Effective Recruiter Outreach: Mastering , InMail, and Voic to Build and Maintain Candidate Relationships

Transcription

1 : Mastering , InMail, and Voic to Build and Maintain Candidate Relationships

2 Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Phone Call 4 Best Practices 11 LinkedIn InMails 14 Social Media Outreach 16 Conclusion 16 2

3 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. 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. 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. 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. 3

4 Part 1: The Phone Call 4

5 The Phone Call 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. Jack, this is calling. I m a Recruiter for. I understand you are the for. I assume you re not currently looking for a new job, but I assume you re open to developing professional relationships in the event things ever change. I d like to get to know you better. Let s chat about what you ve accomplished and what challenges are next for you! 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 M 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 1. This is a great/perfect opportunity 2. Please call/ when you can 3. Call me at your convenience 4. If you or someone you know would be interested 5

6 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. 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 your career. Let s chat when you have a second. Avoid I need or I want in messages. Focus on what THEY need and want. 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. 37% of employees think about quitting their job regularly 43% of generation X thinks perpetually about resigning -Kelly Global Workforce Index This means more than ever, every candidate is worth a conversation! 6

7 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 enough 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. Listen You ll be shocked at how much insight you ll gain by actually listening to the candidate once they call back instead of waiting for your turn to speak. Take the time to sincerely listen and develop questions based on what the candidate says. 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. 7

8 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. Jane, this is. I m a Recruiter for and I make it a point to get to know those not actively looking for a new job. I assume you fit right into this category, so I m really just reaching out to get to know you better in the event you decide to take the next steps in your career. I m in the office tomorrow from to. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow. 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. I ve been out of the office and may have missed your call. I ll be in until and look forward to talking with you! Additional Sample Scripts 1. Jack, this is calling. I manage the staffing function at. I m calling to introduce myself, but more importantly, to find out about you, your goals, and the next steps in your career if there is a next step. 8

9 Additional Sample Scripts 2. Jack, this is - I m the Talent Acquisition Manager for. I am reaching out to teachers in the Atlanta area to better understand the market and what would be the ideal next steps in your career. 3. Jane, calling. I manage the staffing function at. I understand that you are an early education teacher and I m calling to introduce myself, but more importantly, to find out about you, your goals, and the next steps in your career if there are next steps. I am available today from to and tomorrow from until. I look forward to speaking with you today. 4. Jane, this is. I m the Talent Acquisition Manager for and I make it a point to get try and get to know all of the teachers in the Atlanta market whether or not they are looking for the next steps in their career. I assume you fit right into this category so I am really just reaching out to get to know you better in the event you decide to make your next move. Listen, I am in the office tomorrow from until. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow. 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. Utilize Needs Analysis with Passive Candidates 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? 9

10 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. 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). 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. 10

11 Part 2: Best Practices 11

12 Best Practices Before we dive into what to do when ing candidates and what to avoid, it is imperative to understand the purpose of electronic communication. The three main focuses of are avoiding spam blockers, creating compelling subject lines, and having a concise message. Consider these best practices the next time you correspond with a candidate through . Subject Line Mistakes The key to a compelling subject line is to tell, not sell. Subject lines should be viewed similar to news headlines: they tell the beginning of the story. The subject line does not need to be a complete sentence. The most effective subject line styles establish curiosity, ask what s in it for me?, make an announcement, and are direct. Subject lines should be compelling and establish curiosity. Subject lines that involve a news angle make an announcement and are direct, establishing curiosity and making the reader more likely to click. Centering the content on newsworthy material can be an entrance point to catch the candidate s attention. HELLO 12

13 (Company) Named to Fortune List of Best Companies to Work For Avoiding Spam Blockers In order to avoid spam blockers, steer clear of using all capital letters. Spam filters consider capital letters suspicious. Simplify any HTML in your . Too much HTML (graphics/pictures) can flag s. Stick to simple markups, such as basic colors. Avoid thick borders, fancy templates, and lots of links. Also avoid suspicious phrases. And last, keep it concise. Top suspicious phrases to avoid in Free Urgent Opportunity Profits Money Amazing Guaranteed Unlimited Career Job 13

14 Signature Best Practices With signatures, it s important to remember that the longer the signature, the less likely it is to go into the SPAM folder. Signatures that include a first and last name, title, company name and URL, phone number and logo help ensure that the message is received and also help the recruiter gain credibility when reaching out via . LinkedIn: InMails Although it can be a wonderful tool for building relationships, LinkedIn has been abused by many a recruiter. The initial purpose of LinkedIn was to open us up to two-way relationships, not a one way database, but it s become flooded with pushy recruiters and much of it is now an overfished-pond. 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. 14

15 LinkedIn: InMails When utilizing LinkedIn for outreach, it is important to stand out from other recruiters who are sending long, salesy, unprofessional messages to candidates. First, let s look at a real example of what not to do (at right). This recruiter s message is too long, too chunky, and likely to overwhelm the candidate. The message is pitchy and salesy and puts immense pressure on the candidate to respond. Now let s look at a good example of a recruiter InMail (below). This recruiter is not pitchy or salesy and is asking directly to have a conversation about the candidate s next career moves. She asks about the candidate s next steps without overtly pushing the current job opening, opening the door for a professional relationship and networking. The message is concise and to the point. Utilizing this type of outreach increases your odds of getting a response from the candidate. 15

16 Electronic Outreach through other Social Channels 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 nonprofessional medium. If you Facebook message, make sure it s completely professional yet personal. Don t simply copy and paste or mass message candidates. Take the time to make your message sincere. Conclusion Today s top talent has their choice of where to work more than ever before. In a candidatedriven market, it s up to the recruiter to ensure that effective outreach methods are utilized in order to cultivate professional relationships, network, and uncover the top talent your client deserves. There are a variety of methods for reaching out to a candidate, but remember that genuine relationship building goes a long way. Lack of communication from recruiters is one of the biggest complaints of today s candidates and can be easily avoided by taking these small communication steps. For more information, visit 16