Many recruiters today avoid basic relationship steps because they don t have time to build personal and emotional connections with their candidates.

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2 IN THIS WHITEPAPER Research consistently shows that emotional connections are central to what makes people want to share stories, engage in conversation, and create a lasting impression. The Mehrabian Formula, an age-old paralinguistic methodology, points out that nearly half of a message from person to person is in the way the words are said, not just what they said. True communication goes beyond the spoken word and involves emotion, sensitivity, and engagement. In a recent Pew Research Study, 13% of American adults admitted to texting or playing games on their phone to prevent interacting and engagement in social situations. Instead of trying to employ meaningful conversation, many professionals have taken to passive tendencies of hiding and avoidance. Emotional connections with candidates are critical to creating high satisfaction and engagement rates and should be critical for every recruiter. In today s recruiting circles, the focus has too often become how to automate this connection through avoidance and passive tactics, causing recruiters to remove themselves from the process more and more. Many recruiters today avoid basic relationship steps because they don t have time to build personal and emotional connections with their candidates. In a tech-heavy world, it s become far too easy to forget about building sincere relationships. These seemingly simple concepts have gotten lost in translation. Getting back to the basics of maintaining contact with a candidate and engaging in genuine conversation can be extremely beneficial in an era where nearly everyone has forgotten how. This whitepaper will discuss the various ways in which a Recruiter and Hiring Manager can work together to best make contact with a candidate, and how to maintain that contact while remaining genuine, engaged, and interested. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 2

3 FIRST STEPS: SET AN INTRODUCTORY GOAL Each and every candidate conversation is an opportunity for pipeline creation and an entryway for future opportunities, referrals, and positive brand building for yourself and your organization. The initial step is to view the conversation less as making a deal and more as making a new friend and developing a relationship. People appreciate a genuine attitude and tone, and will be able to better interpret your true intent if you feel strongly about relationship development. Look at the conversation as making a new friend rather than making a sales pitch. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 3

4 USING MESSAGE STRUCTURES THAT WORK Yes, the focus is to get the candidate to work with you, but you still must be selfless. Keep in mind that it s not actually about you, it s about the candidate. Don t overwhelm them with a lengthy pitch; keep it succinct and to the point. Instead of putting pressure on them, be conversational and allow them to realize you don t have a hidden agenda. Evaluate your message. Does it really sound that different than every other recruiter? Why would the potential candidate call you back and not the other recruiters who call them? PHRASES TO AVOID This is a great/perfect opportunity Please call/ when you can Call me at your convenience If you or someone you know would be interested Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 4

5 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Master the art of messaging by leaving yourself messages for practice. Ask yourself: Would YOU call or yourself back? Would you really? If the answer is no, practice, practice, practice. Avoid I need or I want in messages. Focus on what THEY need and want. Jack, this is calling over at. Let me tell you right out of the gate that I know you re not actively looking for a new job. If you were, you d be the one calling me! But it always makes sense to talk to anyone who is a successful in order to learn what types of challenges would accelerate you career. Let s chat when you have a second. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 5

6 PRESENT WITH CONFIDENCE Confidence is everything in a message and one of the easiest red flags for a candidate to sense. Once you understand the candidate s real drivers, you can present the right opportunity for the right reasons. Ask What are the next steps in your career? to gain insight into the candidate s future plans and whether the opportunity would be a good match. Show genuine interest in their plans for the future, whether these plans are set in stone or entirely uncertain. Even the most passive candidates are worth pursuing. Studies show that more and more, the line between active candidates and passive candidates is blurring. This means more than ever, every candidate is worth a conversation! Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 6

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8 KNOW YOUR STUFF We ve all been there: the dreaded In-the-Dark position to fill in which the recruiter doesn t know enough about the industry, the company or the position to accurately pitch it to a candidate. Each and every time, Do Your Homework! Research the company, the position, and the role. Ask as many questions as you can to the Hiring Manager or Human Resources professional you are working with in order to fully comprehend the situation. This will be extremely valuable when it comes time to make and maintain contact with the candidate. The candidate will easily be able to sense when a Recruiter is not up to speed on the job. If you don t know much about it, why would they want to? Avoid slipups and awkward conversation by reading up first. No one wants to hear a recruiter stammer because of lack of details. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 8

