Words Recruiters Love to Hear

" I GOT THE JOB!”

…OK, well, that goes without saying.

Here are some more:

From the Client (Company):

• “I need to make X amount of hires within  X amount of months” – Rolling out a long-term relationship and recruiting project over multiple hires on an aggressive timeline dials in a recruiter motivated to impact and impress a client in a big way.
• “I’d like to give you an exclusive on this search” – Too many companies saturate the market with postings, emails and inboxes. Firing up recruiter after recruiter on a contingent basis to bombard all the same candidates at the same time only lessens the appeal of their opportunity. Bringing on one strong niched firm from the beginning can make all the difference.
• “Let’s discuss the benefits of a retainer” – A retainer not only demonstrates seriousness to a recruiter but also affords them more time, resources and frankly priority in a world of contingent search work. A misconception is that retainers are only used for high-level searches. Employers will find that putting skin in the game upfront can aid in reducing any long-term fee expenditures.

From the Candidate:

• “I have made a concrete decision to leave” – Some candidates are hesitant to speak poorly of their current situation or company. This is the right way to go on an interview, but not when speaking with your recruiter. We need to know exactly what is going on at your current job.
• “I REALLY want this job” – Being straight up with your recruiter and avoiding any game playing is always the best strategy when attempting to win a job. We want the best for you, but will be able to sense if you don’t really want the job.
• “My current company can do nothing to keep me here” – Counteroffers are often given in a good market- as sometimes it’s less expensive to keep a (good) employee over the long run than replacing them. As a candidate, you have to ask yourself if your reason for leaving can be solved easily by your company when you attempt to resign. If it is, then you may want to address your pain points with your currently company before going too far down the road with another. But if your current company is unable to turn your frown upside down, then it’s time to get really serious about your job search.

I’m also, full disclosure, totally okay with the words, “you’re my favorite recruiter!” Just saying.