Recruiters are a savvy bunch when they’re job-hunting. They know the market, they know the salary standards, and they have their ear to the ground about the top employers. So given this high level of industry knowledge your candidates have, how do you make sure that your recruitment organisation is attracting the top recruiters?  And how do you entice graduates and people from other fields to consider recruitment as an option—particularly when it’s considered a tough industry?

1. It’s often more about culture than you think.

Your employer ‘brand’ is hugely important, particularly when recruiting Millennial candidates who often care quite deeply about what kind of company they work for.

This is why having an engaging social media presence, an attractive website, and a content-rich blog helps to attract good candidates. It’s also really important to communicate what kind of culture you have: is it collaborative and friendly, or more individualistic and competitive?  There’s no wrong answer, but different recruiters will be drawn by different workplace cultures, so it’s important that you are upfront and make the most of what you’re offering.

2. Offer the right money and/or benefits.

A failure to attract the cream of the crop may come down to something as simple as the fact that your agency is not competing favourably on the salary package. Always ensure that your remuneration is in line with industry standard, if not better.

If raising the salary offer is simply not a possibility due to financial constraints, then be creative with what you can offer. Are flexible hours a possibility? Working from home one day a week? An extra week’s holiday per year? Gym memberships? Friday drinks?  For many candidates, these little extras can be the thing that puts your agency to the top of their wish list.

3. Write a killer job description.

As a recruitment professional, you will definitely know how important a great job description is. Ensure that your job description is specific without being too prescriptive- you don’t want to scare off good candidates just because they don’t have every single skill on your prerequisites list.

Even better, write job advertisements with personality to grab the candidate’s attention and allow them to imagine themselves in the role at your agency.

4. Investigate what’s gone wrong so you can set it right.

If your recruitment drive isn’t generating the top quality candidates you’re seeking, then it’s time to do some investigative work.  Follow up on why candidates refused your offer, conduct an anonymous survey on company culture, and try to find out what your competition is offering re. salary and benefits.

5. Push the development opportunities.

If your agency fosters its recruiters and helps them to succeed, then this is your chance to shine in the interview. Talk about promotion opportunities, talk about training and development schemes, talk about your supportive management who mentor young recruiters.

Show off the impressive talent mapping your agency does, or the clever recruitment database- and use these kinds of examples to show that there’s great learning opportunities within your company. Don’t be shy about showing candidates the path to their success! If your company isn’t strong on training and promotion, then you may well want to consider your strategy if you’re hoping to attract the very best recruiters.

6. Pitch the candidates like you would a new client.

Use your skills as a recruiter to impress the socks off the candidates. Research their backgrounds, and imagine that you’re pitching for their services (which of course you are).  Show how important they are to you by preparing properly (not just skimming their CV five minutes before meeting them) and showing ultimate respect throughout the interview process.

7. Make it about your people.

Talk about company success stories, talk about your top performers and top clients, and even invite some of your staff into the interview process so that candidates can get a sense of the human side of your operation and can begin to imagine themselves working there.

I realise that you will already be aware of most of these points through your own recruitment experience, but it’s funny how often we forget to apply the lessons we learn through placing people to our own hiring practices!

Until next time,

Cheryl

Shockingly, there are less than 90 days left of 2016, which means that it’s definitely time to hit high gear if you’re trying to reach your billing targets for the year.

Regardless of whether your billing targets are set by your manager or if they were aspirational goals that you hold for yourself, it’s not too late to make a final grab for those 2016 sales goals (and even shoot past them.)

According to famous motivational speaker Eric Worre, around 90 days is the perfect scale of time to revolutionise your career. So let’s get going with some tips on how to smash those sales targets before the New Year rolls around.

1. Get obsessed.

The first step is the one that everything else builds on, because it requires you to build the one thing that all great sales people have: passion.

So get stuck into learning your craft: watch YouTube videos and follow blogs of successful salespeople, emulate sales tactics of those you admire, study up on recruitment trends, keep a log of which sales tactics seem to work for you and which ones don’t; and above all, find your inner passion for sales.

2. Work on your listening skills.

So many recruiters fear rejections that they tend to talk much more than they should when pitching new clients in the mad rush to get the information out before the prospect terminates the call or meeting. The key to sales success is to listen far more than you speak so that you can tailor your recruitment service to the client’s individual needs.

