How to Make Every Interaction Profitable for Agency Recruiters
Agency recruiters, do you know how to make every interaction profitable? I’ve mentioned before that recruiters are often compared to salespeople. And if we do want to see ourselves in a “sales hub”, then we need to actually think about how valuable our time is and how every interaction should give us some kind of ROI. Let’s look at the ways that allow us to make this happen.
Referrals
So, referrals. As a recruiter, you’re networking all the time, right? People are always reaching out to me on LinkedIn asking for “someone that knows someone”. If you’re unsure of the best timing for asking for a referral, you can actually do it at any stage of a relationship. Personally, I tend to ask for referrals once I’ve established a relationship and proven my worth. If you’ve already accomplished that then there’s nothing stopping you from asking for it in the beginning. Let’s say you’re having a conversation with a candidate, and they tell you that they are having a hard time at their current company. Maybe it’s a toxic environment. Here’s where you can tell them that you’d like to help them as well as all of their coworkers. This opens the door for more referrals. I’ve had someone reach out to me after I placed them because their previous team was laid off, and they really wanted to help them. Since we had that previously established relationship, they thought of me and I was able to meet a need. Even if a candidate decides to move forward with a different company, this is also an opportunity to have that new company as a client. Let them know you want to continue working with them or have them put you in touch with the hiring manager. If they had a great experience with you up to that point, there’s no reason the relationship shouldn’t continue at the new company.
Keeping in Touch
Another way to make interaction profitable is to keep in touch with previous candidates. I hope you’ve been organized and kept all your notes because you are not going to remember everything. Every one to three months, depending on this person’s level in the company, you should be checking in with them and seeing how they are doing. You’re not asking for anything. This is all about relationship-building and making connections. If you’ve done the work of being interactive and friendly, then there will be an opportunity to ask for referrals or networking contacts. Don’t be afraid to ask either. People want to help others. At the end of the day, these are give-and-take relationships.?
Looking for Industry Trends
Have you ever noticed trends while talking with candidates? For example, maybe you’ve heard “ed tech” come up several times. That means you should be looking for candidates in the education technology industry. Or on the flip side, you have candidates from the ed-tech space that are looking elsewhere because of frustration or layoffs. Ed-tech really flourished during COVID-19, but as many people have started going back to the office, it’s seen a decline. Does that mean there will be layoffs in that industry? That leaves plenty of candidates that will be looking for jobs, and it’s a chance for you to help them out. Always do your research and pay attention to what’s happening in industries. Listen to what candidates are wanting and what companies are looking for.
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LinkedIn Recommendations
Finally, let’s talk about LinkedIn recommendations. These will really boost your business. For agency recruiters, you need company recommendations. Potential clients are going to be looking for recommendations from your past clients. And whether you’re an internal or external recruiter, you need candidate recommendations because candidate experience is huge right now. Candidate expectations and relationships with recruiters have to improve and you can bet that your potential candidates will be looking to see how positive your recommendations are compared to others. And if you’re considering starting your own recruiting business, you will not see growth if you can’t prove your worth through client recommendations. I’ve had potential clients ask to get on the phone with my past clients or candidates, so there is an expectation of “prove your worth”. But if you can get those recommendations on your LinkedIn, then you can definitely cut down on those requests.
Summary:
As recruiters, we know there are only so many hours in a day. Anything we are working on needs to be time-efficient and profitable. That means utilizing referrals, keeping in touch with past clients, always looking out for industry trends, and keeping our LinkedIn updated with recommendations. Not to be too cliche, but time really is money.?
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