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The Environment

The market conditions may have changed but the basic goal of recruiting hasn’t... it is still about winning the talent war and gaining competitive advantage by having better people.

The disappearance of the dot-coms and the shrinking ranks of many technology vendors has alleviated the critical shortage of people for those companies that remain but it hasn’t entirely solved the problem nor has it eliminated the need for talent.

In many cases companies are seeking to upgrade their storehouse of talent and must be able to sift through the swelling ranks of available candidates to identify the truly talented.

Also, the current sluggish economy has made top-performing candidates (the classic passive candidate we all seek) reluctant to leave their current positions and pursue new opportunities which places greater emphasis on the recruiter’s sales abilities.

It will be even more critical to drill down with candidates to identify the competencies required for success. The older paradigms of recruiting can no longer satisfy the demands of today’s sales recruiting environment.

Companies must create an operating environment that supports the kind of recruiting we’re describing and attracts and keeps the kinds of recruiters we’re profiling. Here are some of the characteristics we compare and contrast between the “old” and “new” ways to execute recruiting:

Recruiting Paradigms

Selection Strategies, Inc. ©1999

The Model Sales Recruiter

It’s important to begin by defining the role because we must distinguish between types of recruiters. There are myriad of roles that can be broadly labeled as “recruiter” ranging from Sourcers to Executive Recruiter.

The role we are discussing and recommending is the most senior incarnation and most closely aligned to the Executive Recruiter. This internal recruiter works directly and collaboratively with the line management team and functions as a surrogate manager.

The image of recruiters that most people think of is either the classic “headhunter” or the internal “administrative” variety. Neither one of these adequately addresses the environment we’ve described.

The “headhunter” represents too much of the “Teller” profile. They possess little consultative ability and tend to view recruiting purely as a numbers game – the “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” approach. This is the kind of recruiter who is always “pitching” opportunities but never really qualifies the candidate or thoroughly analyzes the position to assess the best fit.

The internal type is most analogous to the “Farmer” profile -- pleasant, cooperative, and helpful but passive and often struggling for access to management and credibility outside of HR. These recruiters are often facilitators of the process, taking on many of the administrative and logistical details but generally not driving the process or proactively prospecting for candidates.

These models don’t represent examples of two extremes as much as they illustrate common practice. The profile we seek is most closely aligned with the “Hunter” & “Partner” models. Why? Because it represents the characteristics that ensure the recruiter can and will do the following critical things:

1. Cares about winning – sees the nature of their role as engaging in a war for talent. Cares passionately about getting the best people and believes that they are selling the best opportunity. Simply put...they’re Competitive!

 

2. Can assess talent – can systematically identify, judge, categorize and attract talent to the company. Can accurately assess a candidate’s capabilities and is seen as a “good judge of horse flesh.”

 

3. Can triangulate – can effectively intersect the needs & interests of the company and the candidate while selling against competitive opportunities. Is effective at positioning the company and its opportunities and can credibly articulate its value, culture, history and differentiation.

 

4. Sees the big picture – sees beyond the immediate needs and their own personal objectives and looks out for the best interest of the company and the candidate. Doesn’t discard talent but, thinking strategically, steers candidates better suited for other roles to other parts of the company or keeps lines of communication open.

 

5. Networks – develops, cultivates and leverages a personal & professional network that yields candidates, sources, leads and referrals.

It is the combination of competitive motivation, judgment skills about people and situations and sales skills that distinguish the profile of the Sales Recruiter.

Current recruiters should be evaluated on their performance and how well it corresponds to these requirements and future recruiters assessed on their alignment to the profile. Candidates for sales recruiting roles may be found in several difference sources:

• Former or current salespeople
• Aspiring salespeople
• Former or current line managers
• Executive recruiters who also had business development/sales responsibilities

We have had success with former military officers who were aspiring sales people. Junior Military Officer who have decided to leave the service and pursue opportunities in the civilian sector and were seeking sales positions make good recruiter candidates.

Their assessment skills have been honed in the leadership roles they fulfilled in the military service and the exposure to a sales oriented role serves as a good training ground for those aspiring to transition into a full-fledged sales position.

The current conditions in the marketplace, while they may be favorable to employers, should not be permitted to lead to complacency. Some companies may be lulled into thinking that the stream of candidates will never run dry and that they will always be in the driver’s seat (didn’t we also think the NASDAQ would hit 5000 and just keep going up?) but most of us know that these things run in cycles.

Companies committed to market leadership and dominance do the right things all the time and companies seeking to stay ahead in the war for talent will continue to adopt practices that give them a competitive advantage. Hiring a sales recruiter that can provide that edge is an excellent first step!

Source: By Ross Rich, Managing Principal, Selection Strategies, Inc.