Ask insightful, leading questions about the client’s recruitment needs and then listen patiently to the answer- you’ll learn a great deal more than if you just talk! You can then give them a killer pitch that resonates with them, rather than just giving them the same old sales spiel.

3. Be prepared to follow up and wait it out.

Most people don’t buy on the first call: in fact, nearly two-thirds of your clients will buy at about the three month mark (making your 90 day challenge just about perfect!) The problem is that many recruiters take the first or second ‘not interested right now’ as total rejection, and give up—not realising that it’s probably nothing to do you’re your sales skill or the service you’re offering: it’s just that people don’t buy straightaway in most cases!

Which means that you’re going to have to make repeated follow-ups. Don’t be shy, just do it. In some cases you might even find that you’re eventually passed onto the real decision-maker, rather than a gatekeeper.

4. Make friends with the gatekeeper.

All these calls you’re making to the gatekeeper should be put to good use. Too many recruiters call and immediately ask to speak to the person in charge of recruiting decisions without stopping to chat with the ‘gatekeeper’ PA or receptionist.

Remember, these people are your way into speaking with the decision-maker, so be friendly and try to strike up a rapport. Networking is the recruiter’s strength, so use that talent to open doors.

5. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Many mediocre recruiters are held back by the fear, and make the mistake of thinking that what distinguishes them from top billers is their fear of sales.

The secret is though: top billers are worried about failure too- but the difference is that they use that fear of failure to propel them to great heights. They work hard because they cannot bear failure; and they accept that in order to be great, they have to work through uncomfortable feelings like rejection or feeling that they are ‘being a pest’.

It’s all too easy to just slip into slow gear as the Christmas season looms, and it’s even easier just to push your billing goals over to 2017. But that’s three whole months away, so it’s time to get cracking! You have the choice: do you want to start 2017 tinged with a ‘sense of failure hangover’ from the last year, or do you want to start it flushed with success and excited about setting new goals?

The next 90 days is a powerful window of opportunity to discover your obsession for sales and transform your recruitment career.

Until next time,

Cheryl

Summer is again drawing to a close, and across the UK people are returning to work after holidays and re-gearing for the final few months before Christmas. This is always a great time for recruiters to get motivated again to perform- whether your primary focus for the remainder of the working year is sourcing new talent, new clients, or both.

Success is rarely about one big thing that you do that propels you to great heights; rather it’s the culmination of a string of positive daily habits. That’s why it’s so important to take time to assess whether the steps you take every day are setting you up for a successful future.

1. Appreciate where you are right now.

Gratefulness feeds happiness, happiness feeds positivity, positivity feeds success. Find a minute each day to write down the things you’re grateful for, whether that’s a new receptionist who makes your life easier, a talented candidate that came your way, or a client who said thank you for a great hire. Remember, gratefulness doesn’t have to be about work in order to work its magic; it can be about your home life or tiny details like really enjoying your new favourite café.

2. Make one step towards a goal each day.

You should already have your goals defined (and if not, get to it!) No matter how busy you are, make a small step towards that each and every day- even if it’s just looking at your goals and assessing your next.

3. Study up on your industry.

It’s so easy to stagnate by relying on the information you already have, but recruiters who don’t constantly learn about their industry cannot hope to succeed in the long-term. Make sure you read one article or listen to one short podcast each day that relates to recruitment or the sector you work in (it might help to subscribe to a recruitment or an industry blog which sends you daily email alerts with relevant articles.)

4. Network in different ways.

Recruiters often fall into a familiar pattern of networking—perhaps it’s attending the same networking events, posting the same old stuff on social media, or building your network in the traditional manner of getting referrals from satisfied customers and clients. But what about people that you used to know?

Send an email to old colleagues! What about hitting some new networking events- perhaps in tangentially related sectors? What about joining up to some online forums and actually participating in the comments section? What about mapping your current candidate and client list and then expanding outwards to include their contact list? What about posting some exciting stuff on social media, sharing others’ content, and building your following that way? Get networking!

5. Ask yourself if you worked as hard as you could have today.

We’re all familiar with those days where we leave the office knowing that the day was a bit of a write-off, that we just didn’t perform at maximum capacity. The great performers will feel a bit guilty about that, and vow to do better tomorrow.

Assess your view of your current performance: are you really doing your best, or are you falling into the common trap of thinking that you’ll only really give it your all when you get that great client, or get that promotion?

