How to stop your competitors stealing your rookies

One of the biggest challenges that my clients currently face is keeping their quality rookies.

You have taken a risk by employing someone without recruitment experience, have invested time and money in training them, they just start to bill and they're gone!

Grass being greener and all that.

Many Rec to Rec's are returning to the more dubious practices pre GFC of systematically working their way through agencies, offering ridiculous incentives to consider other opportunities. Linked in has created another headhunting opportunity for your competitors.

So what can you do to ensure that you receive a return on your investment? Here are my 6 top tips for keeping your quality rookies:

1. Consistent check in. A happy and fulfilled rookie makes a better biller. Acknowledge good performance and support through the bad days.

2. Keep them away from negative influences. Success breeds success, ensure that your rookies are mentored by individuals within your organisation whom share your vales and vision.

3. Create a culture of loyalty. This is one of the keys to success for Morgan and Banks (think Talent2). Continually communicate the vision and values of the organisation.

4. Offer a defined career path. Gen "Y" want it all now so communicate what they need to do to get to the next level. The Hays model of titles won based on longevity and performance is one of the best I have ever seen.

5. Offer incentives/rewards based on improved performance. Award points based on pro-active activities and then as the rookie gains experience the numbers change until the rookie is working to traditional KPI's.

6. Continuous Learning and development. A strategy of a client of mine recently was to get rid of one of their senior non revenue producing staff and reallocate the salary amongst the team for training and development.

Finally, encourage your mentors and team leaders to have an open and honest relationship with your new consultants. Remember that loyalty is directly related to perceived value. Ensure that each and every member of your team feel valued.

Need help with developing a retention strategy? A high impact coaching session will clarify what you need to do. E-mail me at gaynor@trtc.com.au to arrange.

The sales vs service argument.

Let me begin by making a blunt point. Recruitment is a sales profession. That became even more evident during the recent global financial crisis. You might be amazed to learn that some of the recruiters I encounter still refuse to accept the fundamental nature of what they do. In fact when recently meeting an experienced recruiter, he responded with “we are consultants, we don’t need to sell.” I wonder how any business can survive and prosper during a recovery without selling? Have you ever considered what a contingent recruiter gets paid to do: We have a product (albeit a human product), and we receive payment when we provide the product to a client. The term “Sales” has become synonymous with opportunism, manipulation, deception and downright trickery. This perception has evolved particularly over the past ten to fifteen years, hand in hand with the growing popularity of transactional recruitment, e-mail CV’s and quick database searches. But it doesn’t have to be this way. My experience over the past 25 years in the recruitment industry has shown me that the most successful agencies balance new business (sales) with a service culture. No business can survive and prosper just by providing excellent service as many agencies have learned the hard way during the GFC. Having said that, you would also be foolish to think that nothing will ever change within your existing clients which means there will always be a need to source new business if you are to survive and prosper as a recruiter. A frequent flyer because of my training and coaching work, I meet people from all walks of life in airport lounges and on planes. About a month ago I struck up a conversation with Vivian, who manages three mobile phone stores in the ACT. She told me she had recently been recruiting sales staff, and the interviews had not gone well. She explained; “When I asked the question: ‘Why do you believe you will succeed as a phone salesperson?’ I got replies like: ‘Because I’m persuasive,’ ‘Because I have an outgoing personality,’ and ‘Because I’m driven.’ In a whole day of interviews, only applicant mentioned ‘Integrity and meeting customer needs.’ The rest thought it was all about them.” Vivian raises an important point. Any effective salesperson understands that sales is about the customer, not about them. I could take this statement and cite numerous examples of where it has or has not been applied in our own industry. If I made a list of “hard-sell” agencies and a separate list of “service-oriented” agencies, those currently thriving would all fall into the middle somewhere. What the hard sellers don’t realise is that they are setting themselves up for failure. Any transaction is a two-way street, and yet they pretend that only their interests are of any real importance. Thus, they give clients no real incentive to do business with them, and whatever business they do elicit is likely to fall apart because of a rushed approach where job fit is an afterthought. Recruiters take note, if you want to be successful in what will become an even more competitive marketplace, then balance between new business development and maintaining existing relationship will be key.

