Does preparation make for better recruiting?

Do you prepare for each day you work in recruiting? Do you script your phone calls to passive candidates? Do you prepare for each job order by researching the job market?

I have learned through experience and by reading many books on sales and recruiting that preparation is an enormous differentiators when it comes to recruiting and sales. Those that want to win the war on talent prepare for battle every day and adjust as necessary.

Preparing for your day. Before your day starts you should finish it on paper. Set goals to be completed for the day. Allow for fires that seem to start everyday in Human Resource management. Set aside some time each day to read and update your knowledge base. Make new connections as a part of your daily plan.

Scripting your calls provides a smooth and seamless message to your contacts. But practice makes perfect. If you don't rehearse your calls then you sound like you are reading from a prompter. Develop a script for voice mails too. Let each caller "hear" you smile whether it is a direct connection or a voicemail.

Every job order or requisition should start with a battle plan. First thing. Are you and the hiring manager/client on the same page? Are there any internal candidates they are thinking about? Second, you should consider your existing database of candidates. Unnecessary money is spent on advertising or search firms for candidates that could be easily minded out of your own ATS. If you don't have a good search tool, find one.

Build and maintain a candidate pipeline for all of your anticipated openings. Strong candidate pipelines communicate strong employment brands, long-term growth expectancies and potentially prevent salary wars with your competition.

Prepare for recruiting the way you would prepare for battle. Understand the market, know thine enemy, and develop relationships with your existing candidates. This will set your recruiting apart from any others and give you that competitive edge.

Time Flies

I can't believe I've waiting two months to contribute to my blog. It hasn't been for lack of content. There has been a ton of information out on the web. Jobscience even sponsored the ERE Social Recruiting Summit at the Googleplex a couple of weeks ago.

From the Tweetup, the Summit, and the reception following I had the opportunity to meet and converse with some of the great recruiting and sourcing minds. Our challenge is how to promote social recruiting and sourcing throughout the job market.

Every day I talk to HR departments that tell me that they are not hiring or have more applicants than they need (even if they aren't qualified). We need to educate more than ever that relationship development and social connections will be the items that separate a successful organization from one that never started using their relationships as leverage for identifying top talent.

I'd like to personally thank Jenny DeVaugh, Shally Steckerl, Glen Cathey (aka BooleanBlackbelt), ERE and all of my new friencs for helping me stay connected and for giving me new tools and ideas to pass along.