Do you see what I see?
A star, a star
Dancing in the night,
With a tail as big as a kite.

–Do You See What I See, song lyrics

I was watching a movie a while back and I heard a line in it that has stuck with me and I think of often. It’s one of those file-markers I put in my brain at the time to think more about and maybe write about. I’m doing that now.

The movie was “Beyond the Sea,” a biographical film that took its title from the Darin song of the same name and was based on the life of singer/actor Bobby Darin, played by Kevin Spacey. It depicts Darin’s rise to teen idol success in both the music and film industry during the 1950s and 60s, as well as his marriage to Sandra Dee, played by Kate Bosworth.

Near the end of the movie Darin/Spacey is talking to his wife Dee/Bosworth about his career frustrations and what audiences want. It was the late 60s and Darrin’s successful 50s crooning was being made obsolete overnight by changing musical trends. He was confused and lost in his career. His wife casually made the remark, “People hear what they see.” In response, Darin successfully changed his presentation to accommodate a more modern audience.

As phone sourcers we rely on the telephone to deliver our “message.” What is that Gatekeeper “seeing” when you call her? Have you ever considered that what she is “seeing” is impacting what she is hearing and how she is reacting to you? Her reaction to you is informed by her intuition and her experience. It may also be informed by some extensive cross-wiring in her brain regions that represent abstract concepts … and who would have thought, anyway?

True, you’re going to run up against Gatekeepers who are young with not much experience to guide their reactions, but just as often, and more so these days I suspect, your task is going to be challenged by more experienced gatekeepers who are beginning to understand how their intuition guides their own decisions.
I doubt, though, many of them have an inkling about what I’m about to write about. That’s an advantage for you when you’re phone sourcing.

Research at the California Institute of Technology has shown that some people can actually “hear” what they see. It’s called synaesthesia — a genuine perceptual phenomenon where senses intermingle. It’s rare, but a more common form exists where a person is able to perceive numbers or letters as colors. The artist David Hockney is able to see color when listening to music. As the sound of a voice can be likened to music, is it such a far leap to ask yourself what color that receptionist might be “seeing” when she hears the tone of your voice?

Is she seeing red? We all know the association our culture has with the color red. Is a heightened aversion reaction like this impacting your sourcing efforts?

What if she “hears” the color blue and is washed over by the peaceful analogy of sensation that accompanies it? Do you think that would improve your results or lessen them?

Maybe she sees green. We all know what that’s associated with: go! Maybe it’s one reason some gatekeepers seem to cooperate with some people and not others. The question is, though, do all synaesthesia-affected gatekeepers see the same colors in response to certain tones? I suspect they might.

There is wide difference of opinion how common this is. I’ve seen estimates of 1/2000 and 1/20. It is genetic and also established that it’s more prevalent among females and that it runs in families. The chromosomal regions where the genes reside are known to contain genes associated with a variety of disorders, including autism, dyslexia, and epilepsy. My own family is marked by dyslexia.

I’ve always been acutely aware of how a person’s voice (and also many times, a person’s touch) impacted me viscerally. I can’t say that I see color, but I can say that I have a visceral reaction to certain voices (and sounds) that lulled my senses. The sound that comes to my mind right now is the sound of gum “popping” (some call it “smacking”). Most people find it annoying, but if there is someone chewing gum and making that “pop” sound every few chews, I’ll saddle up next to them just to listen. There is no drug in this world like it for me to set me into a catatonic state.

This sound sensitivity may be one reason why as a phone sourcer I am acutely aware of the Gatekeeper’s voice and immediately examine it when she answers (in a flash of a couple seconds) for clues as to her “ability” to help me. I admit, if I get a Gatekeeper on the phone whose voice I “enjoy” listening to, I’ll take more time drawing her out just because I like that visceral sensation she creates for me. I suppose it could be likened to a drug fix: I’m searching for them all day long!

Turning it around, I am often told how “nice” I sound on the phone. I interpret that as meaning that I probably have a good “phone voice” and might also be a contributing factor to why I get names using the telephone on most every call I make. It’s a theory, mind you; nothing scientific, but it’s a strong gut feeling I have. There’s more fire than smoke, I suspect, in this theory.

So, what do people tell you about your voice? Do you think of your voice as an asset, confidently using it in your work? I suspect those who do not like using the phone may not have had the positive experiences I’ve had with it. What do you think?

Discover a Company’s Phone Number Prefixes

A telephone number’s prefix is the first three numbers after the area code. Often, the phone number for a company’s receptionist will have a different prefix than that of the direct-to-employee phone numbers. For instance, the receptionist might be 703-123-4567 whereas the employee numbers begin with 703-934-xxxx or 703-434-xxxx.

To discover the various prefixes, place the company name and area code in a Google search box and hit “enter.” If you’re lucky, you will come up with more than the main number as employees are often listed in various places with their direct lines.

I was recently researching the phone banks of a company that only used one prefix — the same one for the main number and employees. When this happens, it’s a good bet the “direct dials” are going to lie somewhere “around” the main number. For instance: The main number is 703 456 2000. Dialing 703 456 2001 and then 2002 and then 2003 will, many times, reveal employees seated behind those numbers. Pretty cool, huh?

I could tell looking at the Googled results that the numbers appeared to fall in the 5000, 6000, 7000, and 8000 ranges even though the main number fell in the 6000 range. This told me that I was probably dealing with a location that held 2-3,000 employees.

Call After Hours

The next thing you want to do is dial through a long list of consecutive numbers around the numbers you have found. The goal is to get the name associated with each number.

If someone answers, usually they don’t reveal their names. The best time to get the name is to call after hours and on the weekends when you are more likely to get voicemails.

