FIT Happens !

For years productive recruiters have relied on access to that special stack of resumes or a Rolodex of top candidates to recruit from for hard to fill positions. Since the 80s the drive behind recruitment technology has been an effort to replicate and scale this activity by storing these resumes in databases making them available through key word search.

It hasn’t worked.

Enter the assistance of third party recruitment professionals, headhunters who charge a fee to the hiring organization to find you and get you placed. 

If you are not willing or able to conduct your own personal negotiation with an interested hiring organization, the key is to know how headhunters think. They want one thing: to close the deal.  This is hopefully in synch with your motivation, but not always.  Remember they are working for the Company who pays them.

What headhunters like least is a passive candidate who doesn't state their requirements clearly. They want to know exactly what you want. They may not always be able to get it for you, but if it's reasonable, they will try to satisfy you (and the employer) to get the deal closed. So, if you make things black and white for this headhunter, its easier to work on your behalf.

Work with the headhunter, suggesting, "This is an offer that I'd have to take some time to think about. I'm not sure I'd accept it. If it were 4% higher, maybe $5k more, I'd accept it on the spot. In fact, if you can get the offer raised by $5k, you don't even need to call me back. You can tell them I accept... What do you think?"

Remember, your placement costs the Company real dollars when they work through a headhunter... make them earn it!  - The Careerpilot

If the headhunter thinks your number is off base, he'll tell you. He won't go back to his client with an unreasonable request. Remember who holds the chips in this hand you've been dealt. But he's not likely to drop-kick you out of the deal, either.

Rather, he'll try to convince you to take the offer as it stands. On the other hand, if he thinks there's wiggle room in the offer, and if he knows you will definitely take an offer $5k higher, he may go to bat for you.

When you empower your headhunter with a firm number that will guarantee your acceptance, you give him great power to close the deal. Make that commitment to him, and you'll quickly find out whether the extra bucks are possible. While every negotiation involves the risk of losing the deal altogether, it's a bit different when you've got a headhunter in the middle.

The offer could still be withdrawn because of your request. He'll either try to get you the money, or explain why it's not possible, thereby leaving you with the final choice.  Stay in control of your own career and how you are compensated.  You will be respected for that.

Interested, Qualified and Available…

At the end of the day recruiters deliver Interested, Qualified and Available candidates to the desktop of hiring managers. They source a set of candidates, qualify them, get their interest, present and hopefully close.

An individual should suspect the Company of compiling a pool of talent when they receive a position of interest by email--especially unsolicited.  If you choose to submit, you will typically be directed to a series of question specific to the position. These are answered by the candidate and immediately scored by the software managing the talent pool.

You might be amazed by the swiftness of the next step.  The candidates immediately receive a response telling them they are qualified or not for the position while simultaneously those who are Interested, Qualified and Available are sent to the desktop of the recruiter and hiring authority for the next step in the process.

Companies who have adopted this process have reported returning calls to qualified candidates in minutes upon submission. This is unique to the recruitment process, highly competitive, cost effective and from candidate reports very much appreciated.

We have been in a competitive market for talent and by all world demographic accounts the competition for talent will only increase. If this is true then the need for companies and organizations to control, manage and optimize talent supply cost, quality and effectiveness will become greater.  Technology continues to play an important role as it allows us to scale the important recruitment relationship we all as recruiters have built their practices and careers on.

We all must be challenged to understand and embrace new technology that can make us more productive and effective to the organizations we serve.

What we have, here, is the failure to merge two ineffective processes in to one very mutually advantageous one: Shared productivity in the world of recruitment. 

Recruitment can become a win-win proposition.  FIT HAPPENS !

– The Pilot

Bob Maher, The Careerpilot

Bob created his online presence, www.careerpilot.com, in 1994.  He has over twenty years of successful experience in Corporate Recruitment, performance management and Career Management Services.  He is an entrepreneur and innovator in the use of information technology in the recruitment and employment process.  On the Founder's Council of the Association of Career Professionals - International and quite active in their Professional Development, Technology and Chapter Growth initiatives--a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars.