Helpful Tips to Being an Engaged Phone Recruiter

The past few years I have been conducting the majority of my interviews over the phone. In person interviews are undisputedly more effective for evaluation. My company opted for the majority of initial interviews with the recruiter to be over the phone and the 2nd to be in person. This was after weighing the cost of travel expenses and the amount of time management recruiters would spend traveling across the country.

I have posted a rant about being a passionate, engaged recruiter on this blog more then once and never forget how it feels to be on the other side of the desk or phone. I bring this up because I have heard repeated horror stories of disengaged and disrespectful recruiters in a face-to-face interview distracted by an incoming email, phone call, coworker or lunch. It is hard to feel valued when the interviewer prefers giving their attention to meatball sub over you.

If you interview by phone it is even easier to get distracted. The majority of the candidates that I interview are engaged and they want a job with my company. They deserve my full attention so we can both decide if we there is a fit for the position to which they applied.

Here are a few things I do when interviewing over the phone to make sure that I am not distracted and I am fully engaged in the conversation.

-I arrange a time with the candidate that we can have an uninterrupted phone interview.
-I put the candidates resume up on my computer screen even if I print it out.
-I move away from my keyboard and mouse just enough to deter me from the temptation to do anything else while the candidate is speaking.
-I do not have call waiting on my phone. If I am on the phone, incoming calls go to voicemail.
-I do not have another phone anywhere near me with a ringer on.

We do not have to be perfect but we do have to care about what we do and why we do it. So, the next time you are looking for your daily fix of reading recruitnik.net please wait until after you finish speaking with the candidate. I will be here waiting for you to stop by to say hello after the interview.

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Too Many Requisitions? Top Ten Ways to Handle it

Interesting Article by Simon Meth from sittingxlegged on ere.net

HE WRITES: "Today I find that I actually have more requisitions on my desk to work than I can really handle. What follows are some thoughts on how to deal with the situation. "

Top 10 Ways to Handle Too Many Requisitions

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No one decides when they are a little kid that they want to be a recruiter

The other day I was listening to a speaker at an EMA workshop and one thing he said stuck with me. “No one decides when they are a little kid that they want to be a Recruiter; most of us stumble into the profession.” He didn’t mean for this statement to be received negatively. Nevertheless it did get me thinking.

I am sure the majority of recruiters reading this will give a little chuckle and a head nod thinking about when they first became a recruiter.

BUT, is he right? If you really think about it literally is it true?

What do little kids want to be when they grow up? Doctor, firefighter, police officer, athletes come to mind immediately for me. Of course often some combination of firefighting doctor that plays professional baseball on the weekends may fit.

Now, as a recruiter, what do you do? Help people? Work as a team or find people to be on a team? I think you get the point.

By the way, I worked as a HR Manager/Generalist for several years; no one can dispute the point that I AM a fire fighter!

Thinking back to the literal meaning of the “stumbling into the profession” statement I can thank a tyrant boss for starting off my recruitment career.
I was in my early 20’s and worked for an internet company. After a few months on the job, the majority of the programmers took a mass exodus from the company. I looked up at my boss and said “Well, now what do we do?” He yelled “Hire people!” and I did. I never stopped from that day forward!

Back to the point that “No one decides when they are a little kid that they want to be a Recruiter; most of us stumble into the profession.”

I guess the speaker was right as far as I am concerned. I did stumble in and I am sure glad I am a klutz!