Following Up With Candidates in Your Talent Pipeline

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

One of the most common questions we get from our clients is:

“What do I say to the candidates who are in my talent pipeline? I know I need to follow-up with them consistently, but how do I keep a person engaged and interested over a long period of time?”

This is a great question and one that we’re going to attempt to answer in this week’s discussions. We’ll start with a simple principle that Dale Carnegie once recognized:

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

The natural way to approach a talent pipeline (our term for the pool of candidates you are most interested in recruiting) is from a perspective of “What can these people do for me?” After all, you are recruiting them for the contribution they can make to your organization, not the other way around, right?

In the recruiting process, however, you’ll find more success by operating under the opposite perspective. You must legitimately put yourself in a mindset where you’re asking, “How can I help this person accomplish both their personal and career goals?” This is what makes a lasting impression in the minds of your candidates.

This may sound oversimplified, but the human spirit has a way of drifting back to self-interest unless we continually prod it to take an interest in others.

The first step in this process is to focus your conversations with candidates on what the candidate is trying to accomplish in their life. We already know that people like to talk about themselves, so ask questions that allow a person to talk about their accomplishments, what they’re proud of doing, and how they do their best work.

During these conversations, listen for frustrations and obstacles that keep the individual from being more successful. Don’t act on this information at this point—just listen and catalog the information for later use.

Next, find ways to address or solve one or two of these frustrations. These solutions will carry more impact if they come from outside your organization and have nothing to do with the recruiting process. In fact, the most thoughtful and empathetic people are able to pick up on the smallest cues during a conversation and turn them into action.

I’ll give you an example from my personal life:

I was at dinner with a group of guys last week. During the conversation, the topic of youth baseball came up. One of the guys in the group had some apprehension about his son leaving the Little League environment (only for 12 years and younger), unaware of what options are available at the next level. Because I have sons who have played at various levels and in various leagues, I was able to answer some questions and refer him to a couple of websites and individuals who may be able to help him make a good decision.

While my example doesn’t pose a huge dilemma of sorts, it does illustrate how you can listen for a small frustration/concern and then act upon this information to help alleviate the frustration.

If you can integrate these types of interactions into the conversations you have with those in your talent pipeline, it won’t be long before those with whom you interact see you as a resource. It becomes natural (and comforting) to them to imagine themselves working with people who are helpful and insightful, like you.

Articulating Your Value

Monday, June 22, 2009

On Friday, Dave challenged each of you to figure out the compelling value that your company offers to a prospective employee. If you’re not able to offer something that distinguishes you from your competitors, then being successful at a recruiting process will be difficult.

Over the last several years, we’ve had the occasion to work with a few companies that really struggle with this principle. They want the benefit of bringing in many new recruits, but they don’t want to do the work of making their environment the most attractive option. When companies are operating in such a manner, the “blind spot” that develops is atrocious.

For example, we occasionally hear of hiring managers poking fun at candidates who choose to work at other companies. They’ll say something like:

“I can’t believe that Kristine went to work for XYZ company just because they offer a better marketing system to support their salespeople. I told her that individual effort is what really makes the difference between those who are successful and those who aren’t, but she wouldn’t listen. What an idiot.”

There is an idiot in this story, but it’s not Kristine! Kristine responded in a way that is common for people making important decisions. Assuming other significant factors are somewhat equal, a candidate looks for smaller things to differentiate one option from another.

This is a critical juncture in the fight to win the decision of a candidate. People respond to concise messages that articulate value.

For example, I met with the owner of a real estate office last week whose business model is focused on offering support to full-time agents who are well-established in their careers. On the surface, this business model seems expensive, and the owner has to constantly fight off the marketing messages of other companies who seem to offer similar services at reduced fees.

He’s boiled his marketing message down to something very simple:

“If you’re a full-time agent who is able to consistently execute two or more transactions per month, there is no better place to work in [his State] than this office.”

Of course, he can back up his statement with tangible benefits and results. But, the singular focus (agents who execute two or more transactions) and the sense of being elite (it’s not for everyone) articulate the value that he offers to prospective agents.

What is the differentiating value that you can offer your prospective candidates? Once you figure this out, spend some time boiling the concept down to a single sentence that you can repeat to those around you on a regular basis. By doing this, you’ll internalize this value and be able to naturally communicate it to your candidates.

What’s Your Value?

Friday, June 19, 2009

We are in the midst of preparing a series of articles on how to become a great recruiter. No matter what business you’re in, recruiting should always be a priority if you want to grow your business.

