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by Bill Radin
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The
Recruiter's Digest
Recruiting
News, Training & Commentary by Bill Radin |
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December, 2004 |
Do You Paint Word Pictures?
What's
the best way to "relate"
to your candidates? This topic touched off a scorching debate at a
recent recruiting seminar.
We all know that your choice of words, syntax and telephone demeanor
need to fit your candidates'
temperament. Otherwise, you could fail to convey your ideas accurately,
or even worse, create a negative impression.
For example, when speaking with foreign-born candidates, it's
best to limit your use of slang. A person with limited English skills
may view your pre-interview instructions to
"knock
'em dead"
as overly aggressive, or at the very least, counterproductive. Likewise,
too much outbound chatter may overload a candidate lacking in attention
span or conceptual capacity.
And from what I'm told, the use of
visual imagery or descriptive devices such as metaphors, analogies or
comparisons can actually be the kiss of death to recruiters. According
to some of my seminar attendees, their candidates are interested in
three things only: technology, money and the opportunity to improve
their skills. Any discussion of a client company's
business goals or corporate culture is superfluous, and a complete waste
of time.
When I asked the recruiters if their candidates were capable of any form
of communication other than the exchange of concrete data or monetary
demands, their answer was no. The recruiter's
function was simply to convey information. No rapport building, no
probing for hidden needs, no assessment of compatibility. In other
words, no selling. Just the facts.
All this flies in the face of my own experience. I've
found the more vivid my descriptions of job situations, hiring
managers and company objectives, the more I can connect with my
candidates, stimulate their interest and differentiate myself from other
recruiters, many of whom simply parrot the technical requirements found
on their client companies' job boards.
In other words, word pictures are my strongest allies in the battle
against statistics, superficialities and dullness.
But then, I haven't walked in the
moccasins of other recruiters. Which leads me to believe that each
recruiter (and each desk specialty) spawns a unique candidate
population. And that a nifty turn of phrase that works wonders with a
candidate of mine may not wear very well with yours.
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