The point is that unless you’re working your ‘tail’ off now, you will probably never get that great client or promotion. You need to make the effort now, not when you get the dream job, so start working the way you think you will when you finally attain the goal, or you’ll never reach the goal at all.

6. Make time for others and smile.

It helps to remember that you’re not the only person in the room, so take time to have a kind or friendly word with the other recruiters and office staff. Try to see the best in the people that are frustrating you, and if you can’t manage positivity, then at least be polite!

Also, remember to smile- it transforms your face, transforms your voice on the telephone, and transforms how others see you. These steps may sound a bit wishy-washy to those looking to power their way right to the top, but recruitment is built on relationships, and having a friendly professional demeanour will not only make you feel good, but it will open doors.

And yes, of course we realise that you won’t always have time to do everything on this list, every day (although smiling is non-negotiable.) You just have to try your hardest to hit as many as possible, and you’ll soon find a new momentum in your everyday routine that will rapidly propel you towards the success you seek.

Until next time,

Cheryl

Some recruiters love placing candidates, networking, and looking after existing clients, but fear pitching for new business and proactively selling their services.

This ‘fear of selling’ hugely hampers the potential of many recruiters and ultimately gets in the way of them becoming top billers.

Yet there’s every possibility that you’re going about this all wrong. Your fear of selling is simply because you’re doing it (and thinking about it) the wrong way.

Sales is nothing to fear. Being a great salesperson is something to be proud of. Time to reframe the way you think about sales. This is not as hard as it sounds, so to help you on your way towards your new love affair with selling, we’ve put together a few key points to revolutionise the way you sell.

1. Stop thinking that being a salesperson is something to be ashamed of.

Our society tends to consider salespeople as pushy, talkative ‘used-car salesman’ types who will somehow trick us or railroad us into buying their product- even if we don’t really want it! There’s an excellent chance that that negative view has coloured your thinking about sales, even if on a subconscious level, so it’s time to re-frame your view.
Think about it: your recruitment service is important both to client and candidate, so why do you feel guilty for pitching that valuable service? Salespeople who are comfortable and happy with selling are the ones that succeed, so you need to genuinely embrace and value your selling side.

2. Stop talking about yourself so much and learn to ask and listen.

The brutal truth is that your prospective client or candidate doesn’t really care about how fantastic you and your services are except in how your services can positively affect them. For a client, the only thing that resonates is how your service can fix a recruitment problem they’re experiencing (perhaps a skills gap, high turnover, or a string of poor hires), while for a candidate what matters is how your client network can land them their ideal job.

The crucial key is for a great salesperson is to identify what the customer needs and desires, and recruitment is no different. In order to know, you’ll have to ask lots of good questions, and carefully listen to the answers. When it’s time to make your offering, don’t waffle about the extraneous details and extra services that don’t affect their key needs: just make a tailored, precise pitch that answers exactly their requirements. No more, no less.

3. Don’t go into ‘sales mode’. Ever.

You might be having a nice chat with a new client or passive senior candidate and building up rapport, but then you decide that as it’s going so well, it’s time to close the deal. Your tone of voice changes, you become a bit pushier, and you probably revert to some kind of scripted closing speech you’ve used before.

The target notices the abrupt change and feels tricked, rushed, or pressured, and they’ll immediately back off and start putting up defenses or making excuses about why they’re not ready to use your service. The second you switched into sell mode you created their resistance to buying! The moral of the story: don’t change the style that’s working for you: retain that friendly conversational style (or whatever communication style is working) right through the sales process.

4. Don’t rush them.

Many of us are brought up in the traditional school of sales thinking that if you let the target get off the phone, then all is lost. So we get pushy and try to stop them from hanging up, forgetting entirely that there is an actual person with actual responsibilities on the other end of the line, who might be busy with a project or stressed about something else entirely.

Pick up on the human cues—does the person sound like they’re concentrating on what you’re saying, or are they preoccupied and trying to get away? If the latter, then you have to ask what you possibly think you’ll achieve by having this chat right now? Ask them what a better time to chat is, and reschedule the call to show that you understand they’re busy.

If you can learn to enjoy and value the sales side of your job rather than fear it, you will become a top-billing recruiter in record time.

Until next time,

Cheryl

Introverts often get a bad wrap in the employment world, with popular stereotypes insisting that introverts are unsociable, shy, aloof, and pathologically averse to working in groups.

