Secret Number 2 in Successful Recruitment

Cold calling is one of the toughest activities recruiters face. Calling companies, passing the gatekeepers in a company to get the names of the professionals you need. And than, when you finally have your potential candidate on the phone to interest him or her for your job offers, which is probably successful 1 out of 10 times. Pretty waste of time, isnít it? Cold calling is one of the most time consuming activities in recruitment to get to know people, and them to get to know you.



This job is difficult, if you have no idea what youíre doing. This job frightens many recruiters because of their fear of being rejected, fear of failure. Thatís also why many recruiters stick to passive recruitment tools: advertising, career sites, their database search, and their own limited network. 90% of the recruiters stick to passive search tools and they loose business to the 10% pro-active recruiters. In recruitment, as in any other business, the winner takes all.

If you want to be a winner all youíve got to do is to make sure that your future candidates know you already. And that you already know the candidates you need tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

How? Easier than you think, more time consuming than youíd like. Here are actions which Iíve found work extremely well (this is an incomplete list, there certainly is much more):

1. Be help driven
Provide help without any expectation to receive something in return,

2. Become THE recruiter in your specialization
If you do IT vacancies, or Financial vacancies, make sure all the candidates and customers that matter know you,

3. Publish articles
So they read about you in the newspapers and magazines and they recognize you from your picture. That will give you a great start with both candidates as customers, donít you think?

4. Write humorous and informative
If you can make them laugh, if you can help them with interesting information they are ride on your side.

5. Attend business clubs
Where your potential candidates and customers join for networking and you deliver interesting speeches. You can talk about salaries (theyíll all love that),

6. Be a valuable source of information
For both your customers and your candidates in your field of expertise: providing salary information, new career opportunities, and new investors entering the market, shakers and moversÖ

7. Become a friend
And more than just a service provider. Nobody likes the cold-faced recruiter who is ìacting professionalî. Everybody wants a friend who is nice, who listens and who really helps.

8. Cherish and maintain your network
By contacting all your (potential) candidates, (potential) customers regularly with friendly messages. Asking them whether you can help. Sending them your best wishes, right from your heart.

9. Have the best recruitment software available
Supporting all your networking, and search activities. Being able to send personalized mass e-mails to reach hundreds of your customers and candidates in minutes.

10. Be a valuable source for both your (potential) candidates and for your (potential) customers. Did I mention this already?

If you make sure customers and candidates know you, you will fulfill any vacancy within a magic instant. Getting them to know you is a hundred times more powerful than you knowing them. Getting them to know you is a thousand times more powerful than you knowing them. Getting them to know you is a million times more powerful than you knowing them. Do you understand? Will you act upon this? No....most of you wonít. Thatís why there are only a handful of recruiters who can be called the real winners. And I am happy that I can say I work together with a bunch of winners. The great thing is, whether you are average or outstanding. Itís always because of your own free choice.

I am curious what you will decide. Will you let me know? Thank you!

For more secrets read next timeís issue or write an e-mail to gerard.koolen@lugera.com (thanks again) and you will receive regularly all other secrets (also if you work at the competition, Iëll be more than happy to send you all the secrets). Gerard Koolen is Managing Partner at Lugera & Makler.