Program Your Phone to Dial Repeated Numbers Automatically

When I am dialing through a long list of phone numbers that all begin with the same seven digits, I program these first seven numbers into my telephone to allow me to dial them by pressing one button.

What Voicemail Reveals

A few voicemails will contain not only a name but other information as well.

“This is Sheila Jones. I’ve begun my retirement but if you have issues with the WolfCamp project call so-and-so at the site at xxx xxx xxxx or so-and-so here at the main office. Her number is.”

“Hi. This is Mike Peterson. I’m traveling overseas on business and will be back in the office on March 31. The best way to reach me is my email — send me an e-mail at MPeterson@thecompany.sw.com and I’ll get right back to you.”

“Marcus Meters here, HR Manager for the southwest. I’m out of the office until April 6, but if your matter is urgent contact Sandra Morelli at xxx xxx xxxx or Elizabeth Southland at xxx xxx xxxx or Fred Kloppers at xxx xxx xxxx.” Man, is that the whole HR department, or are there more?

“Jim Delaney’s office. If you need to schedule some of his time, contact me, Rachel Evans, at xxx xxx xxxx.”

“I rarely check this location’s voice mail. To reach me, call my cell at xxx xxx xxxx. I’ll get right back to you.” (Oh, by the way, calling the cell number revealed the guy’s name!)

These tiny bits of information give you a feel for what’s going on inside a company. For instance, I found that all those people Marcus counted off fell within 10 numbers of his number. This is a pretty good clue that people who worked in the same departments shared extensions close to each other. This makes it easier to identify people with specific skill sets inside the organization.

Jim Delaney is important enough to have someone answering his phone and scheduling his time, so this is a pretty good indicator he is in upper management or maybe even a C level. Checking an information source like Hoover’s sometimes will reveal that (and the correct spelling of his name!)

By the way, Rachel sat three numbers away on the extension tree so this bolstered my suspicion that whole groups mostly hung together in the phone directory.

Mike Peterson was so gracious as to reveal the company’s email domain and that is of interest many times to the customer. He also told us his job includes oversees travel and is a hint that maybe he is engaged in project management? Sales? Business Development? Could be anything but those come first to my mind.

Cell numbers left on a voicemail often indicate that a person is working in a sales capacity.

If this kind of work is too time-consuming and monotonous for you, there are people out there who are dying to do this work for you. For about a buck a name you can capture a particular company’s telephone directory that includes names, direct-dials, a few titles, and some information that gives you an insider’s feel for a particular company’s location. Imagine what you could do with all that!

One simple, but powerful referral sourcing technique is closing each recruitment cold call with the question: “Can you do me a favor?”

As we all know, much has been much written about overcoming the objection “I am not interested…” or “I am happy; thanks, but no thanks…”

But in reality, you will not be able to turn a “no” into a “yes” in many (if not most) of these situations.

Yes, they might listen to your message (or pitch) but in the majority of cases, they won’t be interested or, they won’t be qualified.

Of course, when this happens, it is your job to network with this person to get referrals. Your ability to extract referrals and/or leads to help you with your search depends on many factors; including (among others):

• How you opened your call.
• If you were able to build rapport in the first 30 seconds of the call.
• The thought-provoking questions you ask during the call.

At some point, you will exhaust your ability to harvest referrals and will end the call.

This is where the “Can you do me a favor?” line can link you to your next hire!

A good habit to get into (if you are not doing it already) is to close each one of these calls with the line: “Can you do me a favor?”

Of course, expecting the worst, the prospect might come back with a line like: (shaky, nervous voice . . .) “Yeah, what is it?”

“I was wondering if I could shoot you an email outlining the specifics of this opportunity and my contact information (attach your Outlook v-card)? If you think of anyone who could benefit from the info and/or could help me with my search, I would appreciate if you would pass this info along.”

And 99.9% of the time, they will say “sure,” if for no other reason than to close the call and get on with their day.

While this may not seem like a big deal (some of you use this technique already), the benefits of this simple “habit” are huge:

• If you do not have their personal email address, this is the time you can harvest it to send the email.
• The written word is more powerful than the verbal word. Most people comprehend information better when reading it. Often, you will send a well-crafted “Attention Grabber” and . . . they will shoot back an email saying they are interested!
• It will sit in their inbox. When something negative occurs at their workplace, they will look you up.
• They end up passing this email to their peers. We know the whole power of being LinkedIn!

The record in our office is a sixth-generation hire. An email was forwarded six times, ending up in the hands of the person who we actually hired.

We achieved all this by implementing a simple routine at the end of a sourcing call.

Most thoughtful and intelligent recruiters will tell you that in order to be a good recruiter, you have to be good at sales, to be willing to take chances, and to have the ability to build networks through referrals. All of these are true.

However, one thing often overlooked in this day and age of the Web, virtual worlds, chat, IM, and email is relationships. There is an absence of one-on-one exchanges of information and true conversations.

As a recruiter, you can become too dependent on email and technology, which is a dangerous course to take. You should not underestimate the power of a one-on-one conversation. Candidates can’t truly determine your level of confidence over email, and you can’t properly portray your tone or easily reassure someone that you’ve “got what it takes” to find them a new career.

Do not use technology to build your relationships; use technology to make connections.

In fact, do yourself a favor this week?put down your mouse and pick up the phone! You’ll find that your output to success rate will climb by getting off email and getting back to live conversations.

I’ve talked with recruiters in the past 30 days who do everything they can to avoid calling candidates directly. They tell me that they don’t have the time or that email is more efficient. In reality, they are afraid. Afraid of taking a chance, making a mistake, taking the risk. And they are simply not prepared.

Recruiters have to realize that if they approach a candidate with professionalism and with something of benefit (a new career, an opportunity to grow, a better work/life balance), the candidate will not bite their head off. We must stop being afraid.

