Greta The Gatekeeper
It's You and the Gatekeeper and the Battle of Wit
"Because that is my job. And more often than not, when someone cold calls with a name they have found off the internet, it ends up not being the right person to talk to - people leave, people retire, people change positions, etc. Finding out what it is regarding helps me to direct you to the right person. So if I asked you that, how would you respond? I've actually had people scream at me that it's none of my business...do you think they were successful in reaching anyone?" ~ KA, Gatekeeper
One of the things people fear most in cold calling is the dreaded “Gatekeeper.”
In my telephone training the first obstacle I usually face with students is their fear of the telephone and it usually starts with this first encounter they have when they make a call.
I try to remove this trepidation people have about making telephone calls by helping them understand the psyche of a Gatekeeper.
A Gatekeeper can be anyone inside any company you’re calling.
It can be the receptionist at the front desk; the accountant in the finance department who the lunchtime calls get forwarded to – the mail room clerk, the security guard, the CEO himself; heck, the “gatekeeper” can even be the janitor who might take it upon himself to pick up the phone in the evening!
It doesn’t matter who the “gatekeeper’ is – consider anyone who picks up the phone when you call to be this person but bear in mind the “gatekeeper is hard (and soft) wired the same as you and I are.
She (or he) is built of blood, sinew and bone and sleeps eight hours a night and eats three meals a day and takes bathroom and other breaks throughout a work day and if you want to work with a gatekeeper you have to understand a gatekeeper and in this article I hope to help you do this a little bit with the help of a real live flesh-and-blood gatekeeper!
A couple years back I had the privilege of interviewing one such creature in an online forum I moderate; the forum is still in existence and if you’d like to join you’re welcome – it’s located at www.magicmethod.ning.com and joining is free to all. There’s a lot of information at the site about phone sourcing if you’re interested in the arcane subject.
Following is the Interview With A Gatekeeper. I hope you enjoy it. It’ll give you a lot of insight into how a Gatekeeper thinks and how sourcers and recruiters think about Gatekeepers.
You’ll notice a third voice in the interview. His name is The Recruiting Animal and he’s a character – you’ll be able to tell by his questions. He hosts a weekly noon (ET) radio show on recruiting – The Recruiting Animal Show and if you’d like to tune in to it – it happens every Wednesday at noon ET and it’s a pretty wild ride on some weeks. Call 646 652 2754 to listen in. He’s always looking for interesting guests so if you think you could be one of them (who would be of interest to a wide recruiting-sourcing audience) contact him at recruitinganimal at gmail.com
Gatekeeper Thanks for having me! Looking forward to the questions :)
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Can you tell us a little about your experience?
Gatekeeper Sure thing. I currently work for a recruiting solutions firm in Toronto, and before that as a proposal writer for an IT staffing firm. But before that, I held a series of roles as a receptionist, front desk clerk, and switchboard operator. The busiest was when it came to dealing with recruiters by phone was as a receptionist for a bioinformatics company - lots of niche skillsets, there!
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Could you tell when a recruiter or a sourcer was calling?
Gatekeeper It's hard to know the ones I didn't catch -- but often I had a pretty good sense.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 How? Were you too busy to recognize the same voice calling, or could you recognize those? Did they make you suspicious?
Gatekeeper It was great when in a smaller startup environment -- sometimes the person the recruiter connected with would report back. "Let one through!"
I did get to recognize the same voices, yes -- but that didn't make me think "headhunter" right off.
Lots of people call the office over and over again (though usually not as often in a 1 hour period)
Top way to know a recruiter: obvious questions.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 For instance?
Gatekeeper It's important to know that I was told very clearly that I could not provide information. I could only confirm or deny information that the caller already had. A giveaway example would be questions like, "Can you tell me who is the lead software engineer?"
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 LOL! Yes, obvious. Would they say anything else before they asked you that?
Gatekeeper Any obvious questions like that were really easy to shut down. The answer is a sweet, "No, I'm sorry, I can't provide that info."
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 How long did you work answering the phone?
Gatekeeper Over/about 5 years.
Recruiting Animal Are you smarter than the average receptionist or about the same?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What if I asked you who works with Joe, because I can't get hold of Joe?
