Three Qualities that “Win” and “Influence” Recruiter “Friends”
If you think about your professional network, does it include a recruiter? Even if you are not looking for a job, is there value in fostering a strong two-way relationship with a recruiter? There are several qualities that make you stand out from the crowd to help you win and influence recruiter friends.
Leveraging a strong relationship with a recruiter means having a personal cheerleader with a pulse on the current job market in your back pocket. The job of a recruiter is to find top talent not easily found through a job board. Recruiters develop their extensive network of known candidates by reaching people who are willing to make themselves known. By getting to know candidates, recruiters can pinpoint talent to companies. As Artemis recruiters establish relationships, these three qualities make the biggest impressions on “winning” and “influencing” our recruiters, straight from the pages of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.
#1: Show Interest in a Mutually Beneficial Partnerships
If an Artemis recruiter contacts you about a job opportunity, be willing to discuss the position. Even if you are not looking, how you handle a call from a recruiter speaks volumes about your character and goes a long way in building a two-way relationship. People who show interest in hearing a recruiter out about a position realize that even if this opportunity is not right, the next call MAY be their dream position. Showing interest may even help the recruiter if it leads to your recommendation for an ideal candidate for the role. Perhaps the call will even result in a discussion about a hiring need within your current company. You will “win friends” by thinking about the recruiter’s point of view and fostering a two-way business relationship that is mutually beneficial.
#2: Listen and be Succinct when Interviewing
When Artemis recruiters ask interested candidates screening questions, the ones who stand out are those who listen well. Good interviewing means listening carefully to what is being asked. If asked, “What was your mission when you started your current job and where do you stand on the execution of that mission?,” the best answers are clear and succinct. Recruiters notice if answers focus on the question asked, or if the answer strays and turns into an off-topic personal sales pitch. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie explains that a person’s favorite subject is him or herself. Some people can drone on for 15-20 minutes talking about themselves. Instead, talk about yourself only in relation to what is asked. If asked, “What do you look for in a new position?,” top candidates have a very defined understanding of the size of the company, role, title, industry, pay, equity, etc. Answering the question succinctly shows active listening. One of the most frustrating interviews recruiters have is with candidates who interrupt. Carnegie says, “Nobody is more persuasive than a good listener.”
#3: Be Warm and Relatable
Carnegie says to smile. When speaking with anyone, remember the person’s name, and make the other person feel important. Too many people are so concerned about quickly spitting out amazing career statistics, that they forget the power of a humble answer like giving credit to their team.
Being relatable means finding things in common with other people. Recruiters notice candidates who relate to them as a person. Carnegie says that showing genuine interest in someone else’s life is powerful. “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you,” says Carnegie.
Maybe you never really thought about a recruiter’s point of view when you take a call or answer an email. You think that the call with the recruiter is not an actual interview. But, is it? Could the relationship you foster with recruiters be more important than you think? Networking is a mutual relationship. Foster your network to include recruiters.
Dale Carnegie wrote his famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936, but its “old school” communication principles are still relevant today. There is a reason that it is one of the best selling books of all time and is on Time Magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential Books.”
Written exclusively for Artemis Consultants by Business Content Writer Mellody Melville.