7 Habbits of highly successful recruiters

1. Highly effective recruiters schedule the important tasks into each day

Time management is one of those competencies that everyone talks about but few of us do well. It’s not just about getting things done but getting the right things done at the right time. It’s about understanding the importance of scheduling the important tasks into each day to ensure you have an ongoing pipeline. Too many of us get busy with the unimportant and reactive tasks and put off the important ones. Important tasks include business development; candidate care; client follow up. Highly effective recruiters ensure that time is scheduled into their diaries to complete the important tasks and consistently meet their key performance indicators on an ongoing basis. They finish their work knowing that they have given 100%.

2. Highly effective recruiters are outcome focused.

This habit is about beginning with the end in mind. Being outcome focused is being conscious of the bigger picture and not getting bogged down in the detail. When you are outcome focused you get more of the right stuff (the important stuff – see habit 1 above) done and are therefore more successful. Being outcome focused when dealing with a difficult client, candidate or job brief will help you keep everything in perspective and you out of the emotion of the situation. It will also help you achieve whatever goals you set yourself in your life. Outcome focused people can ride out the rough times, knowing that they will eventually reach their desired outcome.

3. Highly effective recruiters can demonstrate excellence in service delivery

This habit centres around your personal values. By putting others needs before your own and by consistently delivering results to your clients and candidates you will build an excellent reputation in the marketplace in which you operate. That’s good for you and good for your business. Highly effective recruiters elicit feedback from candidates and clients about how they can improve. They are not afraid of constructive criticism or too arrogant to take notice. By striving to continually improve your service you will move from being an average recruiter to an exceptional one. Excellence in service delivery is not one off, it is a consistent goal for highly effective recruiters.

4. Highly effective recruiters are persistent

Take a look around your office – who do you consider to be a great recruiter? One of the habits this person will have is persistence. Persistence to keep going when things don’t work out as planned, persistence to keep building their desk and business. Persistence to keep at it when they don’t feel like it or are bored. Most people, when faced with defeat give up and go home, those with persistence keep trying until they get the results they want. They try different ways, keep learning and have faith that they will reach their desired goals and outcomes. Persistence pays!

5. Highly effective recruiters are committed to self development

Stephen Covey in his best seller “7 habits of highly effective people” describes this habit as sharpen the saw. That is, successful people reflect on their results and continue to learn and develop. Many very experienced recruiters go stale because they think they know it all. Complacency sets in and they maintain the desk until the economy changes and then wonder what’s happened. Many of them left the industry during 2009, all because they were not prepared to learn new techniques or stretch themselves further. Human beings don’t like change on the whole, however it is the only constant in our world so embrace it. The world will change as a result of the recent global financial crisis and highly effective recruiters will change with it. Commit a percentage of your income to self development as you would a savings plan, I guarantee you will see the benefits. If you think you are too experienced for industry training then engage a coach to help you stretch a little. You’ll be amazed about what you learn about yourself in the process. Awareness brings change. Change brings different results.

6. Highly effective recruiters have balance between work and play

Gen Xers were defined by their work. Many of them (like me) have lived very unbalanced lives in the past. Gen Y’s on the other hand, have no concept of working hard to get ahead and have expected everything to be handed to them. I believe a shift will occur in our thinking about work/life balance as a result of the recent hard times. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap Galatians 6:7-8. My take on this is to ensure that as far as is practicable, all areas of your life are balanced. Highly effective recruiters have interests outside of work and enjoy balanced lives. They take time to smell the roses and celebrate their successes. They also understand the importance of working hard to achieve the results that they want to achieve. Highly effective recruiters set goals in all areas of their life and are positive and well balanced as a result.

7. Highly effective recruiters have high levels of honesty and ethics I have been amazed over the last 12 to 18 months at the dishonest behavior of some in our industry. I know times have been tough for us all but I am also a big believer in the concept of Karma - that there are consequences to every action and word. What goes around comes around so be very careful with your thoughts, words and deeds. Highly effective recruiters are honest with others and themselves. They behave with integrity and sleep easily at night knowing they have done their best. Honesty got lost somewhere in the last 20 or so years and I am pleased to tell you that it is making a comeback. Practice dealing with everyone in an honest and ethical manner and you will attract similar people and situations.



In summary, highly effective recruiters are well balanced, positive, persistent people whom understand what is important in their work and their lives. Take a look around you….learn from the masters and be the best you can be!