I?m helping someone hire a contract recruiter in the communications technology field and I was asked what they should look for in a great recruiter. Here is my response. If you believe that there is a war for talent it’s only logical that you would hire someone with a “warrior? mentality to be your recruiter. There are many types of recruiters in the world and they all have their place. My preference is to hire “aggressive” recruiters. I call them warrior recruiters (others call them “headhunter” types). They see recruiting in a different light than most other recruiters and HR types. They have a different skill set, attitude and approach. If you happen to be the market for a warrior, here some things you might look for. EXPERIENCE They have:
- experience working at an executive search firm
- worked in a ?fee-for-service? environment
- previous “outside” sales experience
- cold calling experience
- market research (focus groups, surveys and interview) experience
- a 90+% candidate closing rate
- customer service experience
- been a recruiter for at least one year
- experience in trading and brokering deals
- often successfully competed in competitive sports or activities
- often been members of Toastmasters or have taken “Dale Carnegie type” classes
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE They have:
- extensive knowledge and interest in sales and marketing tools and strategies
- in depth knowledge of labor markets, unemployment rates, recent and pending layoffs
- information about why people begin in a job search, leave a job and accept an offer
- extensive knowledge of their firm’s (and the competitors) products and customers as well as their strengths and weaknesses
- technical and industry knowledge beyond other HR professionals
- a comprehensive list of successful candidate “finding, assessment and convincing” tools. They know ?why? each works and fails
- knowledge of which firms train and develop the best talent as well as those firms that are weak at developing and keeping people
- the ability to remember names and faces and people remember them
- an extensive list of friends and contacts at all major firms in the area
- knowledge of ethical standards and employment laws
ATTITUDE They:
- hate to lose/ fail and take each failure personally. They remember even minor failures
- do the “hard stuff” first
- love competition and beating the “other” guy
- are aggressive, outgoing and have a high sense of urgency
- compete against themselves and are dissatisfied unless they are continually improving
- love metrics and pay for performance
- hate process, paperwork, bureaucracy and too many approvals
- work hard 24/7 but they always find time to play hard also
- see every person they meet as a ” someday” hire
- ?under promise and over deliver?
- would rather ask forgiveness than permission
- are a “find a way” person with few excuses
- would refer their best friend or their worst enemy for the appropriate job
- are an optimist and they don’t take “no” for an answer (especially to the question… I’m not looking for a job?)
- respond favorably to an opportunity to prove their skill and abilities in order to get a job/ opportunity
- often get frustrated by the ?process mentality? and lack of ?courage? that is often exhibited by most ?overhead? function professionals
- expect to be given difficult assignments with little preparation
- love challenge, growth, risk and learning
- never hesitate when asked to ” raid” another firm for talent
BEHAVIORS They:
- will call candidates at home after nine clock and not feel guilty
- talk to people everywhere especially on airplanes, on rental car shuttles and at professional events
- return all phone calls and emails within 24 hours
- know the answer to most business questions and if not, they know someone who does
- are constantly on the phone especially between 5 and 7 p.m.
- are on the Web at least three hours a day
- are constantly in contact with friends and acquaintances
- are members and actively participate in recruiting listservers and chat rooms
- subscribe to the electronic recruiting daily
- constantly anticipate and forecast the future
- are confident and aggressive during interviews and meetings. They love public speaking
- are members of professional HR organizations (SHRM, EMA etc.), leagues and clubs
- get over 50 emails and 15 phone calls a day
- own a cellphone, a beeper, a laptop and a PDA
- talk to all new hires and rejects to assess customer service and what worked
- often attends social/ civic events and is well-known in the community
Remember – “a recruiter is just a salesperson with a crummy budget” If you are a conservative type and are having a ?cow? over this concept/ list or if you don?t believe there is a war for talent, at the very least be prepared. For if you are in direct competition with a warrior recruiter? now you know what the competition looks like! Either eat lunch or be lunch.