Vincent Babcock

Some clients don't know what they don't know. It is CRUCIAL to set expectations upfront and be a true partner to them. Recruiters should be the industry experts and clients look to you for market data and insights into what you are seeing with candidates, salaries, etc. There is also a right way to address these issues as well. You want to come from a place of understanding and see things from their perspective while adding your professional opinion as well.

Contract Recruiters are the same as Full-Time Recruiters and are often used/hired during high volume hiring sprees or certain times of the year for high-turnover in certain industries/etc. Contract Recruiters normally can hit the ground running and don’t take much training/ramp up time due to the short duration they could be working somewhere (3-6 months or so).

When reaching out to candidates, I always include all the important details that include salary band, location, titles, etc. AND ALWAYS ask if they aren’t interested or it isn’t the right fit, if they know of anyone in their network who may be a better fit. Referrals are such an easy way to unlock new talent and I have hired many people from referrals just as almost every other recruiter I know has.

When reaching out to candidates, I always include all the important details that include salary band, location, titles, etc. AND ALWAYS ask if they aren’t interested or it isn’t the right fit, if they know of anyone in their network who may be a better fit. Referrals are such an easy way to unlock new talent and I have hired many people from referrals just as almost every other recruiter I know has.

Using an ATS has so many benefits that most recruiters don’t even fully utilize. First, I agree with everything above totally. Posting jobs in different spots, reducing hiring bias, and increasing efficiency. Second, it is SO useful for the recruiting team to keep ALL candidate notes and updates in one spot. It also makes it super quick and efficient for ANYONE who has access to the ATS to go into a candidates profile and be able to track exactly where a candidate is in the process/etc. Overall, if you have an ATS, use it and use it often.

ALWAYS talk up your candidates when prepping for interviews. Let them know they are valuable and that the company is interviewing them JUST AS MUCH as the candidate is interviewing the company. I always tell my candidates to listen to the FULL question before they start to formulate an answer, because, that answer can change once the full question is stated. I also advise them to not just ramble on. If you don't have an answer just yet, ask for them to repeat the question or just take a second to gather your thoughts, then answer. It can be very easy to get worked up and nervous in an interview, but looking at interviews as a conversation rather than an interrogation can go a long ways.