Prepare for the call and pick up the phone. No method to becoming a best-in-class recruiter is more effective than picking up the phone, making the call, and taking the chance.

Look at your current organization. Identify the top performers. I bet you will find one common theme: they are building relationships. They are always on the phone. They use technology as a tool, not as their primary method of correspondence.

Again, technology can help you make the connection so you can build the relationship; it won’t build the relationship for you.

No amount of slick or well-rehearsed conversation can buy you trust. It must be earned (by you) over time. Here are four simple but often overlooked things that you can do to earn someone’s trust and build lasting relationships over time:

1. Be confident but not overbearing. It’s important to portray confidence in yourself, your opportunity, and your recruiting abilities when speaking with a candidate. How many times have we talked with someone who came across as arrogant? Maybe a salesperson at your local mall or the car dealership? You need to know the difference between confidence and arrogance and how people perceive you. Remember this simple fact: perception is reality.
2. Be professional. That sounds simple, right? It’s not simple for everyone. Remember, don’t get off-topic, and stay focused when speaking with your candidates. Don’t make the call until you are prepared. And don’t make things up. It’s ok to say, “I’m not sure. Let me get back to you on that.”
3. Follow through. Show the same commitment level as your candidate. Do not expect them to be fully committed if you are not. If you tell them you’re going to call them back, call them back. If they interview with one of your clients and are not selected for the position, don’t tell them via email! Pick up the phone and have an honest, transparent conversation about why they were not selected. Also, proactively reach out to your candidate to check in, to let them know that you are still actively looking for work for them, and that they have not been forgotten.
4. Create surprise. Today customer service is about self-service, fast “checkout,” and cost-cutting. Make yourself stand out from the crowd. What separates you from other recruiters? When is the last time you met with a candidate in person? When is the last time you sent a candidate a hand-written congratulations card or flowers when they received the offer from your client? When is the last time you took one of your candidates to lunch or to coffee? Do simple things to surprise them; it doesn’t take a lot of effort to really make yourself stand out!

One missed conversation, one missed message, one missed opportunity to be different all means one missed relationship. Recruiting has become overly complicated. We must stop and take stock of what really matters and what sets us apart from the masses. It will always boil down to your ability to build lasting relationships with your clients and candidates.

This article was originally published January 22, 2007.

Would you like to increase your call-back percentage from “hard to hire” target candidates to 100%? It’s easier than you think as long as you shift who makes the initial contact with these highly desirable but hard-to-contact candidates.

I’m a fact driven recruiter in a world full of “instinct,” ego, and emotion-driven recruiters. Data tells you what works and what doesn’t work.

If you are a fact-based decision maker, here are two facts that might get your attention. One of the world’s largest consumer electronics firms found that:

• The typical response rate to recruiting calls made by a recruiter into highly desirable candidates with seven to 10 years of experience in a professional field was a respectable 30%.
• The typical response rate to recruiting calls made by a manager of the same level or higher to the same cadre of highly desired candidates was an astounding 100%!

Other organizations have noted this interesting phenomenon, especially those where demand for talent is approaching all-time highs.

Recruiting is Sales: Manage Prospects’ Expectations to Win

Nearly every organization around the world is recruiting using a process based on administrative needs, not on the basic tenets of human behavior. Recruiting calls of all levels and types are relegated to recruiters, and in many cases junior recruiters who scan, sort, and screen candidates for more senior recruiters.

The processes are based around recruiting as an administrative function, one where work needs to be accomplished in the easiest, most cost-efficient manner possible, even if the approach is not the most effective.

Because recruiting approaches evolve at roughly the same pace as a rock, candidates have had ages to establish barriers to an organization’s attempt to recruit them. Today, candidates have unprecedented visibility into organizations, just as employers have unprecedented visibility into the workforce.

Both parties are armed with data, the only difference being that candidates actually use theirs! Successful recruiting in a labor market that presents numerous options to skilled labor requires that organizations understand the needs and expectations of each unique target candidate.

Because recruiters hound high-demand individuals each month, there is a natural tendency to ignore them completely. The key to increasing the response rate to such calls is to re-architect the process around the factors that would cause these high-demand individuals to return a call from a stranger. It’s simple sales psychology, but smart recruiters apply it to the recruiting process daily.

First, understand the customer, any likely barriers, and what mechanisms exist to come in under the radar. For example, research and practical experience tell us some approaches increase the likelihood that individuals will respond to calls or requests, including:

• An opportunity to network with a peer in a similar position at another organization.
• An opportunity to discuss industry-related issues with a highly respected leader in the same profession.
• An opportunity to chat with a leader from an organization that has a well-known “employment brand” or reputation for great business practices or innovation (i.e., Google, Microsoft, Apple).
• An opportunity to vent on a day or time where they are distracted, contemplative, or frustrated.

For the Very Best, Learning Opportunities Are the New Professional Currency

The primary reason why the response rate is up to three times higher when a professional calls is simple. The conversation isn’t going to be a useless one that only provides one-party value, but rather a professional discourse.

Even if the call is a recruiting call, and the candidate is not interested, he or she has an opportunity to learn about best practices, discuss emerging issues, and form beneficial networking relationships. On the other hand, a call from your typical corporate recruiter affords little information of value that is not dependent upon pursuing a new job.

An opportunity to learn makes all the difference. Because we are in an incredibly fast-moving world, rapid and continuous learning has become the “currency” of successful professionals. Many professionals place their “professional standing” ahead of their company loyalty. Many view it as a professional courtesy to respond to others at an equal or higher level.

Michael McNeal, who invented marketing-oriented recruiting, took advantage of this approach when he developed the “Friends” program at Cisco in the late 1990s. The program engaged employees to call targeted individuals in their professional area who applied for a job on the Cisco website.