Gatekeeper It depends. If I can see Joe across the office, it's clearly nonsense. Often they'd say hello. Some tried an intro pitch.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 So if I called and asked you, “Bob is your IT Manager correct?” Would you confirm that?”
Gatekeeper Yes, I could have done that.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 If I was incorrect, might you tell me his correct title?
Gatekeeper I might be able to tell you a correct title - but if you'd set "alarm bells" off at the beginning of your call, I'd be more likely to shut you down or redirect you.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Could you recognize a lie?
Recruiting Animal How high an IQ does the average receptionist have?
Gatekeeper Depends Animal - probably similar to the average recruiter. <g>
Recruiting Animal Really - are you smarter or average?
Gatekeeper Oh, I'm amazing. Your mileage may vary.
Recruiting Animal Vague reply. I'm serious. Are you the kind of person we should expect to encounter or are you especially tough to deal with? For all I know you might be the Einstein of reception people.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer TechTrak 513 646 7306 What did intro pitches do for you? If someone talked a lot what did that inference (usually)? What sets off alarms for you?
Gatekeeper Maureen - talking a lot actually made me wary. Most callers have no interest in having a conversation with the receptionist - they have business to conduct and want to get on with it.
Recruiting Animal So don't talk too much. Talk makes the receptionist suspicious.
Gatekeeper So alarm bells would go off if:
Someone wanted to know my name, and then used it often (sales people also do that, fyi)
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 If I said to you, "Hello, Greta, this is Maureen Sharib. Could you direct me to ____?" Would you?
Gatekeeper Yes, that would be okay, Maureen.
Recruiting Animal But Danny Cahill always says don't be afraid of the receptionist. She’s there to help you. So if you don't know who to talk to it’s her job to help you find the right person.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What if people called and were not "friendly" but not "unfriendly" either. Should we act friendly and spunky, or is that a giveaway?
Gatekeeper Small talk, though, is unnecessary.
Recruiting Animal I thought the receptionist was your friend??
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I’ll say your name once IF you said it when you answered. I never ask a Gatekeeper for her name. I feel that begins a "challenging" conversation.
Gatekeeper Being too friendly is a giveaway. It makes me think, "You want something from me." Saying my name once, though, would be okay, Maureen.
Recruiting Animal Stupid sales people are told that if they use your name you are going to be hypnotized into doing what they want. What nonsense. You agree I see.
Gatekeeper Yes - total nonsense. It stands out. Few people use the other person's name that often in conversation.
Recruiting Animal Sales people are always told that it’s good to touch people as well. I don't like it when people touch me. Sales people are too deep into NLP.
Gatekeeper Creepy.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Does anyone here have approaches they use that work (or don't) with Gatekeepers you'd like to offer for critique by our Gatekeeper Guest?
Recruiting Animal I have some from the audience Maureen that were submitted earlier. The first is: Is it okay to identify oneself by using only a first name?
Gatekeeper That would make me suspicious – unless I knew the person. I would wonder why the caller was acting familiar and ask for the caller’s last name.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I have a theory on that. I tell my students once a gatekeeper starts to ask questions she’s likely to continue to ask questions. Do you agree with that?
Gatekeeper Yes!
Recruiting Animal Here’s another one: I often say, in a very matter of fact tone that I usually talk with Joe, but he’s not in. I need some help "now." Can anyone help me?
Gatekeeper I’d ask, “Joe who?” and probe some more but I know some gatekeepers wouldn’t. Knowing a name and that person’s function inside the company is a powerful gatekeeper influencer. A lot of it depends on how busy the Gatekeeper is at the time the call comes in.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Did you typically answer saying your name?
Gatekeeper Depended on the location, Maureen. Each had a "script" - some yes, some no.
Recruiting Animal I met a girl at a bar last night. She left her panties in my car. I didn't get her name but she told me she was a process engineer at your company. Do you think you know who that would be?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Oh, Animal. Do you always have to bring your unseemly nighttime activities into these things?
Gatekeeper Animal - I'd laugh, and then say yes, but that I couldn't provide you with that info. Or, "oh my - no, I can't imagine who that would be." If pressed, I'd ask you to give your contact info and have the lovely lady in question give you a call if she's interested.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 LOL
Recruiting Animal Here’s another one from one of our callers. His name is Richard:
What if I called and asked, “Can you put me through to John in the tax dept?”
