Recruiting

Why I DON'T Hate Cold Calling

My role as BD Consultant at Hobson Associates is to form relationships with new companies as well as renew ties with past clients who have benefitted from our recruiting services. I’ve made hundreds and hundreds of cold phone calls, and I’m still astonished that the individuals I call are extremely eager to hear about how Hobson Associates and I can be a resource to them. And I can also truthfully say that so far only two people have abruptly hung up on me! [That’s OK, when that happens, I go ahead and call their competitors…they usually DON’T hang up!]

Know what else? I must admit that I love cold calling. It is truly a science of its own. There are so many variables to earning a firm’s business, and no mathematical equation can equate a new client. To every problem, there is a solution. During my time at Hobson so far, my takeaways for successful cold-calling are simple:

Why Companies Make Bad Hires

Hiring the right team is one of the most important decisions you can make. Check out what the folks at Fast Company had to say about it:

There are a lot of strategies around how to hire the right people, yet, despite best practices and concerted efforts, as many as 95% of companies admit to recruiting the wrong people each year, according to research commissioned by Glassdoor from management consultancy the Brandon Hall Group. What’s more, over a third of organizations reported being unaware of how costly that mistake can be.

Tell Me a Good Story…

We are in a marketplace that is dominated by candidates having so many options on where to work. Websites and job boards are constantly updated with new positions, endless InMails and voicemails are sent from recruiters about the latest and greatest opportunities… So, as an executive recruiter, the question for me is no longer “How do I find more jobs to fill?” but “How can I turn people’s heads to differentiate myself/the company I’m recruiting for from all the noise?”

A great way for companies to separate themselves and their value prop is by putting together a compelling story. According to neuroscience marketers, compelling stories with an emotional trigger alter our brain chemistry, making us more trusting and open to ideas. People are not only hardwired to love stories, but they innately want to follow what is brilliant and new – whatever STANDS out!

Check out the following tips to improve your own organization’s storytelling strategy:

Interrupt to Disrupt!

Search projects are a lot of work in a market where human capital (candidates) are harder and harder to find and attract. As a Life Sciences recruiter, I am literally making phone calls all day, every day… My opening line is usually “Am I catching you at the right time? Am I interrupting you?” 90% of the time people stop what they are doing, and give me 5 minutes of their time, which turns into a 30 minute conversation, followed by a scheduled follow up call--all because they want to continue the conversation and learn more.

Headhunting is an art form-a practice of concentration, research, process, and communicating my reason as to why I'm disrupting someone’s day. Should I apologize in advance for 'interrupting' your day in order to help ‘disrupt’ your career and improve your life? I don’t think so! ...Here's why:

Can We Predict the Future of Recruiting?

What’s next for recruiting?  If you were to ask any business what their top challenges are for the future, odds are high that retaining talent and recruiting are on the list. Smart companies know that they are only as good as their best employees, and make it a priority to seek out solutions to find the ‘best of the best’.

Another thing these companies know is that technology will continue to evolve and play an increasingly important role in how they recruit talent. Below are some important changes to business operations I predict are on the horizon:

How to Clean up Your Company's Hiring Process

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Americans spend an average of 70 hours cleaning their homes each year. What about your company’s talent acquisition process? Here are some ‘spring cleaning’ tips to help you find, hire and keep the best new employees:

What Top Talent Looks for in a Company

It’s a candidate-driven job market… Top talent is tougher to find these days, as candidates have more options than ever, including: receiving multiple job offers, counter-offers, sign-on bonuses, stock options, and more... To attract and retain this coveted talent pool, we recruiters must educate our clients on what will make A-level candidates turn their heads.

No “BIAS” About It

Last week I fired a long-time client. Hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past several years were earned working with this person, and nothing to indicate that was going to change – until I learned that he was a racist.

I’m honored to have “CPC” at the end of my name. And as a Certified Personnel Consultant, I’m also proud to be an EEOC supporter:

Fantasy Football & Hiring- What Type of “Player” Are YOU?

According to Chicago-based employment research firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Fantasy Football will cost US employers $17 Billion in lost productivity. So naturally, I started the first ever Hobson Fantasy Football league this year!…

…Last week 8 of us sat in the 'War Room' (our recently renovated Conference Room) agonizing over each pick we’d all spent hours (after 5PM of course) studying trends, and relying on ESPN Senior Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry’s hot takes and advice!

Sales Hiring – Do You “Get It”?

Think back to when you first got into sales. Now compare that to when you started achieving a respectable amount of success, the kind you could write home about. See a difference? ... Now that you’re a sales manager or executive in charge of hiring and coaching new sales people, the ability to recognize what makes a great sales talent is CRITICAL to your success.