Although many professionals will respond to almost any call from another professional, you can also increase the likelihood of getting a response if the professional has a well-known name or reputation.

This is another reason to make sure that your top employees are “branded” well and included in the professional journals of their field.

When these professionals give talks at conferences and seminars, or provide quotes in industry and professional journals, you dramatically increase the chances of a higher call-return rate.

The “opportunity to learn” phenomenon is not limited to recruiting calls. It’s also effective with websites. Individuals will visit a website on a regular basis if it is an “answer site,” because the very best are constantly looking for answers.

The lesson here is that if you write articles or post best practices on “answer” websites (i.e., ERE.net is a learning site for recruiters), the top individuals who are constantly trying to learn will actually contact you, which gives you an opportunity to build a relationship that may someday turn into recruiting success.

Incidentally, the strength of this need to constantly learn and interact with other professionals is a primary reason why employer referrals are number one both in quantity and quality for professional jobs.

So, if you decide to turn your company’s corporate website into an “answer site,” you will also increase the likelihood that the very best will visit, learn answers, and over time, increase their respect and interest in your firm.

Call on the Right Day

Obviously, if anyone makes a recruiting call on a day that your “target” just got a promotion, the odds of he or she returning the call are smaller than if the person was rejected for a promotion.

The response rate is especially high on “reflection” days. Recruiting genius Michael Homula demonstrated this fact by sending 175 cookies to what I call “no, never” candidates and getting as many as 130 positive responses because the cookie was sent either on the candidate’s birthday or on New Year’s day, both prime reflection days.

Again, the key here is to understand candidates’ needs. Other key days or events when “no, never” candidates are likely return calls include:

• Boss/best friend leaves. If the individual is loyal, and great recruiting targets almost always are, that loyalty changes almost instantly when their supervisor or best friend leaves.
• Performance appraisals, especially days right after it is completed. The process makes some so nervous that the month before performance appraisal can also be ripe.
• Bonus/options paid out. Individuals who have to wait nearly an entire year for the next bonus payout are vulnerable.
• A major layoff is rumored, is soon-to-be announced, or has just been announced.
• Their long-term project or product ends or is canceled.
• The longtime CEO quits or a new CEO takes over.
• News circulates of a major merger or acquisition.
• The company implements a pay or hiring freeze.
• The stock price drops dramatically. This is especially powerful when individuals have stock options or stock in their 401(k).
• A competitor trounces the company in the marketplace.
• The organization is undergoing a major scandal or legal issues.
• There is speculation of a plant or office relocation.

Action Steps

If this new approach makes you nervous, determine whether your top salespeople don’t already use a similar approach. Both line managers and recruiters may show resistance, so let them know that professionals and managers will only be used in specific situations.

Explain the advantage of having the line manager making the initial call. To convince them, divide the calls between managers and recruiters for currently open hard-to-hire position and gather statistics on the difference in returned call rates. Unless you work at Enron or FEMA, the response rate will always be superior when a manager calls.

Some other things to consider include:

• Which jobs and which candidates? Managers can’t and shouldn’t make a majority of the calls, so identify no more than 20% of your jobs to target. Start with mission-critical and hard-to-hire jobs and individuals but especially within these categories, target those who have had traditionally low return call rates within your organization. If you don’t currently track response rates and hard-to-hire jobs, you are already behind where you need to be.
• Which managers? Not all managers are well-known, and some have horrible sales skills, so consider that when you select a manager or professional. Remember that while the manager can make the initial call, the actual recruiting details can be handed off, with the target’s permission, to a recruiter.
• How many calls per manager? The best way to get everyone’s cooperation is to have the CEO volunteer to make some calls (several high-profile CEOs do this). Approach managers individually if you expect a high proportion to help you. You will get more cooperation if you tell them in advance that there will be a limit to the number of calls of fewer than five a month. However, once managers see the high result rate, they’re likely to volunteer for more.
• How do you find out about “right day” events? There’s no magic here, so use recent hires and employees who have worked at target firms to get this kind of information. Don’t be above reading the newspaper, checking “negative” websites targeted to specific firms or industries, or just asking questions and listening to the gossip at local and national conferences. Remember that someone always knows about these “right day” events.

Final Thoughts

Whenever you are having a low response rate to recruiting calls, take a step back and think about candidates’ needs. I have used focus groups and surveys of reluctant applicants to gather what would make them more responsive.

You need to understand their “call return triggers” for the initial call, but it’s also true when you’re trying to get any “hard to hire” candidates to cooperate, you need to know their influential job-switch criteria.

Finally, when it comes to who should call, I’m not saying that recruiters don’t have a role in calling candidates; they do and they should make a majority of the calls.

However, it’s equally important to realize that if you have a Tiger Woods on your team and you want to get another golfer to consider joining, ask “Tiger” to make the initial call!

I get this email newsletter put out by David DeAngelo that touts his “Double Your Dating” portfolio of tricks on how men can meet women more effectively. I admit that I usually read the whole thing. Why? The guy is a genius at understanding human nature and ways of putting that understanding to work.

There are numerous parallels between what he describes in his world and the world of recruiting. In fact, a recent subject was on how women test men. I made it my own as to how “testing” applies to sourcing. Here are my tips on winning over the Gatekeeper if you regularly get tested yourself.

Do you routinely call companies only to have the Gatekeeper ask, “Who’s calling, and what is this call in regard to?” Has a Gatekeeper ever asked you if you’re a recruiter? Have you ever been challenged on the “excuse” you offered about why you’re calling? Have you ever had a Gatekeeper call you back and ask why you needed certain information?

Do would-be customers tell you, “Give me your number and I’ll call you”? Have you ever had a customer insult your work and/or integrity as an excuse not to pay you or to pay you for less than he originally contracted for? Have you ever had a “hard-to-please” customer who, no matter how many hoops you jump through, remains acrimonious?

