Great points on understanding the business. I do third party recruitment and my clients pat me on the back all the time for understanding their world so deeply.

I would add that in addition to knowing the companies strengths and the positive press, you must also know the negatives. When candidates are checking into a company, they are looking as much for reasons NOT to join as for reasons to join. Too many recruiters ignore the negative press but the best way to deal with it is be educated about it, find out if there is any truth to it, and figure out how to handle it with candidates - either by explaining why it’s really not a negative, or how it’s being solved, etc.

When I’m taking a job order from a new client company I always ask, ‘What are the weaknesses of your company, whether they are real or perceived, that I may hear as I speak to candidates?’. From there I gather the information I will need to overcome those issues so they don’t keep me from delivering top talent to the hiring manager.

Thanks,
Christi O’Brien

Well put. I’d add that there’s another important piece that understanding your product roadmap can give you, beyond understanding how the company operates as well as it’s future potential. The roadmap is an excellent place to plan your hiring strategy. Certain trigger points on the map will guide you to ask your clients if they’ll need extra hands (and what type) at those points. Typically, they do. Also just as typically, they may be planning to ‘borrow’ someone’s expertise for part of a project. This may lead to a need in a different area.

It boils down to this: being reactive to a ’surprise’ req is both time-consuming and stressful. There’s a place you can get a long view into future staffing needs. You can get all proactive and start lining up resources to find up specific talent, as well as developing warm relationships with the people you’ve targeted. Your company’s product roadmap can be your guide.

A service like Hoover’s can not only give you a convenient bird’s eye view of your company but also those of your competitors! There’s a free service that gives you an idea of what they offer.

http://www.hoovers.com