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Would Richard know there is a John in the tax department or is he guessing/hoping there is?
Gatekeeper Richard - yes, I would be able to connect your call. I would not tell you his extension with the amount of information contained within that question. If there is no John, I'd ask the purpose for your call. It's tough - receptionists are supposed to be helpful and friendly, and not get in the way of actual customers/candidates/etc.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 That's a trick (not getting in the way) for you all watching this. That's our advantage. Remember that. Gatekeepers don’t want to get in the way.
Gatekeeper Maureen - absolutely! And sometimes I'd *know* it was a recruiter, but if they played by the rules, I had no grounds to shut them down.
Recruiting Animal This same person is asking “What do you think is the best way for me to ask for a person’s extension without raising a red flag?”
Gatekeeper Richard - the best way is actually to ask whether a person can provide you with extensions. Sometimes they're not allowed to give out that info. In such cases, receptionists are likely to "misunderstand" your request and just connect the call.
Recruiting Animal I find that they ignore what I ask for and continue to transfer me - often they will not give me the name of the individual to whom they are transferring me; if it is a coworker of the individual I mentioned who is unavailable.
Gatekeeper Yes, they probably heard you just fine and are avoiding the question. Ask if they CAN give you an extension - just don't say which one yet. You capture their attention that way; force them to stop and ask you which extension do you need.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Are you familiar w/ professional phone sourcers?
Gatekeeper Maureen - I work with some in my current role.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 REAL phone sourcers? There's a difference - can you tell us what yours do on a daily basis?
Gatekeeper Maureen - yes, but they don't work in the office with me. Tend to contract on projects.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Do you train them? I'd say you're uniquely qualified.
Recruiting Animal How can we use the company's phone voicemail system to our advantage (use it against the receptionist?)
Gatekeeper Animal - if you understand the structure of the extensions, it's easy to have the person's extension "wrong" by a number or two. Then if you're saying that you wrote Sally Jones extension wrong, you have 241 - is that correct? The receptionist is more likely to tell you, that, “Oh, no, Sally's at 231.”
For example, “Are you allowed to provide me with a direct extension number, or only to connect my call?”
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Do you think that question MIGHT identify the person as a professional phone worker?
Gatekeeper Maureen - it might. But sometimes that's okay. They still have to be polite, etc. (Though I'm sure there are exceptions.) Others ask for that info as well - sales, current customers, etc. - not just recruiters.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 That’s a good point. As phone sourcers we sometimes tend to “freak out” thinking we’re the only ones asking for very specific information. That is never the case.
Recruiting Animal Maureen, I know you do phone banks at night and then call back in the morning – what do you say? How can you use the info you get from the voicemails to get the titles?
Gatekeeper Only if you wanted the extension # is it useful that you have a name so I see the connection where we’re going here.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 One of our phone sourcing techniques is to "rob" your phone directory the night before we call. That way we have "names" of your employees. What animal wants to know is how can we get the titles once we know the names? It's not like we haven't told him a million times...
Recruiting Animal OK Maureen you answer and see if she agrees
Gatekeeper I'm assuming that you'd know the departments of the names?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 We would know SOME from the previous night's work.
Recruiting Animal All you have are the names/the caller got them from the voicemail system.
"Hi, it's Bob please leave me a message."
All you have is "Bob."
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 IF you do a phone bank correctly you know SOME of the titles from putting the clues together that you heard on the Voice Mails. Animal also knows this ‘though he’s choosing to ignore that information here to make things seem more difficult.
Recruiting Animal Or "Hi, its Bob Jones please leave a message." Wrong Maureen.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 NOT wrong Animal.
Recruiting Animal You get next to nothing from a voicemail bank.
Gatekeeper Here's the thing: if someone had a question about one name, or two, they might get away with it. If you're asking for multiple titles, I'd start getting wary.
Recruiting Animal I personally have great difficulty getting a clear picture from phone banks.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Animal, You obviously haven't done enough of them (phone banks.)
Gatekeeper Work with the idea that the receptionist can generally confirm info that you have - so pretend to have info that you don't.
Recruiting Animal Maureen lets wish fulfillment color her picture of possibility.