Guess what? You were being tested!

People “test” each other to see how much control they have and, consequently, to see how strong you are. The paradox of “testing” is that if you comply with what the tester seems to want, you will usually FAIL the test.

Methods to Come Out on Top

There are ways to answer the tests and come out on top, but only if you can learn to master your own human nature. First, listen to what’s being said in the silences.

People test each other because they need to quickly understand what they’re dealing with, and some of them are not very nice about it. The fact of the matter is, though some of us may talk a very big game, far less of us can back it up.

What people are looking for in other people is character and personal identity. Do you have it?

People generally don’t want to hang around with people they can push around. There’s that paradox thing again. To cut to the chase, some of us can be pretty brutal ferreting out the losers from the winners. How does one tell the difference between the winners and the losers?

We ask. If there is any shade of doubt presented, we ask for further clarification. We ask so we may cipher out the strength and confidence from the weak and defeated. And, of course, we test in a way that doesn’t necessarily indicate testing.

Power is Irresistible

Testing gives you power, and that’s why sourcers “test” all the time. We test the temperature of the Gatekeeper immediately; we test our customers or our hiring managers to see how much push-back they will take; we test ourselves constantly.

We recognize the incoming test and we know how to deal with it, or more concretely, we know how to avoid it altogether.

When you call that company and the Gatekeeper says, “Hello, thank you for calling Great Big Corporation. My name is Sheila, may I help you?” you say, “Yes, Sheila, I hope so. My name is Maureen Sharib, can you please tell me who?”

What have I done? I’ve removed the mystery upfront. I told her who I was and what I wanted. I guarantee you, this one thing, identifying yourself upfront, is the single most powerful tool in a telephone sourcer’s arsenal.

If you tell her who you are, she is not likely to ask you what your business is in calling. Make sense? If you don’t believe me, try it!

After you’ve explained your supposed mission repeatedly, and you can feel your tongue tied up in knots inside your mouth, she asks, “Are you a recruiter?”

So what have you done wrong? Yes, that’s right; you’ve said way too much. Hang up, shorten things drastically, and get back on the phone.

Right and Wrong Moves With the Gatekeeper

Has your phone ever rung mid-afternoon only to hear a familiar voice on the other end ask, “This is Sheila from Great Big Corporation. You called me this morning and said you were calling from our Dallas office. I called our Dallas office and you’re not listed in their directory; in fact, you’re not listed in our global directory. My boss wants to know why you needed our corporate directory e-mailed to you.”

I’m not going to go there; you know what you did wrong.

Have you ever had a Gatekeeper say, “I don’t believe you”? It happens, and it usually happens when you don’t believe yourself or in yourself.

Perhaps she says, “Give me your email address and I’ll e-mail you the info,” or “Give me your number and I’ll call you back.” This is happening because you’re not strong enough directing her to do what you want her to do. She feels the need to “test” you and you’ve let it happen by not being the one in control of the conversation.

I recently was an invited guest speaker on phone sourcing on Wachovia’s twice-quarterly “Community of Practice,” put on by their recruiting organization. The message of the Community of Practice is to provide shared knowledge and information regarding what is being done, each as individuals and as team members of Wachovia’s recruiting organization.

There was a speaker right behind me who said, “Whoever is asking questions is in control of the conversation.” He was speaking about how to speak with the true “passive” candidate, a subject upon which much more needs to be written.

If you allow that Gatekeeper to start asking you questions, you’re lost. You must be able to influence her with your voice, your tone, your attitude, and to comply with your requests.

1. Hone the pitch. Write down a five-second elevator pitch such as the following:

   I am calling from TransCo. We are engaged in a search for the top 5 percent of widget developers to join a top flight team of developers. Your name was suggested as someone with the background who may know that top 5 percent.

   It must be short, sweet and genuine.

2. Know the “why.” Imagine for a moment that you are a Ph.D. at Texas Instruments who develops chips for telecom. Put yourself in their shoes: Why should you move your family from Dallas, Texas, to Cambridge, Massachusetts to work at another company? Think about: a) Your company’s strengths against TI, b) your weaknesses against TI, c) the opportunities that exceed TI’s ability to propel this person professionally, and d) the threats that TI may pose in terms of behavior, money, and performance that can come back to haunt you. Don’t just “sort of” think about this. You must have cold hard facts if you want to get the top 1 percent. They will not talk with amateurs. You must display “street cred.”
3. Know what this person cares about. He invested $100,000 to become a Ph.D., so he is not going to move to a different state because “we’re a great company.” Instead try, “I think you may find it interesting that we have a dominant market share in communications ICs for base stations, and since we are interested in maintaining that lead, we commit time, resources, and energy to enabling experts like yourself to win.”
4. Take away the pressure to move. Lead with this statement: “I am not asking you to make a move. I want to get to know you over the next couple months in the event that you ever become interested in talking with us. I want to be the person you call to meet with our team.”
5. Re-read the last paragraph fifteen times. You must be thinking, “I am getting paid to make hires every month. I can’t spend my time on engineers who can’t move right now. I need resumes and people now. I have to justify my salary.” Think about that reasoning. Engaging key talent over the phone that develops into candidates may be exactly what your value to the recruitment team is. Remember that cold-calling off of an original research list isn’t the only thing you do to build a pipeline. The time that you spend doing your phone work is just a concentrated effort made every day in addition to candidate referrals, mining, and posting.
6. Don’t start with the end in mind. If you approach each name on the list as an opportunity to meet someone, you begin to do what I fondly call “percolating” candidates. You develop a group of people with varying degrees of interest. You let it brew. Your goal is to reach out and build trust, exchange contact information, do what you promise, and set up the next time to talk. In other words, treat them like people instead of candidates. You may be surprised with the results when you stop closing them too soon.
7. Always have a follow-up in mind. For example: “What I want to do next is email you my contact information and talk again soon. Are you around in a couple of weeks?”

