Improve your req taking abilities

Improve your req taking abilities

There is almost nothing more exciting than receiving that call or email from a client asking for your help on a role.

Most people’s first instinct, and it certainly was mine, was to immediately speak with my recruitment team about what person we need to fill the role. Sometimes, to my determent, without even getting an intake call on the books. I would think “hey I got the JD, I know this person and have an idea of what they are looking for, good enough for me”.

THAT was a massive mistake, because working on a position without a proper intake call is setting yourself up for failure. Almost just as bad is getting on a call without having a proper process/intake form to work with.

Even if you are a 10+ year expert in the field, you are still human and can forget key questions/pieces of information that can hurt your recruitment process. Which is why today’s article will include a process to follow, and an intake sheet you can use and download for yourself.


Short break as I want to spend a minute to invite you to a LinkedIn Live I am doing tomorrow.

LinkedIn Live Event

Join me and Luke Hill as we discuss his experience from being both on the agency side, and now moving to the internal side. He will share the similarities and differences of the role, what makes a good partner, and what mistakes you should avoid if you want to get your HR prospects attention.


The Basics


The Basics

It is boring, but success is hidden in the boring basics. I usually tell my clients that line each and every time,

“Look Mr/Ms. Manager I know this is basic stuff, but it is important I double check this each and every time we work together”

I have made the mistake of not double checking something like the address and ran into a major issue because the company had multiple locations. Come to find out the role I thought was in one spot, was actually 15 miles north which eliminated a good pool of candidates.

The History


This is the story behind the position, and what the client has tried thus far to fill the position themselves. If they have not tried anything and you were the first call, congrats, you are in a great spot!

Although you still would want to know WHY the role is open (growth, termination, etc) plus the length the role has been open is important. If I am working with a new client and they tell me a role has been open for 4 months, I would ask a follow up question such as

I understand now why the role is open, what you have tried, and how long the role has been open for. Out of curiosity, is 4 months the length a role needs to be open before you are able to call it out to a recruitment partner?

That question is not going to help you right now, but knowing that answer will help you for future roles. Imagine they say “no every manager has the ability to call out a role after the 60 day mark”.

Well I would be making a note of that in the company profile within my CRM, and I would be using that information with any and all roles I see/every manager I speak with at that account.

Beyond the job description


Understanding what a typical day looks like for someone in this role allows you to

  1. Ask second and third level questions about what they do, and the skills/experience needed to perform said activities
  2. Gives you or your recruitment team the ability to paint an accurate picture to a candidate when you are speaking with them

The preferred companies is another piece of info I feel most people miss, we are head hunters. Of course if the preferred company is already a client we can not hunt there, but if they are not that would be one of the first places I would start.


That is it for this week, and feel free to grab the full copy for yourself here

Grab your req sheet here


Kim Henderson, MBA, PMP, Six Sigma

Staffing Industry Trainer & Consultant | ?? Elevating Staffing Professionals through Training | Speaker

5 个月

Process and execution of the mechanics ensures we get a consistent result..100 percent agree.

David Wells

Manager, Executive Search at Alliance Resource Group

5 个月

I do all direct hire searches in accounting and finance, so this would be less relevant for contracts, but for other direct hire disciplines, I think it's good to ask scenario-based questions. For example, if a company says it has a good work-life balance, I'll say, "Great. "If we have someone who needs to leave at 4 during close to pick up children, is your team okay with that?" Or if they say they want someone proactive, I can ask, "Great, when was the last time someone from the team was able to suggest an improvement that was adopted up the chain?" They are always precise, but this interrupts clients' pattern of saying the same things and can lead to much deeper information to take back to the market. As an added bonus, when you talk to a candidate and they ask about work-life balance, which is better? Saying, "Yes, the client has a good work-life balance." Or saying, "Yes, the client has a good work-life balance; in fact, they have two team members who log off early for family reasons." Finally, after an intake session, I always send a recap to the client. It's surprising how often I misinterpret what people mean, and it's good to get it down on paper and ensure alignment once the call is done.

Jeffrey Zabrin

Headhunter | Founder @ Lakeview Search | Recruiting Top Construction and Engineering Pros

5 个月

Just like sports gotta stick to the fundamentals

Jon Torn

??Top Headhunter for Professional Engineers in the Midwest??ACEC MN Partner??Trusted Talent Advisor Driving Success for Top Engineers and Industry-Leading Firms

5 个月

As always, valuable stuff Keely Flood!

Mike Weed

Helping Automation & Material Handling Leaders Hire Top Sales, Engineering, & Operations Talent to Drive Growth. We work with both industry leaders and startups.

5 个月

Good stuff Keely Flood. One thing I might add would be trying to determine what happens if the role is not filled in a timely manner. Who is being asked to double up their duties to make up the slack? etc?

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