David is asking me to ask you to give an example.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 David, you don’t get a clear picture in a company’s phone bank but you do get a picture nonetheless.
Gatekeeper "I'm trying to connect with Bob Jones - can you please confirm that he's still the QA Manager?"
Recruiting Animal Richard is telling me he thinks the info your get from phone banks can vary; some phone banks he’s able to get a lot of info from, some not so much.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 A phone bank is a good beginning. ESPECIALLY IF the company is smaller.
Recruiting Animal Our guest is pretty well telling us that you can't get any info from the receptionist. Right?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 That’s not what I’m hearing Animal but, once again, your glass is half empty.
Gatekeeper Officially, no. But receptionists are human, and slip up.
Recruiting Animal Unofficially you are still saying you shut out 99% of requests for names
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 She's telling us you CAN get information from Gatekeepers if you approach properly.
Gatekeeper I know that there'd be certain times that I'd find myself saying more than I should, and only realizing it after.
Recruiting Animal Steve wants me to say on his behalf – must I Steve? Okay, I will: That it depends on the gatekeeper, some are easier to ply information from than others.
Gatekeeper For instance, I'd say, "Oh, no, Bob Jones is still a QA Analyst. Would you like me to connect your call?"
Recruiting Animal How many times % WISE?
To Maureen’s point, and I hate it when I have to suffer this indignity; Steve agrees with Maureen; that it’s always in the Approach!!
I asked our Gatekeeper Guest if she was smarter than the average bear and got no reply Steve.
Gatekeeper As I got more experienced, the percentage became low - say under 5%. Early on? Disaster. 25%
Recruiting Animal Steve wants to know if you come across as pushy - do you get shut down?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I tell my students that on average 50% of the time you can get what you seek from a Gatekeeper – IF you approach properly and have experience. I tell them it's a numbers game beginning with lower percentages that advance to higher percentages w/ experience (lots of practice!)
Recruiting Animal Don’t use this chat as an advertisement for your course Maureen. It will turn people off. They know they can't beat the Gatekeeper.
Gatekeeper Steve, I shut down Pushy - or remember, the receptionist can ask why you need the info, and/or escalate your call to someone else.
Recruiting Animal I didn’t think it was accidental dear but I saw no reason to press until I had another opening, which I now do. How smart are you compared to other receptionists? There's no reason you should know. You haven't worked with many I assume.
Gatekeeper To be honest? I wouldn't know. Generally you're on the desk alone. Smarter than the average switchboard operator, I can tell you that.
Recruiting Animal Davis is asking: Does it ever work to come across as flustered or impatient? Maybe she just wants to give you what you want and off her line?
Gatekeeper I think it really depends on what you want. Sometimes, yes, absolutely you can get what you want. If you need detailed info, though, I am going to shut you down every time.
Impatient, no. That's disrespectful and I'm less likely to give you anything that you want.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 We advise against detailed info probing in here - we advise to ask ONE QUESTION at a time.
Recruiting Animal Does anyone here feel more positive after speaking to our Gatekeeper Guest? I don't but I think she is setting too high a standard.
Gatekeeper But sometimes we have sympathy for "flustered" people. But most people are terrible actors. Ask yourself: why would you, the totally respectable caller, be flustered?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Good question.
Recruiting Animal Is there any way I could get you (as a receptionist) to meet me at Starbucks for a coffee?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Animal, don't use this chat for one of your cheap pick up lines. It turns women off.
Recruiting Animal It wasn't for me. It was a hypothetical with her as the receptionist and me as the caller.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Uh huh.
Recruiting Animal Steve is asking: What % do you just send along to Voice Mails?
Gatekeeper Steve - what percentage of suspected recruiters/sourcers, or what percentage of calls?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Here’s an answer, tough to why a caller “could” be flustered – they could be flustered over reaching Voice Mails only time after time after time.
Gatekeeper Yes, Maureen, that's true.
Recruiting Animal David is saying he could be flustered as the partner of the company and my project is being held up for critical info I usually get from Joe. It’s worked for him.
Recruiting Animal Steve is asking: If the caller is "honest" and asks nicely, do you try to help??
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What's "honest" Steve?
Recruiting Animal I want to know how easy it is to ingratiate oneself to the Gatekeeper.
