Comments on: If Recruiting is Like Sales, Let’s Act Like Sales People

By: Emilee Bowersox

Emilee Bowersox — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:38:59 +0000

Jim,

I find that like a horse and carriage we can carry these things together. Acting like sales people means not only do we have the recruiting skills we have the recruiting potential because we can sell. Recall the earler coversations on potential and you will see that recruiting is a hidden science that requires an artsy fartsy.

By: Eric Mata

Eric Mata — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:38:35 +0000

This article hit the nail on the head about recruiters.
When I was a recruiter for the Navy we went through a sales training course to become recruiters, you have to be able to sell the position to the candidate and sell the candidate to your client.

By: Jill Boyle

Jill Boyle — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:38:36 +0000

I’m interested to hear more on this topic. It seems an never-ending quest to figure out how similar corporate and external recruiters are. But, there are differences, and yes work load certainly is one of them. I don’t know of an external recruiter that handles 50+ jobs postings at a time (or is expected to hire 50+ employees in a month). Additionally there are additional duties that the corporate recruiter must handle, such as presenting at middle and high school student about future careers in their specific industry (not a direct sourcing activity), or handling with superior customer service special referrals from high level management people that won’t ever be hired, providing managers interviewing and selection skills, teaching managers how to use their hiring manager ATS application and more So, I’m curious to see how others balance and blend corporate recruiting with the increasing demands to be more effective. Would appreciate to know how others have handled or thoughts on this topic.

So,

By: Jim Cargill

Jim Cargill — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:32:19 +0000

David,
You wrote a good article on a subject which is often touched on, here and elsewhere. Your comments and suggestions, however, miss some significant points.

As you develop the subject further, please consider the following, which I believe to be irrefutible truisms, and which have MASSIVE impact on the different behaviors between corporate recruiting and TPR’s: 1. Overwhelmingly, the corporate recruiting function falls under the HR department; 2. Equally overwhelmingly, people with strong “sales” aptitudes do not seek out positions in HR; 3. “Corporate recruiting”, as an entity, is NOT sales-oriented. In the scenario you present in your article, HR would be in the role of the consumer/contact, to whom the salesperson is trying to sell.

I see nothing in the future of corporate recruiting that will significantly alter the above truisms. I support your call for a change in the mindset, but believe it is highly unlikely to happen.

Respectfully,