So now we have come to the half way point of our discussion on what behavioral competencies a recruiting leader or organization must interview and select for when hiring recruiting talent. I call them the Great Eight (because there are 8 of them - how original of me huh?). In parts 1, 2 and 3 we discussed interaction, spoken communication and commitment to task.
When hiring a great recruiter it can be relatively obvious, or you can test for, what skills and knowledge a candidate has with respect to recruiting. Asking direct questions about past performance and the context in which that performance was achieved can also be an indicator of the type of talent you might have in front of you. But without peeling back the layers of the candidate and really understanding what lurks beneath the surface (motivation, self concept and trait) of a candidate you are likely to make significant mistakes in hiring recruiters. That said, let's move on to competency number four.
Insight and Needs Analysis: The ideal recruiter is able to 1) interpret verbal and non-verbal behavior, 2) develop accurate perception and understanding of the needs and values of others while using a systematic approach to gathering information, and 3) attempt to meet those needs through analysis and evaluation of alternative solutions.
Maybe these could be two separate competencies, but I couldn't find a good word to rhyme with nine so I put them together for the sake of poetry (just kidding). Perhaps no where in the recruiting profession is this behavior more important than in the profiling of talent. All too often, recruiters are too busy pitching a job rather than understanding the needs of the prospect.
For example, I get this kind of call all the time: "Hey Michael, my name is Joey Recruitemall with ABC Executive Search (or ABC Company). I am currently working with a Fortune 100 company to identify a high-performing, results-oriented leader to take their global talent acquisition team to the next level. I understand you are a smart guy who leads a successful recruiting practice, and I think you would be a great fit for this opportunity. Would you be interested or do you know anyone who would be?" Don't laugh, I actually got that call recently. I just changed the names to protect the innocent. The used car salesman flattery garbage aside, this is an absolutely awful call from a desperate recruiter who is just trying to fill a job.
High-performing passive talent will not leave their current situation unless they can get a better opportunity, are positioned for growth and trust that you, the recruiter, have their best interests at the front of your agenda. Even active candidates are offended by recruiters who put filling a job ahead of the candidate's needs. This means taking the time to be more interested in the talent than you are in filling a job.
The only way to accomplish this is to make the effort to fully understand the needs and interests of the prospects and candidates you talk to. If you've done your homework and gained a proper amount of competitive intelligence about the talent you are calling, you should know the person is talented, meaning you have some evidence that they are a high performer and that they posses special, often creative, mental or artistic gifts. Once that information has been gained, great recruiters use their intuition and engage in needs analysis — i.e., profiling — to find out who the talent is, what decision making criteria they will use to make a change, what their career wound is (Peter Leffkowitz terminology), if they are positioned for growth, how they will decide if the opportunity is better, when they might be open to moving, who influences their decision, etc.
Great recruiters get this information before even talking about a specific job or opportunity with a prospect or candidate. As a result, they fill more jobs with better talent for their company or bill more placements than their peers in third party. It's all about properly profiling the talent.
What's in your arsenal?
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