9 LISTEN You ll be shocked at how much insight you ll gain by actually listening to the candidate instead of waiting for your turn to speak. Take the time to sincerely listen and develop questions based on what the candidate says. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 9

10 USE SOCIAL MEDIA WISELY Social media in recruiting isn t going anywhere, but it s still crucial to understand how to leverage it. According to a recent Bullhorn social recruiting activity report, a staggering 97% of recruiters say they are utilizing LinkedIn to reach out to candidates. This is up from 94% in According to the survey: 97% of Recruiters use LinkedIn to Recruit 51% use Facebook 45.8% use Twitter 19% use Google+ 3.6% use Pinterest What does this mean for you? It s more crucial now than ever to stand out from the crowd. If you re sourcing through Twitter, be conversational and genuine and engage in genuine discussion with candidates before diving into job specs. If you re using Facebook, be extremely wary of the legitimacy of candidates on a non-professional medium. If you , make sure it s completely personal. Don t simply copy and paste or mass candidates. Take the time to make your message personal and sincere. When it comes to LinkedIn, it s especially important to make your voice heard and not get lost in the shuffle. Announce yourself professionally in InMails while strongly acknowledging your desire to have a conversation, and not necessarily automatically recruit someone. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 10

11 FOLLOWING UP It s important to understand the difference between planting the seed and being a pest. Be persistent, but put in place a system for following up with a candidate. One tactic is to acknowledge that everyone is busy and that you realize they are likely swamped, but that developing mutually beneficial business relationships is helpful for career growth no matter where the candidate is on their journey. Allow them to understand you are there to help them take steps in the right direction professionally. Be assertive with Call me tomorrow instead of Please call me if you are able. This puts them in control but still allows you to be firm. If you are still having trouble hearing back from them, approach it from a different angle. If they do not reply to the first few voic s, do not grow frustrated but instead revisit the situation with a different tactic. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 11

12 ACKNOWLEDGING COMMON OBJECTIONS Don t Bother Me Objections are incredibly common. Some of the most frequently heard objections include I m not looking, I m happy with my current job, or I ve been here for years. Prepare ahead of time for these types of objections with the appropriate response. Let the candidate know, for instance, that you re glad to hear they re not looking, because loyalty speaks volumes. Being happy in your current role is an ample time to consider other options, because there is little to no pressure to make a quick decision. The candidate is able to review their current situation at their leisure. Explain to the candidate what it means to build a relationship with someone who isn t searching for a job. To warm them up to the idea of engaging in a career conversation, ask them what it is about their role or company that keeps them happy and engaged. Ease into the conversation in a way that lets the candidate know you re simply looking to get to know one another. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 12

13 THE 10 OUT OF 10 RULE Another tactic is to encourage the candidate to truly assess what would make them completely, 100% happy in their professional life. One way of doing this is to conversationally suggest that no one is ever truly a 10 out of 10 in career happiness. Ask them what changes would need to take place in order to become a 10 out of 10. Once they arrive at a number on the happiness scale, ask what keeps them at this number (points of pleasure) vs. what would make them entirely happy (points of pain). Utilize Needs Analysis with Passive Candidates P P P P What is Your Dream Job? What would make your current job perfect? What is the next step with your current employer? My guess is you have an awesome boss. What makes them so great to work for? Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 13

14 REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE Remember that throughout the process, the candidate is also interviewing you. Both of you are on the spot and it s equally important to maintain a professional and knowledgeable demeanor each and every time. Be open about who you are and what your role is. Give an overview of your background. The candidate deserves to know about you just as much as you deserve to know about them. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 14

15 About Qualigence Qualigence International is the largest Recruitment Research and professional search firm in the United States, and proudly serves as a unique alternative to traditional retained or contingent recruiting models. Making Contact: The Do s and Don ts of Candidate Conversation 15