Hmmm. With 50% of the human population falling predominantly on the introverted side of the spectrum, does this really mean that fully half of us are shy, unsociable, and terrible team players?

Well, of course not! No workplace or community could even function if one in two people were so terribly anti-social.  So there’s obviously something very wrong with the way we think about introverts. And when we consider that introverts get badly discriminated against in interviews because of these outdated stereotypes, it becomes very apparent that we’re missing a trick here.

The truth is, introverts are just as good candidates as extroverts, and as it happens, a lot better at certain things. When you look at it closely, you realise there are loads of reasons why your client might actually prefer an introverted candidate.

So what are introverts and extroverts?

The popular understanding is that extroverts gain their energy from interacting with others, while introverts are drained of energy by interacting with others. There’s the first problem: this isn’t exactly true.

It’s been proven that both introverts and extroverts gain energy from interacting with people and situations. The difference is that an introvert will find the noise and bustle of such interactions ultimately tiring and will need time on their own afterwards.

Why should your client love introverts?

1. They listen.

Extroverts often dominate conversation, where introverts are famously good listeners. They don’t like hogging the spotlight, so they free up space for others to speak and share ideas.  This is one of the many reasons that extroverts make good managers: they allow others to shine. They’re also good at receiving feedback.

2. They’re intrinsically motivated, not extrinsically.

Even if they’ve met the targets or got their bonus they’ll still keep trying to meet their own personal standards. Now that’s a powerful attribute.

3. Introverts often outperform extroverts over time.

Extroverts often shine in groups at first due to their confidence and big personalities, but as the shine wears off they often fail to perform to the high expectations of their arrival, and their status in the group declines. Introverts, on the other hand, tend to generate low expectations and have comparably low status when they join an employer because they tend to undersell themselves in interviews, but their performance and status tend to rise over time.

4. They love planning and detail.

Introverts will plan towards success, rather than ‘wing it’, and have very good risk assessment capabilities.

5. They are humble.

Introverts are generally more aware of their limitations, and they don’t like to boast.  You won’t get empty promises with an introvert, or wild unsubstantiated claims about the results they’ll get.

6. They think before they speak.

It’s a real attribute to pause to think before acting in pressure situations. For an introvert, this careful consideration comes naturally-another reason why introverts make good managers.

7. They are ultra-focussed and find the flow in their work.

No half-finished jobs for introverts, or skipping from task to task, or trips back out to the tea room for a chat every time they get bored or lonely.  You want a job done quickly and with great attention to detail? Give it to an introvert in a quiet room!

8. Their great ideas are often greater.

Because introverts can spend hours solely focussed on one task, the chances of them hitting on a great idea is better. The deeper we go into a task, the more we connect with it—and the more brilliant ideas come forth. Albert Einstein, a well-known introvert, claimed ‘It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s that I stay with problems longer’.

9. Introverts have high-quality networks.

Extroverts might have larger networks by numbers, but introverts generally have better-quality networks made up of solid relationships. This may be the reason that introverts often outperform extroverts in sales.

Introverts and extroverts both have their fantastic qualities in the workplace, but introverts have long been selected against by hiring managers and recruiters. We need to urgently update our preconceptions of introverts and embrace their many strengths if we want our teams, our clients, and our businesses to succeed.

Until next time

Cheryl

Chances are that if you’re reading this article, you’ve been wondering lately if you’re on the right path in your current recruitment job.  Are you on the way to hitting your ultimate career goals, or are they just drifting further out of sight with each passing year?

Recruitment can be a tough industry at times, with the high pressure, skill shortages, and intense competition between recruiters often contributing to high levels of stress in recruitment professionals.  Sometimes this stress can act to mask whether you’re really heading in the right direction with your career.

Perhaps you’re not making enough placements because of a downturn in your sector, maybe your boss is making your life hell, you might have been passed over for promotion, or you’ve lost the enthusiasm for finding new clients that you had in the beginning.

These things all sound pretty rough, right? But even if you’re plodding along in a familiar job, also remember that sometimes being stuck in a comfortable rut is just as dangerous for your career as being in a ‘bad’ job. Both paths end in personal stagnation- and if you let yourself stagnate for too long, your career dreams will be seriously derailed.

For lots of us at this time of year, it can be hard to figure out whether what we’re experiencing is valid.  Is it time to move jobs, or are we actually just suffering from a bad dose of the mid-year blues?

