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July 11, 2020

5 sales tips for creating a unique recruitment strategy

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Candidates drive today’s job market to new levels. Top candidates often have multiple options and won’t settle for second best.

As a recruiter, you know what differentiates your company from others competing for the same talent. Your job is to convince candidates to give you serious consideration.

If this sounds like sales, you are correct. You are selling your business as a desirable career opportunity, and candidates are selling themselves as the right fit for the job.

A dynamic job market can mean inconsistent results if your strategy isn’t top-notch. You might have one strong month followed by weeks where open positions languish. You can’t control all the variables, but you can prime your process to improve outcomes.

Successful recruiters leverage a sales strategy to drive performance. A sales strategy is a scalable, repeatable process that optimizes your recruiting cycle to maximize success. Benefits include:
▪️repeatable results
▪️consistent execution
▪️scalable growth
▪️actionable metrics

Recruiting is about building relationships for mutual benefit: the candidate wants the right job, and you want the right candidate.

Start with these five sales tips for creating winning relationships:

Research your candidates

Once you have your candidate pool, tailor your questions to each interviewee. Research each person to learn what differentiates them from the others.
If a candidate isn’t interested in your current position, build a relationship for the long term.
▪️Target interview questions to the candidate’s unique background. You will learn more about what they offer, and they will better understand your opportunity.
▪️Discuss other possibilities within the company. You want the candidate to think of you for future opportunities.
▪️Set the stage for referrals. Each interviewee has a network. If you treat your candidates as individuals, they will feel more confident recommending you to peers.

Tailor your communications to the candidate

Most candidates can detect canned rhetoric and are looking for authenticity in their job search interactions. You can deliver by describing the opportunity genuinely and in detail. What is the company culture like? How would you characterize the department and management style?

For example, your firm may need project managers in four different technology groups, each having its own culture. Top candidates may prefer some work styles over others, even though the job description is the same. Help interviewees navigate these options to everyone’s benefit.
▪️Do not use scripts in phone calls, meetings, or follow-up emails.
▪️Pretend you are a job candidate. Why would you choose your company? Write down three legitimate reasons to potentially share with interviewees.
▪️Listen to your prospects. Give each person your focused attention.
▪️Notice what they don’t say. A passive prospect sounds lukewarm but doesn’t mention being happy at work. There’s your opportunity.

Build rapport

It’s challenging to appraise candidates when they say what they think you want to hear. While this scenario is common, it doesn’t help you or the interviewee find the right fit. Your task is to build rapport so that they relax and speak more sincerely.
▪️Smile while calling a candidate. Your voice will convey warmth.
▪️Have a conversation. Many interviews are like a ping pong game of curated questions and stilted answers. While still guiding the interview, encourage the candidate to ask questions and expand on answers. Share job and corporate culture details in a forthright manner.
▪️Ask behavioral questions. Behavioral interviewing helps you learn more about the candidate’s experience. A typical question is, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate client.”
▪️Keep your promises. If you pledge to follow up on interview results, do so even if it’s disappointing news. Candidates will remember that you kept your word and treated them as though they mattered.

Learn what the candidate wants

Nothing pleases candidates more than believing you understand their priorities. Applicants for the same position may have different values and preferences. For example, one candidate may prioritize a sense of workplace mission while another focuses on the benefits package.

Company culture also matters. Does your candidate want a flexible schedule, college tuition reimbursement, or on-site childcare? Avoid giving a rehearsed benefits speech to all interviewees.
If you did your research, then prioritize information for each person.
▪️Prepare a one-page benefits handout that interviewees can take with them.
▪️Ask questions to learn what candidates want.
▪️Listen to what interviewees valued in previous positions and why they left.

Use a CRM to manage relationships

A customer relationship management application, or CRM, is a potent sales tool for recruiters. It centralizes your candidate information, automates routine tasks, and can be customized to your business’ needs.
A good CRM:
▪️frees you up from administrative tasks to focus on active recruiting.
▪️builds prospect and candidate profiles so you can customize outreach throughout the recruiting cycle.
▪️tracks contacts and outcomes, so you always know where you stand with each candidate.
supports standardization of company HR processes and procedures.

Use a sales strategy to recruit top talent

If relationships drive recruiting, then the right sales strategy closes the contract. There are many effective sales strategies that you can adapt to your recruiting strategy. The best options are those that fit your company, market, and business goals.

You wouldn’t approach every client in the same manner, so it makes little sense to approach your candidates that way. You are hiring an individual with a unique set of talents, values, and priorities.

Playing to their unique needs might help you seal the deal.

Ask yourself whether you are consistently achieving great results. To supercharge your performance, you first need to benchmark where you are. Then, adopting the right sales strategy will help you achieve outstanding recruiting results for your firm and candidates.

— Lisa Michaels is a freelance writer, editor and a thriving content marketing consultant from Portland. Being self-employed, she does her best to stay on top of the current trends in business and tech. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter.

• Posted 7.11.20 at 04:59 am by Roy Osing
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