One question that I get from recruiters new to doing phone work is that they frequently get interrogated on what the source of the lead is. This question results in call reluctance because they feel uncomfortable answering that question. The answer to use every time is, “I really don’t know. We have a large research effort and I try to stay on top on who is who in industries, and sometimes I just plumb forget.” That’s pretty much the truth.

It’s an Art

One of my favorite books is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. It appears to chronicle the cross-country trip on motorcycles of a father and son. But what it is really about is “quality” ó which the author defines as “what is real, what is good, and what is moral.” He explores these values in a series of conversations — Chautauquas. It is interesting to liken building a relationship over the phone with a stranger as an adventure and as an art versus a science out of a textbook. I like to think of each call as a running dialogue that doesn’t have a finish line. There is something Zen in making contacts in the industry you’re knowledgeable and passionate about, something authentic. Some people may object to this approach. There is reluctance on the part of the recruiting departments internally to poach because of the fear of non-competitive lawsuits. You may find that a high-touch and soft-handed approach quickly disarms these objections.

It’s Worth the Time

The market for candidates throughout the last two decades has been competitive for the top 1 percent of performers. Within top companies, there is a need to contact the performers at competitors and engage them in an employment dialogue on some level. If you establish a best-practices approach as outlined above and document the results, a recruiter and the company will be in a defensible position that is legal, moral, and viewed with integrity. The hallmark of this plan is calling people and introducing yourself as an industry expert in recruiting, especially when you don’t have the end in mind. Be patient, this process can take time: About 45 to 70 days more time than opening up Monster and pulling down a keyword search find a candidate who needs to move. But that person you meet is your contact, candidate, and network for life — so it is definitely worth the wait. Once you get the hang of it, it is a lot of fun. I find that when I sell them first and then win their trust, the candidate is more qualified, more committed, and the ultimate result is a longer-term relationship.

During my 12 or so years of recruiting and recruiting leadership I have learned a variety of tactics from some of the best-known names in the recruiting industry. Names like Sullivan, Radin, Leffkowitz, Adler, etc., read like a who’s who of recruiting consultants and teachers who have shaped my execution, teaching, and leading in the recruiting industry. The tactics and techniques I teach to my teams and that I will relay here come from my experience with what gets results and what the aforementioned recruiting industry thought leaders have taught me and many others. This article won’t discuss phone-call name generation or sourcing techniques, but that will likely come in a later article. Much of what I executed successfully as a recruiter, and now teach as a leader, was learned from Peter Leffkowitz in my TPR days. Those of you who have attended any of his seminars or training will recognize much in this article.

A Hypothetical Situation

You are conducting a search for a director of marketing or VP of marketing. If you’re a really great recruiter, you have competitive intelligence on a few candidates who you know are high performers. One of those high performers is a senior-level marketing professional at one of your competitors named Barbara Smith. You are now ready to make the call. Given the senior-level scope of your search, there’s a high degree of likelihood you’ll encounter your targeted prospects’ executive secretary or administrative support; the dreaded gatekeeper. Damn the man!

Want To Know How To Get Around a Gatekeeper? Hang Out With One

The first thing you need to do is get to know someone who has been a gatekeeper. Just about every organization has at least one gatekeeper or someone working in the company who did it in a prior life. Ask them how they did it. Understand how they were trained and what scripts they use. Listen to them apply their craft. Incidentally, hiring former gatekeepers to be recruiters is a very sound recruiting strategy. In order to get around the gatekeeper, it is critical to know the script almost all gatekeepers employ. Gatekeepers are taught to answer the phone in a very specific way, and the script pattern they use is designed to get as much information from the caller in order to make a decision about who to let through and who to block. Great gatekeepers are trained to block everyone unless they make a compelling argument for why they should be let through or the person they support has specifically indicated a caller should be let through.

Before we talk about how to design the call and get by the gatekeeper, we need to look at a typical recruiting call and the common script pattern a gatekeeper will likely use during their interaction with you the recruiter. As part of the call examination we need to look at how most recruiters, especially those in the corporate recruiting world, script their end of the call. Most TPRs are usually much better at this, though you wouldn’t know it by the voicemails and calls I have received from some of them recently. The background now set, let’s “listen in” on our hypothetical call:

Gatekeeper: Good morning; Barbara Smith’s office.

Recruiter: Good morning; Barbara please.

Gatekeeper: May I tell her who is calling?

Recruiter: Of course. This is Michael Homula calling.

Gatekeeper: What company are you with Mr. Homula?

Recruiter: Company X.

Gatekeeper: And the nature of your call?

Recruiter: Choke, gasp, uhhh, mmmm, aaahhh…

Read that exchange three more times. It is important to imprint this gatekeeper-recruiter give-and-take into your brain. It’s a dance, and you have to know the movements of the dance in order to effectively dance with your partner (the gatekeeper) and get around them. The gatekeeper script pattern outlined in this example is how the vast majority of them are trained to execute their craft of blocking you. It’s effective and often works very well. In order to know how to execute this call the right way, we have to first look at how it is done wrong. So, don’t read ahead. Stop right now and go back and read the exchange three more times, paying careful attention to the word patterns, the order and the rhythm of the call.