It’s worth taking stock of our careers regularly to assess where we’ve come from, where we are, and what we need to do to take us where we want to be. Here are some powerhouse tips for getting your career back on track.

It’s time to build your skills

1. Ask your manager if there’s any money allocated for training and development.

Access any existing company funds to build your skill set. If there’s no budget, consider self-funding or government supported training.

2. Start your own programme of informal training.

3. You don’t need to sit in an evening class or pay for courses to revolutionise your career— there is an enormous amount of skill you can build for free just by accessing a library or the internet. Read books by successful salespeople and follow social media of inspirational entrepreneurs, athletes, or star recruiters.

4. Find a mentor.

5. To benefit from the advice of a good mentor is one of the most transformative career experiences possible. Luckily, many successful people are generous with those who seek out their help, so seek out someone who you personally look up to, or someone who offers mentoring services in your area.

6. Think specifically about the job you want, and then set yourself a rigid deadline to get yourself ready.

Look at your dream job’s required skills- how many of the competencies do you already have? Where do you fall short? What training will you have to do to reach that goal? To avoid ‘wobbling’ from the goal over time, book and pay for any courses in advance so you feel you have non-negotiable targets and gain valuable momentum.

7. Break your goals up into bites-sized pieces.

When we spend time idly daydreaming about our goals, we often spend a lot of time fixating on how wonderful it will be to get that job/promotion/novel published etc, and too little time breaking the dream down into actionable chunks. Human motivation almost always falters when we don’t have regular success, so if you allow your dream to remain all hazy and lovely, you’re very unlikely to ever reach it. Create regular milestones, with regular rewards- the momentum of success is what propels you to the finish line! Perhaps you want to become the top biller in your team, or get promoted to senior management by next year. If so, how are you going to get there? Plan your course carefully, then chase your dream like crazy.

8. Ask your current manager what you’re doing well, and what you could improve.

Even if you’re planning to move on, this question is valuable to give you a challenge to improving the weaker aspects of your performance, as well as give you an indicator of what kind of reference you might get.  Do not allow yourself to react badly to this requested feedback, no matter what you hear— it’s all an opportunity to turn your performance around and get a great reference.

9. Surround yourself with successful people, and emulate them.

This goes beyond traditional career mentorship, as the people you choose can be from any field, or any walk of life. Choose to spend time with positive and ambitious people who have a fire to succeed, and you’ll soon find yourself infected with their enthusiasm and positive habits.

It’s natural to have highs and lulls in our careers. Sometimes we hit a bit of a wall where exciting opportunities seem lost, the stress of recruitment overwhelms us or our enthusiasm wanes, but all you need to get back on track is a solid plan and the will to succeed.

Until next time,

Cheryl

It’s been a nervous few months for lots of us in the recruitment trade, with so much uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the possible havoc a leave vote might wreak on the employment landscape.

For some of us, Brexit seemed a grand victory, for others, a great blow— while the great many of us just watched with bated breath to see how the UK exiting the EU would affect our careers, the recruitment industry, and the wider UK economy.

So, it’s now months since Britain voted to leave the EU on June the 23rd. What’s happened so far? And how can we, as recruiters, continue to succeed in a volatile employment market?

The Job Market Post-Brexit

It’s far too soon to tell what the long-term economic outcome will be for Britain, but there are definitely things to be hopeful about.

Jobs data was very good in June, with an Adzuna report revealing that there were 1.158 million jobs created in June, and that the UK economy was still growing in the immediate lead-up to Brexit.

Furthermore, data released in June showed that the unemployment rate had dropped to an 11 year low, at 4.9%.

In short, both jobseekers and recruiters are starting out in a very good position, even if July’s figures seem to point to permanent placements dropping in July post-Brexit.

But what if July’s drop is just the beginning of more bad news for recruiters?

During any time of change, there is potential. There’s potential to mark yourself out at one of the great recruiters, or potential to languish at the bottom, blaming Brexit for your poor turn of fortunes if things do go bad.

One thing is clear. Great recruiters will do well no matter what the economic climate, so the key is to make yourself one of the greats so you can immunise yourself against any shocks that might come.

You can only look after yourself, to develop your skills to the maximum so that you are the recruiter that everyone wants.

