. In [...]
The Four Rules for Successful Recruiting in a Recession, Part 2
November 10th, 2009
In yesterday’s part 1 of this article, I explained the first two rules to follow in a tough, tough marketplace. After all, when dealing with client objections in this economy, you’ve got to have a strategy in place to deal with them. Here are the next two rules you need to implement immediately. Rule Number 3: [...]
The Four Rules for Successful Recruiting in a Recession, Part 1
November 9th, 2009
We’re in the middle of it, folks. The toughest economy in decades. We hear it every day from prospective clients and long-time customers alike. “We have a hiring freeze†or “We are about to have a “RIF (reduction in force)†or even “We’ll work with you, but only if you cut your fee.†Today’s marketplace is not [...]
12 Extras to Give to Your Clients
October 6th, 2009
In terms of being at the top of your niche market, you only need to be slightly better than your competitors to be the premier recruiting firm in your area. You’ve heard the phrase “little things mean a lot†but in terms of client relations, little things don’t mean a lot- they mean everything. Our clients [...]
Jeff on Call: Recruiting From Former Clients?
August 19th, 2009
Q: How long must I wait before I recruit from a former client? The underlying question is, “What constitutes a former client?” Establishing a recruiter-client relationship usually involves five major steps: Receiving a job order. Clearing the fee. Transmitting the fee schedule. Sending out the candidate for an interview. Placing the candidate. Even if you do all [...]
Learn to Read Your Candidate Quickly and Effectively
January 7th, 2009
As you know, the stakes are pretty high in today’s job market. A placement can be won or lost depending on how your candidate gets his or her point across. What do you know about the candidate’s style in the interviewing process? Do you know how to pick up crucial cues? Do you know how to [...]
A Hire Versus THE Hire
September 3rd, 2008
Michael C. Munger, chair of political science at Duke University, has written a very insightful article on how to treat candidates. Now, before you think these are “over-simplified” tips beneath your level of expertise, consider his amusing article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. In it, Munger describes two separate instances when he was in the [...]
Why Managers Condone Incompetence
August 22nd, 2008
There is one thing worse than hiring the wrong person. That is to hang on to the employee long after the evidence suggests you should let them go. This is a problem that challenges managers at all levels of the organizational hierarchy; both within our industry as well as with the clients we serve. For our clients, [...]
Implanting the DNA for Success
August 20th, 2008
Our success is linked to the success of our clients. More specifically, our success is linked to the success of the managers we serve at the client’s organization. This link is based on the fact that nothing else has real value if the newly placed employee does not properly perform the essential functions of the position [...]
You Are Probably Underpaid
January 14th, 2008
A problem exists in the Recruiting Industry. The problem is that not all recruiters feel that the fee they charge is justified. The truth is though; their fee should probably be more. There are lots of recruiters out there working less than 25% fees. This is what today’s post is about. I mean, you write an [...]
Once again, one of the “Golden Rules” in our business regarding the principles of a “Class A search assignment” has proven to be gospel. In my twenty-fifth year of headhunting I have become vigilant about qualifying the searches I will and won’t spend my ultra-valuable, only-thing-I’ve-got-control-of, straight-commission time on. However, every now and then I [...]
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Idaho location of a man who I consider the best, most complete, recruiter in the world. To protect his identity, I will simply refer to him by his first name, Dan. Those of you who know me know of whom I am speaking. I nicknamed [...]
The employee selection process is about as random and unscientific as anything can be. Resumes and interviews are nothing more than snapshots of the candidate. They can be touched up, enlarged and changed to present a different image. Successful recruiters know that they are the photographers, and that a placement starts with presenting the right picture [...]
Many search firms across the country are now hiring additional recruiters. Inevitably one of your “rookies” will be thrilled they just obtained twenty searches from the same client and they have an exclusive. Before they take a breath – they now ask the dreaded question, “What kind of a deal can I give them, for [...]
One of the most vital skills that you can learn as a recruiter is how to zero in on those searches that give you the best chance of making a placement – and to only focus on them. Is this a skill that takes time to master?? No, you can learn it the first time [...]
Before you start calling those candidates, ask yourself a few of these questions. Use this matrix to test each prospective client. Rank it on a scale of one to ten, with ten the best rating, one the worst. Add up your score and judge the likelihood of you filling the position and getting paid for [...]
Even adding interest or “finance” charges can be risky unless you do it with other employers. You want it to appear that you expect payment, and are just being patient. Otherwise when your other records are subpoenaed, you’ll blow your cover. Since you should be referring past due accounts to your lawyer after 30 days from [...]
After every recession, the power pendulum swings away from the employer and toward the candidate. Employees who have endured less than ideal working conditions during these economic downturns expect their employers to reward them when things turn around. When they don’t, they polish up their resumes and usually find a more than willing target audience. Those who [...]
Often the paying of a fee to a recruiter is perceived as “paying for” the person that is hired. This is a misconception. The service is what is being bought. Since the assessment of the service charge is based on the starting salary, the fee is therefore associated with the individual. But it is a [...]
How is your production – and bank account – in today’s market? Both looking solid? Good! For most firms, our current market is both strong and steadily improving, and is likely to continue that way for quite a few years! But there is a major trap in this kind of economy which may cost you both [...]
Every day I receive calls from practitioners who want to know how to increase their billings, close a greater percentage of their business, or move toward building exclusive client relationships. The most recent example was a call I received from an experienced recruiter with over nine years in this business. He’s averaging $175,000 per year in [...]
Once you introduce yourself to an employer, the subject invariably turns to negotiating your fee. It’s as though they consider your services not worth the money. Most consultants are ready to negotiate too. Some even offer a reduction before they’re asked! They justify it by a multitude of excuses (“easy placement,” “important client,” “preferred list,” [...]
For years now I have relied on A. Bernard Frechtman’s book, Employment Agency Law, A Guide for the Personnel Professional. In the book I have (which I purchased in 1985), Chapter 3 is entitled, “Collecting The Fee You Think You Earned.” In this chapter, Frechtman deals with what he calls The Efficient Procuring Cause principle. The [...]
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