In the example above, our recruiter (played by me) did a few things right but a lot wrong. One thing the recruiter did do right was disarm the gatekeeper and build rapport by using her first name. Assuming you could actually “hear” this call, you would also know the recruiter mirrored their vocal pattern after the gatekeepers. In this example, I sounded like I belonged on the call. The call has to be delivered with confidence. As the “intruder” in this situation, you have to sound like you belong on the call. Too many recruiters feel some sort of guilt about making this call and therefore they sound guilty in their tone of voice. Using the proper tone and inflection, and using first names, sends a message to the gatekeeper — you should know me and I should be connected to Barbara. Some gatekeepers, especially in larger companies, may assume you work for their company (that you are an internal employee) or you are an approved vendor, and will pass you right along. Just think about how many employees or vendors there can be in some organizations. Executing this simple yet effective tactic may get you everything you need. Even though there were a few good points during this call, there was still a lot wrong. Namely, the gatekeeper got the recruiter off script and stuck them with a tough question: “What is the nature of your call?” This is a tough question for recruiters to answer and is often where the call ends or goes sideways. Many recruiters immediately begin to lie or employ some deceitful tactic to get put through. But that is not necessary. Try this exchange and technique on for size:

Gatekeeper: Good morning; Barbara Smith’s office.

Recruiter: Good morning; who am I speaking to?

Gatekeeper: This is Jim.

Recruiter: Jim, good morning. This is Michael Homula calling for Barbara.

Did you see that? Did you see what I just did? What I did was employ a technique that Peter Leffkowitz calls pattern or script interrupt. Telling him my name before he asked for it changes who is in control of the conversation. Most gatekeepers have a script pattern they work from; there is a rhythm and flow to it, just like a recruiter’s script. Most of these script patterns include a component of asking for the identity of the caller, the company they represent, and the nature of the call.

These key questions happen early in the call “dance” and help the gatekeeper to fulfill their purpose. That purpose is to gain control of the conversation, determine the call’s level of importance, how valid the call is, gather information about the caller, and then block the caller if they are undesirable. By interrupting this script pattern, the recruiter now owns the flow of the conversation; the gatekeeper is pushed sideways and out of rhythm and becomes distracted from his script and its subsequent purpose. The result is that the recruiter improves the odds of getting through to the prospect/candidate. In other words, what I did as a recruiter in this example is change the pattern of how my information goes into the gatekeeper, which in turn knocks her off of her routine or script pattern. I have changed the texture of the call, as well as who controls it. In a very real sense, we have humanized the call and humanized the gatekeeper. Instead of dealing with Jim’s script, I am now dealing with Jim the person. Now that I have wrestled away control of how the information goes in and the texture of the call, it is now just two people who see each other as humans and not scripts. The playing field is now leveled.

About Those Tested, Experienced, and Grizzled Veterans of Gatekeeping

Even if you use the script interrupt technique outlined above, sometimes getting through can be very difficult, especially when dealing with a great gatekeeper (who, by the way, you should recruit). The conversation with this person often goes more like what follows, though please note that I am using a number of interactions I have had over the years with gatekeepers to create a general response here. Most keepers will use nicer terminology than this, but the substance of the message is legitimately the same.

Gatekeeper: Good morning; Barbara Smith’s office.

Recruiter: Good morning; who am I speaking to?

Gatekeeper: This is Jim.

Recruiter: Jim, good morning, this is Michael Homula calling for Barbara.

Gatekeeper: Mr. Homula, unless I know the purpose of your call, I won’t transfer you to Ms. Smith. Is that clear?

Recruiter: Ugh, ummm, choke, cough…

The key here is to not get confrontational with this gatekeeper. Lying, rusing or deceit is not really the best choice either, and can be illegal. This is what works best, based on what I’ve have learned from years of experience and training by the leaders mentioned above:

Recruiter: Jim, I appreciate why you’re asking that question. You see, my call involves a high degree of sensitivity and confidentiality. I believe that needs to start with Barbara. Once I speak with her, if she feels the sensitive information I have can include you then all of us can be involved in the communication. I just think we need to let her make that decision. Until Barbara makes that decision, the sensitive nature of my call means I should speak with her first.

The gatekeeper, knowing that their director of marketing probably deals with a lot of sensitive information, is likely going to transfer me to Barbara Smith or to her voicemail. There isn’t a gatekeeper in the world that wants be responsible for a sensitive and confidential situation not getting through. If Jim the gatekeeper puts me on hold to announce my call to Barbara, he will inform her that the nature of the call is sensitive and confidential, which will create a degree of wonder and urgency for Barbara.

Recruiting Is Sensitive and Confidential

The recruiting ethics police out there may want to argue that by declaring my call to be “sensitive” and “confidential” rather than revealing my identity as a recruiter calling to offer Barbara a better opportunity is scandalous, unethical, or even illegal. To that I query back in advance, what can be more sensitive or confidential than a recruiting call? Barbara — someone I know to be a high-performing director of marketing — is entitled to learn about other opportunities that may be better than her current situation. Barbara also has a right for any conversation she has with me, or any other recruiter for that matter, to be handled with a high degree of sensitivity and confidentiality.

Once I speak with Barbara, she can decide whether or not to continue speaking with me. Barbara is also the only one who gets to decide if she would like to share the nature of our conversations with anyone else, including her current employer. Her company does not have the right to make that decision for her and certainly neither does her gatekeeper. The days of indentured servitude ended long ago in this country and only the talent I am trying to reach gets to make decisions about their future. Stay tuned for a future article which deals specifically with the actual recruiting call. Too many recruiters make the recruiting call ill prepared.

The Opening Jim: Hi Karen. My name is Jim Howard. I’m a recruiter with LMN and I’m leading a search for a senior-level marketing executive. Your name was brought to my attention as someone I should contact regarding this assignment. Since I have you on the line, let me just ask you very openly, would you personally be open to exploring a new career opportunity if it were clearly superior to what you’re doing today?