How to Make More Placements in Spite of Brexit

1. Have you truly maximised your network?

By that I mean have you looked at every contact, both personal and professional, then extended your search outwards from each one, utilising your contacts’ contacts? Have you updated your testimonials and requested all the referrals you can? Only in this way can you maximise both your client leads and your candidate leads to their utmost potential.

2. Are your talent mapping skills top-notch?

Don’t field this off to an assistant or intern- you need to delve deeply into your industry and related industries to map all the key players, rising stars and influencers. Don’t just plan for this year, project as long into the future as you can.

3. Are you marking yourself out as ‘someone with information’?

Follow industry publications, get abreast with recruiting trends, know the latest technology. You need to keep abreast of the latest economic predictions and know how to assuage clients’ fears about Brexit and the future. If you mark yourself at as ‘someone who knows’, people will listen, and will choose you over a recruiter who just gives the same old patter.

4. Are you working for a recruitment firm that is well-prepared for economic shocks?

Does your firm have big clients that will probably weather any storm? Do your upper management project an aura of hope for the future? Do they have a plan?

5. Have you considered a change in sector?

If you’re working in a more unstable sector which has seen poor activity recently, it might be worth considering a switch to a booming sector.

6. Have you tried other tactics?

Have you sat down and properly examined the way you pitch clients, or approach passive candidates? Start building your pitch repertoire and watch how star performers operate. Don’t spend too much time planning though- it can all too easily turn into procrastination, and the only way you can get results is to get out there and talk to people!

7. Are you making yourself known?

This is the time to attend seminars, conferences and networking events, as well as joining facebook groups and professional forums. Don’t just join, participate.

It’s a good idea to extend your normal circle of events, and begin to move outside your industry to attend generic networking events – you never know when a CEO you meet at a breakfast event might get fed up with their recruiter.

No matter how you voted in Brexit, or how the result made you feel, there’s no use in having anything other than a positive attitude. Your mindset about the future will affect your future, so you need to dig deep and make a name for yourself as one of the great recruiters.

Until next time,

Cheryl

Graduation is an exciting time, but for many of you the future that looms after you walk out of the university doors for the last time can feel quite uncertain. Which career should you pick, which employer should you apply for, which path will lead you to success?

These days, so many of your contemporaries have undergraduate degrees that it can be hard to decide what to do next so you can stand out from the pack. Do you want to enrol in further studies, take a year off to travel, or launch yourself straight into the workforce and work your way up? So many choices!

But what if you haven’t even decided on your career at all, you don’t have the money or inclination to travel, and the idea of opening another textbook makes you feel positively ill?

A career in recruitment is a great choice for new graduates.

For many graduates, recruitment is their first choice—offering a career that’s fast-paced, potentially very lucrative, and full of exciting networking opportunities.  Yet even if you’re not so sure it’s a long-term career, it’s a brilliant option for those wanting to get a foothold in the workforce and amass some fantastic skills, quick-smart.

The advantages of a recruitment career

1. It’s easy to get into.

There are normally a lot of jobs available, with a wide range of sectors to choose from, and no specific degree you need to enter.

2. You can make a lot of money.

And just how much you make…is up to you. Time and effort in= Rewards. Recruitment is a target driven environment and if this excites you then you will be well rewarded as a recruiter.

3. You learn how to network like a boss.

You will learn how to talk to everyone you meet, and figure out who’s connected to who, who might be looking for an opportunity, and who the big players are.   You get to take candidates out for coffee, pitch for new business in city boardrooms, and chat to candidates at job fairs.

4. You learn how to sell.

Selling is a highly-prized skill that will stand you in excellent stead no matter what job you end up in.

5. You get a huge sense of satisfaction.

You know that your job matters- that the staff you place can make the difference between a company’s success and failure, and that you can transform a candidate’s life for the better by finding them a great role.

6. You learn to be uber-organised.

Your day will move between emailing, calling clients and candidate coffee dates to attending networking events and talent mapping so you know who to approach next. It’s all go in a recruitment career, and it’s exciting.

7. You get quite a lot of autonomy in your work.

If you don’t like to be micromanaged, a recruitment career can be a very good choice.  Your supervisor will give you targets and advice, but a recruiter is generally fairly free to follow their own path to get to the goal (as long as you produce results.) The more success you have, the more leeway you’re given!

8. You will meet a wide array of people who are doing interesting things.

In a diverse recruitment career you’ll meet all sorts of people from academics to innovators, from artists to engineers.