For our clients, recruiting is always considered a top priority. But saying this and actually doing it, are two very different things! Before we go into all the specifics regarding great recruiting, I want to address the fundamental foundation of recruiting. You MUST be able to answer, with certainty and conviction, the following questions:

First, what distinguishing value do you provide, that’s not provided by every other company in your industry? And second, what, specifically, do you have to offer that is unattainable elsewhere?

If you don’t know the answer to these questions, even the most steadfast discipline and best system of recruiting won’t get you where you want to be.

Here’s a personal example:

When I began building a private practice as a Clinical Psychologist in 1987, I had to market my practice. But, the problem was that the Seattle market was saturated with Psychologists. So, I had to ask myself fairly quickly, what set me apart from others? It became very clear to me, early on, that the busiest Psychologists were the ones who had gone beyond the work they had done to receive their Ph.D., and had invested in several years of extended supervision to learn a specialty, or a very specific way of offering great psychotherapy.

So, after some due diligence, I found an orientation of psychotherapy that made a great deal of sense to me. I paid thousands of dollars each year for five additional years (beyond the initial nine years of school) to become proficient at delivering this very intense and disciplined way of helping people heal.

Now of course, all the while, I was marketing myself, by speaking publicly, meeting with physicians, etc… all the normal things you do to get your name out there. However, what caused my practice to reach a state of critical mass, where marketing took care of itself, was offering services that people knew worked for them, services that were above and beyond the standard.

This is what will create the buzz – It’s what caused me to pay top dollar to seek specialized training, and what caused my clients to follow a referral to my door. Oh and by the way, it also happens to be the right thing to do… to offer something of true quality is in everyone’s best interest; In my case, I improved myself by undergoing the intense training, and my clients benefited from my unique set of skills as well.

So, if you want to become an exceptional recruiter, ask yourself: What do you offer that other managers or owners don’t? What value do you add, that’s difficult to find anywhere else?

Hiring Managers who can clearly articulate answers to these questions, and stand behind them, can recruit with confidence…

The Wide Application of Your Talents

Thursday, June 18, 2009

One of our readers recently wrote in with the following question:

“I left a major home building company after 12 years – after starting in an entry level field position, working up to a position managing the contracting for 40 to 70 million dollar projects. I was responsible for scopes of work; contract negotiation and coordination. It was my dream job, but I was unhappy with some ethical issues and left for a new company building low income housing in the inner-city where I was handed more responsibility, control and money. My new company folded four months later and I have floundered ever since. Some days I’m confident and hopeful, and others I wonder if a career change is inevitable and I’m just not seeing the writing on the wall.

To finally get to my question, how, if the change from construction is inevitable, do I market my universal skills and experience (minus a degree) to companies outside my industry. I know I am good and have the skills to transition, anyone I have worked for or with will tell you that. How do I get that across? How do I get the opportunity to prove this?”

Thanks for this great question, as it it cuts to the heart of 21st century hiring.

Allow me to break this down a bit:

First, let’s address the overall philosophy that is inherent in your question. That is, talent is talent…period. We are moving away from 20th century recruiting, where managers made hiring decisions based solely on one’s education, credentials, and match-for-match job descriptions. The smartest employers and most confident, forward-thinking individuals are considering a wider definition of talent application these days.

These companies and individuals are realizing that prior job description isn’t as crucial for predicting great performance as are general core strengths, talents and capacities.

We each have natural capacities to tackle certain tasks. Even though these talents require some development, from the very beginning, they seem natural to us. We all have a knack for certain activities – they give us energy and fulfillment. These talents don’t belong solely to a specific title or position, nor do they belong to a single profession. These core talents can be applied to hundreds of positions.

Here is an example: My brother was once (years ago) an excellent Jr. High School Teacher. He then worked in software account management and development, and eventually for his state government as the go-to guy for pushing through major legislation and integration from their innovative IT department. A few years ago, an international label & packaging company was in need of a Director of Project Development. Instead of searching for someone with that exact job description, they searched for the talents they needed to fit the job they envisioned. They sought someone who had shown a natural pattern of excellence in friendly negotiations among several stake holders, while diplomatically and systematically coordinating the efforts of multiple contributors toward a project completion.

He was hired, despite the fact that he never had the title or job description of Project Director before.

So, I would recommend the individual who asked the question do the following:

Consider your talents carefully, and continue to push forward confidently, knowing that there is a company out there in need of your specific talents. Diligently pursue companies that interest you. Find a position that you’d like to fill, ignore what experience they are asking for, and figure out how your talents can be used to do the job well.

Be persistent in your efforts to get interviewed. Good hiring managers will respond to persistence. Your chance to “prove yourself” will come once you’re on the inside…sitting in the interview chair. During the interview, humbly, subtly and respectfully take charge. Ask how that position contributes to the bottom line and overall company mission. Once you thoroughly understand the core tasks and goals of the job, boil down your talents to brief descriptions and tell them how they can be used to accomplish the overall purpose of the position. Encourage them to contact your references for feedback on how you would meet that challenge.

