Now that we’ve finished debunking the seven “Recruiting Myths,” we’re going to go down a different path. This one deals with “‘Dirty Little Secrets’ About Headhunters.”
And what follows is the first one:
Recruiters want long-term repeat business because they generally hate making cold calls to companies.
Cold calling prospective clients is a boring task that has a high rejection rate. Recruiters refer to these calls in flattering ways such as “Dialing for Dollars,” “Smiling and Dialing,” and “Do You Wanna Buy a Chicken?”
Conversely, developing a working relationship with a satisfied client is rewarding. Filling the second search for a company is normally easier than the first because the recruiter understands the client’s selection process and corporate culture. Filling the 10th is easier yet and is even more rewarding.
I once again have a case study that illustrates this “dirty little secret” and how you can benefit from it.
Earlier this year, I was visiting a client who was having difficulty recruiting and retaining successful sales people in a division. Since I’ve recruited for this client for nearly 10 years, I’d worked with the three sales managers who led this team during those years, and I’d worked with both the current and previous sales directors, I stepped in.
By sharing with the current leadership the challenges and mistakes that their predecessors had made, we were able to create a plan for success.
(For more information about maximizing the benefits of working with a recruiter, download a copy of Dan Simmons’s e-Book, Hunting the Headhunter: Your Guide to Debunking Myths, Cutting Costs, and Changing the Way You Play the Recruitment Game.)
