You’re pitching to a client that can bring you tons of business, or trying to bag those great candidates you know you’ll easily place...but so is every other recruiter! You need to stand out from your competitors to bag the prizes.
Your Desk... Your Business
Treating your desk as if it’s your own business is a good way to start. Small business owners have so much passion, pride and enthusiasm which really makes them stand out. Take responsibility for your desk like it’s your personal business and really take ownership! Always remember, a candidate can become a client and a client can become a candidate.
How likely would they be to put their career move or hiring requirements in your hands after their experiences on the other side? Create your own brand that people recognise and respect. If your name is out there with good stories you’re sure to pick up more clients and candidates than if no-one knows your name, or worse know who you are for all the wrong reasons! If you impress your clients with your brand, you’ll be in a good position to barter for exclusivity.
Give A Damn
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” is not the motto to live your recruitment life by. To be a successful recruiter you need to give a damn about your clients and candidates and everything that comes with them.
One of my favourite parts of recruitment is calling a candidate to tell them they have the job and sharing their excitement as they step into the next chapter of their career! Showing your candidates and clients that you care about what happens to their career, team or business will allow them to see you as a human rather than just a recruiter.
People buy into people, if they see that you care about them rather than just than just their addition to your bank balance, they are more likely to choose you over your competitor who reeks of desperation. Ask questions, find out what matters the most and try your best to make that happen, or if you can’t, be honest and say that! The little things will earn you the respect that you need to win!
Specialise
“You specialise in something until one day you find it is specialising in you.”
- Arthur Miller
Being a jack of all trades isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in recruitment clients want to deal with recruiters who know a lot about a specific subject, rather than someone who knows a little about a lot of subjects.
Take IT recruitment for example; the terminology used is terrifying if you don’t know what it is. I mean, could you write codes in all of these: A#, A+, C, C--, C++, C#, APL, .NET, LINQ, XML, HTML, Java, Javascript? Those are just a fraction of the languages! If your client is looking for someone with experience in C# and you give them candidates with A+, they’re not going to be the right fit.
Think of it like this: you’re looking for directions and you ask someone in English, they respond to you in French, you don’t speak French... you’re left feeling confused and none the wiser as to what direction you should be headed! Being a specialist recruiter gives your clients and candidates faith that you’ll find the right match for them given your understanding of the market. When you have built up your specialist brand, you’ll find you need to do less business development which is always great.
Get started with these tips today and you’re on track for a great second half of the year!
