| When I opened my firm in 1990 I was trained | | | | balance the opportunity with "the price to be paid". |
| that you would need to hire seven people to | | | | A mistake I see many of my clients make is not |
| keep one more than 6 months. Naively, I thought | | | | properly explaining the ramp up process. Sure, we |
| I was better than that, and I discovered I was | | | | tell them they need to have to be able to cover |
| not. One of the biggest frustrations I hear from | | | | themselves financially the first few months, but |
| my coaching clients and peer owners is their | | | | we don't explain a "day in the life" of those first |
| challenge of training, on boarding, and retaining | | | | few months. We explain a day in the life of a |
| new hires. | | | | successful recruiter and when they start they |
| While this is still a challenge at our firm, there are | | | | measure themselves against that level of |
| several changes we made to this process that | | | | performance their frustration and self-doubt begin |
| cut our rate from the old model of hire 7 to keep | | | | to breed quickly. The recruiter listens to |
| one down to hire 2 to keep one six months or | | | | successful people and remembers "a day in the |
| longer. | | | | life" and wonders if they are cut out for this |
| Set Expectations Throughout the Interview | | | | career. They wonder if they can ever sound like |
| Process | | | | that recruiter! |
| What is this lesson? Setting expectations | | | | Also, during the interview process we tell the |
| throughout the hiring process and follow thru for | | | | candidate: "A new hire starts out with great |
| at least 120 days! Now most of you are probably | | | | enthusiasm and a clear picture of where they |
| rolling your eyes at this Management 101 | | | | want to go, like an explorer standing on one |
| technique. You may know it, but the experience | | | | mountain peak looking in the distance at another |
| with my client search firm owners is that it is | | | | they will climb. The new hire must then descend |
| rarely implemented. | | | | into an 'Amazonian' type valley with thick brush |
| My experience with most recruiting firm owners is | | | | and obscured vision (tons of calls, rejection), that |
| that they sell "money" throughout the interview | | | | second mountain peak not often visible (why am I |
| process. Money, money, money! That is it! They | | | | doing this?). There is a clearly marked path, |
| point to successful people in their office and say | | | | however, that is always visible. Stay on this path, |
| 'Look at Bob, he made over $200,000 last year, | | | | avoid the temptation to discover a shorter route, |
| see Sue, $125,000!' If they are not selling money, | | | | be persistent and more importantly resilient and |
| many other owners are 180 degrees different, | | | | success is inevitable. If we continue to move |
| screening the heck out of candidates with multiple | | | | forward in this process, I will ask you if you are |
| personality tests, Rorschach tests, eye retinal | | | | ready for this journey." |
| scans, etc. Both techniques appear to still have | | | | Define a Specific Path for Success |
| equally weak results. | | | | What is this "path"? The biggest gift we can give |
| This lesson on setting expectations and holding | | | | a new hire is a clearly defined road map to |
| people accountable is the greatest and most | | | | success vis-a-vis daily activity. Here is where I am |
| profitable lesson I have learned by far. This | | | | going to lose some of you. I do NOT focus on |
| process begins in our first interview. We first paint | | | | connect time for new hires. I measure it; I just |
| the vision of a successful recruiter--a six figure | | | | don't make it our main focus. I focus on call and |
| plus income, relative freedom to manage their | | | | presentation count the first 2 weeks and add on |
| day, week, working with "C" and "V" level | | | | Job orders and/or Send-outs week 3 and beyond. |
| executives, etc. Then we discuss the "but". We | | | | Ask for connect time in the absence of other |
| explain that this business is an acquired taste, like | | | | activity and you will probably get OK connect |
| the first beer consumed as a teenager; most | | | | time. My experience shows a myopic attention to |
| people do NOT find the ramp up enjoyable. We | | | | connect time alone leads to bloated calls with |
| explain ALL of the frustrations of the ramp up, | | | | unqualified candidates and, often, more personal |
| the seeming mindless nature of 80-100 calls a | | | | calls. Connect time is a function of quality not |
| day, the unreturned calls, uncooperative | | | | quantity and new hires don't have much quality. |
| candidates and clients, the occasional fall-offs and | | | | At the offer interview, I make candidates |
| counter-offers. We tell them there are going to | | | | pledge-sometimes by raising their right hand-to |
| be days where they wish their parents never | | | | commit to do EXACTLY what I tell them to do |
| met! But if, IF, they can persevere through this | | | | for 120 days with NO deviation. If they won't |
| relatively short period the rewards are great! | | | | make this commitment, and they all have, I would |
| Many are Called, Few are Chosen | | | | NOT offer the job. |
| In each stage of the interview one needs to | | | | |