If they don’t hire you after this, move on. There are plenty of companies looking for this kind of desire to contribute to something great, rather than to just fill a position…

Why Do People Make Career Moves? – Part 2

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Let’s suppose you make contact with a candidate, Brian, who you feel would be a great fit in your organization. More than likely, you will have spent time and resources locating and contacting this person.

After making a connection with Brian over the phone, you convince him that it would be mutually beneficial for you to set up a short, informational interview with the Hiring Manager, Nancy.

You follow up after the interview and discover that the Hiring Manager loved the candidate. A quick call to the candidate reveals a similar feeling:

“This is a great opportunity and I appreciate you setting up the interview with Nancy. We really hit it off, and I can see myself working on her team and thriving under her leadership.”

Like many high-quality candidates, Brian is already immersed in his current job and does not really need to pursue the opportunity immediately. He has a good income, a family to support, and a network of friends and contacts who regularly share new opportunities with him. The next part of the conversation often goes something like this:

“I have a lot to process from what Nancy shared with me. I’m also in the middle of a significant project at work that is going to take a lot of focus over the next couple of weeks. Can you give me a call in a few weeks, after I’m done with the project?”

Now, what happens if you call Brian in a couple of weeks and ask him if he wants to work at your company, and he says he’s not ready to make a decision? Many recruiters communicate a message something like this:

“Brian, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to learn about the opportunity in Nancy’s group. You have Nancy’s contact information. If you decide that you want to move forward with the opportunity in the future, just give Nancy a call.”

Of course, you never hear from Brian again. Nancy never hears from Brian again. Both of you have moved on to the next candidate, starting back at the beginning of the process. If you’re like many recruiters, you rationalize this course of action by telling yourself that if Brian were really a good candidate, he’d chase you or Nancy down and show initiative on his own.

This thought process is not reality. It is your bruised ego telling you to justify an emotional decision. “You’ll teach that candidate for blowing you off!”

The reality is you’ve wasted the sourcing time and resources it took to originally make contact with Brian. You’ve also wasted the time that both you and Nancy spent teaching Brian about the benefits of working in your organization. This type of waste makes the recruiting process inefficient and frustrating for you, the managers you recruit for, and your candidates.

How can this be remedied? Here are some thoughts:

Stop insisting that your company’s timing takes precedence over the candidate’s timing. The best candidates have lots of opportunities and make career moves according to their schedule. You need them, they don’t necessarily need you – At least not today.
Stop playing a numbers game you can’t win. On occasion, you will happen upon a high quality candidate whose life circumstances have caused him/her to make a job change in perfect sequence with your company’s need to fill a position. But as you well know, this doesn’t happen very often. The candidates who immediately jump at your opportunities are often misfits, losers, and desperados you don’t really want anyway.
Approach your candidates with humility and empathy rather than arrogance. The high quality candidates that you want to attract to your organization have lives. They are going to respond to thoughtful and empathetic dialog much better than to someone implying they’re an idiot for not jumping on the opportunity that is in front of them today.

If you want to recruit the Brians out there, don’t give up so easily. Follow the advice above and be diligent in your follow-up. When these candidates are ready to make a change, you will be there to guide and entice them to consider joining your team.

Why Do People Make Career Moves?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The quick answer to this question? …Because they have to make a change.

About a month ago, I wrote an article highlighting Po Bronson’s book, What Should I Do With My Life? Bronson later published a follow-up article in Fast Company Magazine highlighting the most common misconceptions regarding finding meaning in one’s work.

The misconception that I’d like to discuss today is:

“People are the architects of their own change.”

Bronson notices:

“Extremely few people quit because of career ennui. Rather most are pushed into change: they’re laid off or can’t make ends meet or have at-home family demands or find their new, postmerger boss to be an absolute jerk. They are not naive idealists.”

If you are a Hiring Manager or are responsible for recruiting in your company, this should be a principle you should consider nearly every day. From a recruiter’s perspective, timing is everything. Being in the right place (in the back of the candidate’s mind) at the right time (when the candidate is being forced to make a change), has a lot to do with your success.

This is one of the most important differentiators in separating successful recruiters from those who struggle. It only makes sense that if these right place / right time interactions are left to chance, they are not going to happen very often.

Successful recruiters do the hard (and often boring) work of maintaining a presence in the back of the most desirable candidates’ minds. This work takes creativity, persistence, and an understanding of human nature. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the principles that help recruiters find success in this endeavor.