9. You’ll learn so very much about many jobs, in many industries. 

It’s fascinating to get an insight into how different workplaces function, as well as different industries. If you’re only considering recruitment as a short-term career choice, this insight into different occupations and corporate cultures can be immensely valuable so you can plot your own next move.

10. You’ll learn a lot about people.

You will see candidates at their most nervous, and their most euphoric. You’ll deal with clients who want to hug you, and ones that will put all the blame for a bad hire at your feet. Every single client and candidate interaction you have is building your people-skills.

11. You will have endless variety in your work.  

There’s a constant motion of new opportunities and people, meaning that it is impossible to get bored as long as you’re putting genuine effort in and recognising all the potential around you.

12. You will learn to interview brilliantly.

Think about it- not only will you learn how to interview candidates, but you’ll also get a lot of knowledge about where candidates often go wrong.  Imagine how this information might come in handy in your own future job interviews!

13. People will always want to be on your good side! 

We all look for great jobs throughout our career, and everyone knows the value of a great recruiter.

14. You’ll become a whiz at technology and using different forms of communication.
Recruiting tools such as software and databases are constantly changing, while you’ll also be communicating with candidates via social media and job platforms.

15. There are great opportunities to fast-track your career.

Because there are no degree requirements or heavy training programs, you’ll know just how good you are within a matter of months- and if you’ve got clear potential, you’ll quickly be promoted.

Recruitment is therefore a superb career choice for graduates who want to find a job easily, make money fast, get promoted quickly, build diverse skills, and have an exciting career full of interesting people and worthwhile work.

Until next time,

Cheryl

If there is one single personality trait that marks certain recruiters out for success above all others, it is mental strength, often referred to as resilience.

The mental strength required to persevere, negotiate obstacles, and bounce back from rejection is crucial to success in a competitive industry, and those who display this mental toughness really shine in recruitment.

Luckily, resilience can (and should be) learnt and heavily cultivated, just as any other skill in your professional arsenal.

The key to why mentally tough recruiters have such successful careers comes down to the powerful traits of resilience. Let’s have a look at some of those, and it might help to consider how many of these mindsets or behaviours you already display, and which ones might need a little work.

1. Mentally tough people don’t take rejection personally or beat themselves up about their mistakes.

Instead, they choose to see any setbacks as a learning experience that will make them better in the future. This upbeat attitude in the face of perceived ‘failure’ may seem an impossible ask for those of you who feel each mistake or rejection painfully.

The thing is if you can reframe each setback by assessing what you’ve learnt and how you might do things differently next time, then you are well on the way to mastering resilience.

2. Resilient people generally have a back-up plan.

Many of us come up with an idealistic plan A, and emotionally put all our eggs in one basket— whether that’s signing the lucrative client, forecasting overly optimistic placements, or getting that ideal promotion.

A mentally tough person, on the other hand, will have a Plan B, Plan C and possibly even a Plan D to fall back on, so they never flounder about panicking and wondering where it all went wrong.

3. Mentally strong people don’t give up.

Again, that might seem easier said than done, but if you have learnt to follow steps 1 and 2 above, then giving up just wouldn’t make sense!

Why would you give up if you view setbacks as learning opportunities, and you’ve already put back up plans in place? Resilient people might (and often do) adapt their plan to suit changing events and setbacks, but they don’t give up on the end goal.

4. Resilient people don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

Because they have strong self- belief and don’t blame themselves harshly when things go wrong (see point 1), they don’t wonder ‘why me?’; they simply shift gears and implement a new strategy.

‘Every day’s a school day’ is a common thought pattern in resilient people, who pick themselves up, learn what they can about the experience, and move on.

5. Mentally tough people love a challenge.

Where most people shy away from or dread ‘difficult’ situations such as calling that angry client or headhunting an executive who is firmly resisting the recruiter’s advances, a resilient person will rise to the challenge and even look forward to it as an interesting exercise.

Try changing the way you think about issues: if you can start to mentally re-label a ‘problem’ as an ‘exciting challenge’ or a ‘crisis’ as an ‘opportunity’, then you are actively retraining your brain to positively engage with an issue rather than waste time fearing it.

6. Resilient people desperately want to keep growing.

Because they’ve realised from experience what they can achieve if they try, they throw themselves into new activities and new circles of people to push themselves. It is not necessarily that they don’t fear these things, just that they don’t allow the fear to overtake them because they believe any failure they may encounter is both temporary and helpful.

