In the fifth part of ‘how to give yourself the winning edge as a recruiter’, we discuss the next steps for defining your success strategy. The aim of this series is to give recruiters specific tangible techniques that will improve their job performance.
Step 13 – setting up the 2nd interview
Getting the second interview arranged quickly is key to ensuring the recruitment process progresses efficiently. The winning edge here is to do so consciously – you want to get a date in the diary for the next interview as soon as possible, without coming across as too pushy. By now, you should know a bit more about your candidate, so use this knowledge to determine the best way to communicate with them about arranging the next steps.
Step 14 – check references
You may have already checked a candidate’s references, but if not, now is the time to. A winning edge recruiter understands there are many advantages to checking references, aside from confirming if a candidate is a good fit for a role.
No surprises – the last thing you want is your client to find out a candidate hasn’t been completely honest before you do. Not only does this undermine your credit as a recruiter, but it could also fracture your relationship with the client.
Sales ammo – good references can help you further sell the candidate to the client.
Smooth the way – if you find it hard to check the reference, tell your candidate so your client doesn’t have the same problems, which can sometimes tip the balance.
Indirect sales opportunity – you now have a new contact who you can engage with in a non-sales manner who could then be a candidate, client or useful contact.
Step 15 – Second interview – preparing the candidate (trial close)
The trial close is a great way to find out how receptive the candidate is at this stage and if there are any doubts or queries they may have. Whilst this may sound counter-intuitive, it actually works in your favour by giving you more time to (hopefully) come up with a resolution – meaning the candidate is more likely to take the job if they’re offered it.
If you found part 5 of our winning edges series helpful, be sure to watch out for part 6 next month! Alternatively, if you have any questions regarding the topics discussed in this article, give us a call on 01264 360 234 or email info@enablingchange.co.uk. We'd be happy to help.