By GSR2R Admin | 10th December 2020

Why tough recruitment markets  bring out the best in you.

Let‘s be honest. Working as a recruiter is not the easiest of professions. You must make a sale with your client and then carry out your own fulfilment by sourcing a candidate to nail the deal. 

Then last year COVID comes along when you thought 2020 was going to be your year! 

All doom and gloom? No, not really because recruiters are a special breed. Years of being in a challenging sector hone people like us to step up and deliver no matter what; and here are a few reasons why. 

We set goals, and we take massive action 

I have spoken to literally thousands of recruiters over the past twenty years. There are a few things that set the stars apart from others. 

1. They are competitive! 

2. They set their own goals 

3. They do not need a billing manager to give them KPIs; they work to their own. 

In a recent post on setting short term goals, I shared how important goal setting is now post the pandemic. Though it might have changed this year, goal setting is still the secret strategy of every successful recruiter I have ever met. 

They know and understand the energy equation and how energy in will equal energy out. For the geeks among you, it is based on Newton’s third law of motion. Whenever two objects interact, they exert equal and opposite forces on each other. This is often worded as ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction‘. 

So, when you are making the calls, sending the emails, and following up, you will eventually get a result. 

We Are Social Animals 

Recruitment is a people business. Not only do we do this job well because we like helping people; we do it because we love working and connecting with people too. 

Time and again, individuals and communities have demonstrated that the worst situations bring out the best in people and the organisations where they work. 

Because we are great connectors, this gives us another advantage too. Let me explain.  

We Can Use Our Networks 

Being social means that most of us have many more connections than we realise. When we experience times like these, our connections want to help us too. Maybe it’s a phone number you have lost, or an introduction or a recommendation on LinkedIn. 

A friend of mine always says our network is our net worth and he is right. If you are not utilising your network, then do it now; you just might be surprised how it might help. 

We Never Give Up 

I have said it before, and I will say it again. We are a tough bunch. Who hasn‘t had hundreds of unanswered calls or the delightful experience of being trolled online, or being hung up on? 

And as a recruiter, we know this is all part of pushing through. 

We understand that not every client truly appreciates what our service can do for them to make sure they get the right people in their organisation – we get it’s our job to keep calling until we can get through. 

And for candidates, trusting a recruiter could be the difference in getting a job you love or hate. 

We Follow Our Process That Works 

If there is one thing recruiters know it is to follow a BD process that works. This means leaving no stone unturned. 

Whenever you are looking for business, always go back to your current, past, and lapsed clients. 

Don’t listen to the moaners and groaners who complain that nobody is recruiting.  

Fact: Companies are recruiting; you just need to dig a little deeper. 

As a first start, talk to your current clients. They might not have had anything for you in April, and we are nearly six months down the line. Things are different now. 

Then go back to past clients and those companies you didn’t convert first time round. 

In sales training ‘speak’ these people are known as the low hanging fruit. They are not cold to you and are more likely to say yes as they are further along the buyer’s cycle, so you are more likely to get the job order you want. 

We Learn to Get Better and Never Make Excuses 

Then finally we are avid learners. If something isn’t working like it used to, we roll up our sleeves and learn what to do to make it better.  

No excuses are allowed on our watch. 

We sign up for the webinars; we go over our training again; we practice, and we get better. 

Until next time, 

Cheryl