7. Mentally tough people have strong self-belief.

This is the core aspect that all the other traits of resilience seem to flow from, so it can feel daunting to achieve if your self-confidence is a bit low to start with.

However, the only way only way that self-confidence can be built is by trying new things, pushing yourself, changing your thinking, and rising to challenges.

 
All of these resilience activities build self-belief, which then builds more resilience, and more self-belief. It’s a virtuous circle!

If you’re a person who currently fears failure, takes rejection personally, gives up often, puts difficult things off, and often doubts yourself, then this list might seem impossible to achieve.
The thing is, you can quickly learn these traits of resilience yourself, no matter what your starting point is. The brain is an athlete, and when it is trained right it can accomplish things you never thought possible.

Develop and practice the traits of resilience until mentally strong responses to challenges becomes like second nature. If you are mentally tough, you simply cannot fail.

Until next time,

Cheryl

You hear it in their voice over the phone, see it in their eyes in a meeting, or read it in the lack of enthusiasm and slow replies to your emails. Your prospect—the big client you are desperately wanting to sign on—is bored by your pitch.

The problem is, they’ve heard it all before, and recruitment companies are all starting to blend into one for them. In their minds, one recruiter might have a more attractive pricing structure, but in this competitive market they know that another company will soon match it.

What they’re looking for is something that elevates your recruitment services above the pack.

Stop! You’re going about this all wrong.

You need to make it about them, not you. Social proof (testimonials etc) and detailed service information is important, but that’s for later in your pitch.

If you want them to sit up in their chair and actually engage with the service you’re offering, you need to hit them with the information that matters: how your recruiting service and the candidates you can bring will transform their business.

Ways to revamp your sales pitch

Point out challenges their business or wider industry might be facing, and how your recruitment solutions fill that gap.

Be precise, use quantifiable examples of your past success, and leave no doubt in their minds that you have carefully considered their business and that you are the recruiter to best serve their interests.

Don’t talk about how great you are- show them how great you’ll be for them.

Talk about current market and recruitment trends-and how this might affect their business.

We are facing a time of immense change and volatility, so you need to mark yourself out as highly informed in their industry and ready to adapt your recruitment offering to anything their business might be facing.

By starting your pitch with some fascinating statistics or market projections, you capture their attention and teach them something, thereby setting yourself up as an expert and developing trust. #easytodo #lookongoogle

Include a case study with proven past results.

Include an example of where you achieved solid results for a company (ideally a competitor or at least in the same industry.) Use powerful, quantifiable results and discuss how you helped the business overcome a problem. Ideally you should choose a case study with a problem that your prospect is also likely to be facing, such as skill shortage or a declining market.

Cut the content short.

If it’s a face-to-face meeting, then go easy (very easy) on the PowerPoint slides, and please scrap mission statements and company photos etc. To be brutally honest, they probably don’t care.

Remember, this meeting is not an opportunity for you to talk about your business, it is an opportunity for you to talk about theirs and discuss how you can work together for their success. If it’s an email, put powerful points in bullet-form, and don’t feel the need to include everything- there will be plenty of time for that in a later meeting if you get this pitch right. Same goes for detailed service descriptions: keep them for a follow-up meeting, not your initial pitch.

Ask them questions to get them engaged.

You might have a good prediction of what their challenges are, but you’re an outsider and it’s ultimately them who is best-placed to explain their business concerns, goals and obstacles.

So after you’ve opened the pitch with the points above, ask a couple of key questions- perhaps whether they’ve experienced any fallout from market volatility, or whether the case study you mention has any similarities to their business.

If your pitch has been as engaging as it should have been, then they’ll be itching to explain their own experiences- and this is the ideal time for you to capitalise by explaining how your recruitment strategies will benefit them. (This two-way conversation also gives you some brilliant inside information to formulate later pitches.)

Finish with social proof

Knowing that other big companies (particularly market-leading competitors) use your services is powerful and might be what gets you over the line. Save testimonials for last and keep them very short.

Pick a couple of stellar examples. When you send a follow-up email, include a link to your complete testimonials page if they want to read further.

If you’re using the same tired old pitch and getting tired hearing the same old ‘no thanks’, then it is time that you updated your pitch to focus on their story, not yours, and adapt your offering to current market conditions.

Until next time,

Cheryl