Opening Scenario One: No reluctance. Karen: Yes! Of course. (75% of candidates say this without qualifications.) Jim: Great. Before we get too serious on this, let me ask you a few short questions about your background. Then I’ll give you a quick overview of the position. Based on this, if it makes mutual sense to proceed, we’ll schedule a convenient time to talk later in more detail. (Here, Jim will start to conduct the work history review below. Very few candidates will object.)

Opening Scenario Two: Some reluctance. Karen: Yes, but tell me a little about the job first. Jim: Great. Telling you about the job could take some time, though. We have a very unusual selection process at LMN. As part of this, we conduct a formal job matching process to ensure every offer includes significant job stretch and job growth. This marketing position is a very important position for us, and job matching makes sure that both of us make the right decision. Why not give me just a two-minute overview of your background? I’ll then give you a two-minute overview of the current job, and if it makes mutual sense to talk further we can schedule another call later today or this evening. (Here, Jim will start to conduct the work history review below. Very few candidates will object.)

Conduct Work History Review After conducting a quick work history review (titles, companies, education, compensation, size of team), which usually takes about six to eight minutes, you’ll know whether the candidate is in the game or not.

Moving Forward And Getting Referrals If the person is not qualified, use the following technique to get referrals. Remember, at this point in the conversation you have not told the person much about the job. If the person is a good fit, you’ll want to arrange another call. See Scenario Two for how to do this.

Scenario One: Overqualified for the job. Get referrals. (If underqualified, just reverse this process.)

Jim: I’m very impressed with your background, but I think this job is not a big enough move for you. As part of our job matching process, we like to see at least a 10%-15% stretch for new hires. This makes it worthwhile for you to make the move. Regardless, I’d like to review your background with a few marketing executives and make sure that if something bigger develops, you and I can reconnect. However, someone who worked for you at a prior employer might actually be worth networking with. Let me give you a quick overview of the position. (Provide quick compelling elevator pitch about job and its importance. Then get two or referrals by asking the following.)

Jim: Is there someone you worked with in the past who you think would be qualified for something like this? I only want to target passive candidates who are not looking. We want to be able to offer 10-15% job stretch and growth, so we want to target people who need to be recruited. I’ll even talk with people who might know the right person, just to build up my network. Who are some of the best people you’ve worked with in the past? (Interact.) Who would you like to hire someday if you could? (Interact.) (The point of all this is that, in order to get names of top people, you need to first establish a professional relationship with the candidate. You do this by being vague about the job so the person doesn’t opt out, by conducting a work history review, and then by proactively asking for names of top people. If you restrict your phone calls to only top targeted people, you should be able to find three or four great candidates in a few days.)

Scenario Two: Qualified. Set up for next round. Jim: Karen, your background is very impressive. Let me tell you a little about the job and our unique job matching process. (Provide longer elevator pitch about the job, describing two or three areas of obvious stretch, like team size, budget, scope, scale, or complexity.) On the surface, does this seem like something worth evaluating in a little more depth? (Interact. If you conducted the work history and screening properly, 90% will say yes.) Jim: Let’s set up a phone call later today or tonight. What’s your cell phone or home number? (Get both!) I’d like to review your background in more detail during this call, and give you a thorough overview of the job. I also want to describe our job matching process. (Introduce candidate to job matching. You’ll use job matching to maximize the close rate of top candidates, minimize counteroffers, reneges, and no-shows.) Jim: I think we’re one of the few companies that formalizes the career selection process to make sure our candidates make the best long-term career move for them and that we select the best person for the job. Assuming everything goes smoothly, we both recognize that the only way you’ll accept an offer from us is if it’s a great career move. We’ve found ten factors top people use to decide whether they’ll accept a job or not. As I review each factor, could you tell me how you’d rank your current job? We’ll rank the new job the same way. If an offer is eventually made, this way you’ll clearly see if a move is worth making.

Job Matching: How to Compare Two Different Jobs

As Jim reviews the ten factors below with Karen, he asks her how she’d rank her current job on each of the following factors. You can do the same with your candidates. As the candidate learns more about the current opening during the interview and selection process, she’ll be able to determine if the new job is a strong career move. You can also use the idea of getting more information about the job as a way to keep the candidate interested in the job and coming back. At the end of the process, this will increase the likelihood of acceptance and minimize the chance of her taking a counteroffer or another offer.

1. Job matching and satisfaction. “Are you highly motivated to do the work, find it fulfilling and enjoyable?”
2. Job stretch. “Are you learning new learning new skills, handling bigger projects, dealing with more complex issues?”
3. Job growth. “Are there significant opportunities for career advancement, and have you experienced these in the past and are likely to in the future?”
4. Hiring manager. “Is the hiring manager strong, a real mentor, and helping you grow and develop?”
5. Work team. “Do you really like the people on the team, and do you find them helping you grow and develop?”
6. Senior management and leadership team. “Does the executive team know clearly what they’re doing and, as a result, are they leading the company in the right direction?”
7. Company. “Do you really like the company, the culture, its products and what it stands for?”
8. Tools and support. “Do you have the right materials and resources to be as effective as possible in the job?”
9. Compensation and benefits. “Is the total comp package and upside potential fair and equitable based on what you’re doing?”
10. Quality of life issues. “How would you rank the work/life balance?”

Imagine how much useful information you’ve just obtained from the candidate conducting this type of evaluation. What do you think the candidate would think? Now all you have to do is deliver a better overall career opportunity and you’ll never lose another candidate. If the hiring manager embraces a similar approach, you’ll be able to convert the dull and boring interview and selection process into a remarkable experience. As a result, candidates — whether they’re hired or not – will start referring others. Soon you’ll have more referrals and stronger candidates then you ever imagined. Differentiating the hiring experience is something great recruiters and hiring managers have been doing for years. You can start today on your next cold call.