Gatekeeper Animal - hypothetically? Ingratiating would creep me out.
David, yes - I can see that working - but only IF you seem like an actual customer. I've seen this go wrong when the person doesn't sound like they understand the company's product, etc.
Recruiting Animal David says he works in a niche in a very technical area and uses the correct lingo and understands the business. Now he’s asking: Do you think companies record all incoming calls and that may make gatekeepers even less likely to give out info?
Gatekeeper David - some do. I never worked for one who did. But I sometimes did hear from my boss, if it was known that a recruiter had been calling in and "bothering" people. It was a black mark against me - motivation to give out less info.
Recruiting Animal Did you resist giving out email addresses?
Gatekeeper Animal - no, actually. Email addresses were something I was allowed to provide at all the companies I worked for. This might have changed recently - or might be a good loophole.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I believe good gatekeepers are hard to come by and it would take a LOT of misdoing to get fired - agree?
Gatekeeper Maureen - it's true! Not a firing offense, but a "try harder" reminder was a similar motivator. Keep in mind, receptionists are generally warned about the evil headhunters that want to steal key employees and ruin the business. (Exaggerating.) But still - especially if you're early on in your career, shutting down recruiters = protecting the business.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What does an average Gatekeeper earn?
Gatekeeper Entry level tends to be hourly. Not minimum wage -- but not much above. Admin and executive assistants make more. Depends on your region/area - I'm in Toronto, with old salary info. Would that be useful?
Recruiting Animal What would be the best way to ask for someone’s email address?
Gatekeeper A simple “Can you give me NAME’s email?” after you told me who you are. Especially if someone was phrasing it as, "My emails to NAME are bouncing. Could you please confirm her current email address?"
Recruiting Animal David is asking – this to Maureen: The key to having the right tone of voice, or inflection, is to NOT BE OVER INVESTED IN THE OUTCOME. Right, Maureen?
Gatekeeper Agreed, David! Ha Ha. Agreed.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I think so David. I try to sound pretty much disinterested in outcomes. Like I'm not sweating anything.
Recruiting Animal David says he does too – that he believes it’s the best way.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What’s your advice on Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants and what's the difference between the two?
Gatekeeper Treat both carefully and with respect. They are the people who know everything, and can be great for you - or shut you down hard. EAs tend to support one or two executives. Work very closely. AAs are often support for a department - or even the company.
Recruiting Animal Richard is asking: What if you shut someone down once, and you recognized their voice; do they still have a chance of getting through or is it over for them?
Recruiting Animal Steve is sending some info through on average gatekeeper salary: 12.00/hr on low end and 18.00 on high end.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I find many sourcers are concerned with making a second (or 3rd or 4th) call - you listening, Animal? I know David’s been reading up on neurology; he recently told me the human mind takes 6-7 times to accept something. That is why the "experts" in sales say that the average sale is made after 7 attempts. I’m sure voicemail is similar, if you have a good message. I’ve heard you have to leave 5 Voice Mails for it to be answered! Neuro- linguistic programming is fascinating study. I tell my students don't be afraid of multiple calling.
Gatekeeper Keep in mind that it takes a good few calls to really recognize someone. When I was on switchboard, me and one other person answered 900 calls a day.
Recruiting Animal That’s very good information to know.
Gatekeeper Your voice isn't going to stand out unless you do something really noticeable, or we chat often.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 900 calls a day! Do you all hear that? Can you imagine?
Will you engage in small talk or do you want to get right to the point?
Gatekeeper Volume of calls is also a good reason to avoid all the small talk, etc. - if it's a busy call-time, the person probably has another person or two waiting for their attention.
I hated small talk! I'd just want the person to get to the point; I had a job to do, and they were keeping me from it. Also, the small talk would raise alarm bells sometimes: why did you want to chat with me? Indicated that you wanted something from me.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What are the busiest times of the day?
Gatekeeper In most offices, busiest time was first thing in the morning and right after lunch.
Recruiting Animal If I call and tell you that I've tried Bob's Voice Mail three times and no one answers the phone and I ask you to transfer to a colleague in the same department, would you transfer me?
Gatekeeper Animal - if you have a name, I'd be more likely to. So if you phrased it as, say, "Is NAME still in that department? She may be able to help with my question." I probably wouldn't have thought twice about connecting you.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What if someone said, "How ya' doin today?” What would that do to you?
