Recruiters: Be Curious!

How do we learn anything in life? Often, through our curiosity.

I try to keep things simple, and I have always believed that recruiting is a simple business. Now, I am not saying recruiting is easy.? But let’s face it, what we do is not rocket science.? I like to say that recruiting is not hard…but you have to work incredibly hard at it in order to be successful.? You have to outwork all the other recruiters out there.

How can you do this?? It’s really not that hard, trust me.

A recruiter’s job, at a high level, is to be a purveyor of information.? Our job is to communicate with people.? All day.? Every day. ?Relentlessly. And obtain information.? Without information, recruiters cannot do their job (or at least cannot do their job well).? We need to be in constant information gathering mode.? That information helps us better understand what our candidates want, what they are qualified for, what our clients want, what their culture is like, and so on and so on.? We gather information and then figure out how to use that information for the benefit of all parties involved.

Most recruiters, I would argue, leave a lot of information on the table.? They simply don’t ask enough questions. They are not curious enough.

As recruiters, we need to be curious!? Behind every question that is asked is usually several follow-up questions that need to be asked to gain a deeper understanding.? Unfortunately, most recruiters do not dive that deep.? Maybe because they are short sighted, maybe because they are just looking to see if they can submit the candidate, maybe because they are just lazy.? But, not asking those additional questions can be a recruiter’s downfall. Because there is always more information to learn, always more information beneath the surface, always more information that might give you an edge.

“What do you mean, John?? Give us an example.”

Ok, I will!

You are talking with a candidate.? You ask what they are currently doing.? They say they are working full time.? They give you the company name.? most recruiters stop here.? What else is there to learn? How long have they been there?? How did they get there? What do they like most about the company and their job? If they could change anything about it what would that be? How many people are in their department? What is their manager like? How’s the culture?

You get the idea…

We need to be curious.? About everyone we speak with.? Because every person we encounter is a potential candidate, client, or perhaps both at some point.? Everyone we meet is a connector to more information.? You truly never know where a conversation is going to take you.?

?

If you want to be a successful recruiter…to be able to deliver what is expected of you…to grow your network so that YOU become THE go-to person in your industry sector….

Be curious!

John Ruffini is the Vice President of Professional Development for HealthTrust Workforce Solutions in Sunrise, Florida.?He is a 30-year recruiting veteran, trainer, and motivator and is the author of the Amazon Best Sellers “Money Makers:?Proven Ways to Increase Sales and Productivity in the World of Professional Recruiting” ? and “A Quest for Alex.”

?