I was watching a video on Youtube the other night about the habits of successful people. What rang out loud and clear was that learning and the habit of reading were two core pillars for success.
The three people I watched where Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates; not too shabby when it comes to success, are they?
I’m an avid reader myself and always have at least one book on the go, and I can track ideas from books I’ve read to bringing on board clients and placing amazing candidates over the last 17 years that I have worked in recruitment and rec2rec.
Time To Start and Here Is Why
If you haven’t developed reading and then acting on the information as a habit yet; it’s time to start; especially if you want to grow in your role as a standout recruiter.
A recent post on the famous development blog, Lifehacker, shared some examples of why people who read a lot are much more likely to be successful:
- They set goals
- Spend time wisely
- They increase focus
- They have a perspective
- They stay fresh and educated
- They have improved memory
….. and the list goes on.
5 books for your reading list in today’s competitive world of recruiting
1. Think and Grow Rich
An oldie and yet classic. Think and Grow Rich was written in 1937 by Napoleon Hill and sold as a personal development and self-improvement book.
Though it is about increasing income (well we are all recruiters, right?), its basic premise is that it can help people succeed in any line of work, to do and be anything they can imagine.
It’s a fantastic book.
Napolean Hill died in 1970 and by that time more than 20 million copies had been sold.
The latest sales figure I could find was that by 2015 over 100 million copies had been sold, plus many millions more downloaded for free. Let me explain.
Because of the way the publishing world works (copyright expiry) you can now download it for free as a PDF here.
2. The Psychology of Persuasion
In previous blogs, we have shared some of Professor Cialdini’s principles of influence. This book is a bible for anyone serious about persuasion and influence; the backbone of sales.
If you’ve never read this classic study on the psychology of persuasion, now is the perfect time to settle in with Dr Robert Cialdini. The Journal of Marketing Research has called Influence “among the most important books written in the last ten years.”
Based on decades of peer-reviewed research, Cialdini explores the psychology of why people say “yes,” then provides practical ways to leverage this knowledge in business and beyond; fantastic!
You can find it on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle here.
3. The Challenger Sale
Sales are changing across the globe, and this book explains how to tap into the shift. As people have more choice, (by the way, recruitment is more competitive than ever with over 40,000 companies now registered in the UK).
This book addresses a better way to approach both clients and candidates. The thing is, how you sell has become more important than what you sell.
(Challengers have) a deep understanding of the customer’s business and use that understanding to push the customer’s thinking and teach them something new about how their company can compete more effectively; in our case when it comes to growing their team.
You can get a copy on Amazon here.
4. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
This is a great book for recruiters because in the recruitment and staffing sector our sales ability must deliver in two areas, i.e. for our clients and candidates.
Though 360 recruitment is getting a bad wrap, currently it’s still the preferred option of many recruitment companies.
To sell is human is by Dan Pink, the bestselling business author, and this particular book provides a different take on the ‘art and science of selling’.
What I love is Dan starts with the unexpected idea that everyone is selling something—whether they’re pitching new ideas to colleagues, asking investors to provide funding, or convincing students to study in the classroom…… or drum roll…. convincing a candidate that a role in a specific company might just change their life.
Based on that concept, we can all hone our sales skills to become more successful. The book has tons of research that is fascinating and reveals some different ideas on being successful in a sales-led role. You can find Dan Pink’s book here on Amazon.
5. Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide To Filling Your Pipeline
Jeb Blount is one of the most sought-after sales speakers in the world today; he is even called the next Zig Ziglar which is praise indeed and his book ‘Fanatical Prospecting’ is a real gem.
Being successful as a recruiter isn’t rocket science. There are some simple tasks and strategies that when deployed consistently, work. The trouble is a good billing month can see even the best recruiter relax or at least take their foot off the gas…. DON’T STOP!
The brutal fact is the number one reason for failure in sales is an empty pipeline, and the cause of an empty pipeline is the failure to prospect consistently.
As a recruiter that refers to prospecting for both clients and roles to fill AND the ideal candidate that our clients are looking for; it’s more than possible too.
By ignoring the muscle of prospecting, many otherwise great recruiters consistently underperform.
What Next? Read and Then Act
Reading is one thing. Taking one or two nuggets from what you have learnt and then applying them is something different.
Of course, that is what you are going to do, isn’t it? I hope so because it’s amazing what’s on the other side of learning and acting!
Until next time,
Cheryl