Gatekeeper Maureen - that's not bad. Average politeness. I'd say, "Fine, thank you - how can I help you today?"
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 So if someone asked you "How ya doin' today?" it wouldn't put you off? I always find that as too familiar; too ”salesy.”
Gatekeeper Maureen - on the front lines, you deal with all types and had to be friendly to all. What put me off was people using my name over and over again, or wanting to talk about the weather, etc. Sometimes casual queries matched the "voice."
Recruiting Animal So little to no small talk, I can't be too pushy, I should be direct and polite?
Recruiting Animal David is asking: Is "after lunch" considered 1:00 pm?
Gatekeeper David: Yes
Animal: Yes
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 David, remember you have to be conscious of different times zones.
Gatekeeper Rule of calls - they always came in waves. Nothing for 5 minutes, then constantly on the phone for the next 10 minutes - then silence again.
Time of day and type of company will dictate level of call volume; Also - business type.
Recruiting Animal For example in health care, morning and post lunch is crazy time someone just said.
Gatekeeper In one office, we'd get piles and piles of calls first thing in the office - construction, engineers, etc. Sales people didn't call until later.
Recruiting Animal Did you find that most employees are in the office by 8:00 am sharp?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 That’s an interesting remark. Different employee types called you in different time frames? I NEVER thought of that!
Gatekeeper Depends on the employee base, David. If anyone's in the office early, it was admin folks, office managers ... and oddly, some IT folks.
Recruiting Animal Aren't sales folks told to call from 10a-12?
Gatekeeper Maureen - absolutely! Think of the personality types of different callers - and personality types tend to different schedules.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Absolutely. Smart.
Recruiting Animal David is answering me telling me sales people don't wake up until 9:00 am anyway. :)
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 People have different needs at different times of the day - SO SMART!
Recruiting Animal We have a new caller; Rashod says most of the people he sources are in the field and never at their desks. Cell phone information would be ideal for these people. Do you have any idea how he would procure that from a gatekeeper? Is that just a wish inside of a dream? David is piping in to say if folks are in the field, he can often get cell #'s - that Gatekeepers know you can't get field people in the office and it very well could be that you are a client that needs their help.
Gatekeeper David - yes, absolutely!
Rashod - have you tried asking whether the gatekeeper CAN give you that info? "I’ve been trying to reach NAME for a few hours and he's not getting back to me. Is he in the field today? Would you be able to provide his cell number?"
Recruiting Animal Richard is asking: Would you say its better for a sourcer to call early when a gatekeeper’s guard may not be as high?
Gatekeeper Richard - no, they're getting set up for the day, dealing with the mail and deliveries, and dealing with the first rush of calls.
Slowest time of day for calls was generally about 3 PM.
Recruiting Animal Rashod says he doesn’t recruit sales people. David says folks in the field are highly service oriented - often urgently. Rashod recruits Big4 auditors.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Rashod, were you one once?
Recruiting Animal Rashod says he was.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What was /your schedule?
Recruiting Animal Rashod is asking if you’re asking for his schedule when he was an auditor?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Yes, Rashod. How would someone get your cell? Reverse engineer the process.
Recruiting Animal He doesn’t think that would work. Another caller is suggesting that maybe it’s it in the rapport that you develop - as if you know you are being a terrible bother: "sorry to interrupt your day"....etc...."but could you be so kind as to Share Mr. Piggly-Wiggly's cell number...as I've been urgently trying to reach him at his desk...and am unable to connect with him?" That maybe an Upper Crust English Accent would help.
Gatekeeper Animal - in my opinion, that's overdoing it. You'd stand out ... when what you want to do is blend into the other callers. Be polite, but professional and concise. Get to the point. I'm Canadian - it's probably why people trying to be brusque with me was such a bad approach. That's just Not Appropriate.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 What's your advice to us phone sourcers? Point by point.
(This has been terrific!)
Gatekeeper Like I said recently, be polite, pleasant and to the point. Avoid rambling small talk. DON'T sound too interested in the receptionist him/herself - it'll set off "what do you want" alarm bells.
Recruiting Animal Here's what you really said: You suckers aren’t going to get by me.
Gatekeeper Try asking if the person is able to give you the info that you need, or whether they can connect you to one who can.
Try calling at "lull" periods - remember your target's time zone, of course.
Animal - I haven't been a receptionist in a while. My ego's not really in it, these days.
Recruiting Animal I wasn’t talking about ego dear -- you made it very clear that you were never a sucker for recruiters making sourcing calls.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Animal, she did not say that. I don’t know where you get this stuff.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Animal, she said she made mistakes just like everyone does.
Gatekeeper And you never know how many you didn't catch.
Recruiting Animal Maureen, you're dreaming. Did she give anyone the impression that they are going to get names from the receptionist?
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Animal, you’re just impossible.
Gatekeeper It gets easier to weed out recruiters as you know the tricks, but no one is ever perfect. Obviously. Or sourcers would be out of a job.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 So, to conclude, what would YOU say if you wanted to extract info? Can you script it for us? Take it from when the Gatekeeper answers:
“Hello, ABC Corp - Melinda speaking."
What would you say next? What would your opening line be?
Gatekeeper Keep your intro line to something simple. "Good morning, I'm looking to connect with___”
If you have old info to work with, it's useful. Say, "I'm looking for the IT Manager. Is [Old IT Manager's Name] still there?"
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Will you stop in on our chats (when you can)? We'll watch for you!
Gatekeeper Maureen - thanks, will do.
Recruiting Animal Dave do you feel optimistic after this conversation? What about you Steve?
Gatekeeper Hope some of this has been helpful, even if I am apparently crushing your ability to feel optimistic. <g>
David I got some useful info. It all adds up.
Recruiting Animal That’s a no.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 You’re always half-empty, Animal. I feel validated - if that helps.
Recruiting Animal You always feel validated Maureen. Facts don’t interfere with your beliefs.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 LOL If'n u say so...
Recruiting Animal But our Gatekeeper Guest might have been giving us facts that don't apply to many gatekeepers. That’s what I was trying to establish and she refused to answer.
Gatekeeper True enough, Animal. Just my experience; your experience may vary.
Recruiting Animal And she probably doesn’t know because she hasn’t done a survey of other receptionists.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I'm afraid you MUST come back then.
Gatekeeper My apologies for not answering. I'm sure I missed some questions.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 The glass is always mostly empty for animal.
Recruiting Animal Boo!
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Boo back!
Gatekeeper Got rather fast for a bit there. Ah, well. Let me know if any of this works for you. Perhaps we can find some more receptionists (who've been on desk more recently) for you to grill.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Can you? That would be SO WONDERFUL!
Gatekeeper I'll ask around, for sure!
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 I hope we didn't offend you - but if we did that's us making mistakes - Animal, you hear?
Gatekeeper Ha, oh no. Not bothered at all. Would take a lot more than Animal to offend me.
Maureen Sharib Phone Sourcer 513 646 7306 Bye everyone. This transcript will be posted in a bit.
Gatekeeper Have a good afternoon, everyone!
Steve Maureen, this was well worth my time. Thank you for hosting!
Recruiting Animal Thanks for your time! Very generous.
Gatekeeper Happy to help!
***
If there are any Gatekeepers reading this that would like to/be willing to volunteer to be on a discussion/interview panel like this there are many recruiters / phone sourcers out here in the world that would be thrilled to hear from you! Please contact me – Maureen Sharib – at Maureen at techtrak.com or call me at 513 646 7306 and let’s chat about setting up an interview. I believe you Gatekeepers are the most important spokespersons a company has and are mostly misunderstood for the function/importance you hold for a company. I’d like to see that (and the pay you receive) change. Help me do that, won’t you?
***
Maureen believes the telephone is the best way to find anything out firsthand and thinks of information on the Internet as a bloated dead pale whale lying on the bottom of a vast ocean rotting away, pieces of itself peeling off and floating upwards before finally disappearing at the sunlit and crystalline surface of fresh discovery.
If this imagery appeals to you and you’re looking for something more than what others are delivering (or you don’t have time to do the sleuthing yourself!) then give her a call.
Reach Maureen at 513 646 7306 or email her at Maureen at techtrak.com
She’s been doing this a long time.
www.techtrak.com