Hire A “Warrior” Recruiter? Not ?Bambi?

I?m helping someone hire a contract recruiter in the communications technology field and I was asked what they should look for in a great recruiter. Here is my response. If you believe that there is a war for talent it’s only logical that you would hire someone with a “warrior? mentality to be your recruiter. There are many types of recruiters in the world and they all have their place. My preference is to hire “aggressive” recruiters. I call them warrior recruiters (others call them “headhunter” types). They see recruiting in a different light than most other recruiters and HR types. They have a different skill set, attitude and approach. If you happen to be the market for a warrior, here some things you might look for. EXPERIENCE They have:

experience working at an executive search firm

worked in a ?fee-for-service? environment
previous “outside” sales experience
cold calling experience
market research (focus groups, surveys and interview) experience
a 90+% candidate closing rate
customer service experience
been a recruiter for at least one year
experience in trading and brokering deals
often successfully competed in competitive sports or activities
often been members of Toastmasters or have taken “Dale Carnegie type” classes

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE They have:

extensive knowledge and interest in sales and marketing tools and strategies
in depth knowledge of labor markets, unemployment rates, recent and pending layoffs
information about why people begin in a job search, leave a job and accept an offer
extensive knowledge of their firm’s (and the competitors) products and customers as well as their strengths and weaknesses
technical and industry knowledge beyond other HR professionals
a comprehensive list of successful candidate “finding, assessment and convincing” tools. They know ?why? each works and fails
knowledge of which firms train and develop the best talent as well as those firms that are weak at developing and keeping people
the ability to remember names and faces and people remember them
an extensive list of friends and contacts at all major firms in the area
knowledge of ethical standards and employment laws

ATTITUDE They:

hate to lose/ fail and take each failure personally. They remember even minor failures
do the “hard stuff” first
love competition and beating the “other” guy
are aggressive, outgoing and have a high sense of urgency
compete against themselves and are dissatisfied unless they are continually improving
love metrics and pay for performance
hate process, paperwork, bureaucracy and too many approvals
work hard 24/7 but they always find time to play hard also
see every person they meet as a ” someday” hire
?under promise and over deliver?
would rather ask forgiveness than permission
are a “find a way” person with few excuses
would refer their best friend or their worst enemy for the appropriate job
are an optimist and they don’t take “no” for an answer (especially to the question… I’m not looking for a job?)
respond favorably to an opportunity to prove their skill and abilities in order to get a job/ opportunity
often get frustrated by the ?process mentality? and lack of ?courage? that is often exhibited by most ?overhead? function professionals
expect to be given difficult assignments with little preparation
love challenge, growth, risk and learning
never hesitate when asked to ” raid” another firm for talent

BEHAVIORS They:

will call candidates at home after nine clock and not feel guilty
talk to people everywhere especially on airplanes, on rental car shuttles and at professional events
return all phone calls and emails within 24 hours
know the answer to most business questions and if not, they know someone who does
are constantly on the phone especially between 5 and 7 p.m.
are on the Web at least three hours a day
are constantly in contact with friends and acquaintances
are members and actively participate in recruiting listservers and chat rooms
subscribe to the electronic recruiting daily
constantly anticipate and forecast the future
are confident and aggressive during interviews and meetings. They love public speaking
are members of professional HR organizations (SHRM, EMA etc.), leagues and clubs
get over 50 emails and 15 phone calls a day
own a cellphone, a beeper, a laptop and a PDA
talk to all new hires and rejects to assess customer service and what worked
often attends social/ civic events and is well-known in the community

Remember – “a recruiter is just a salesperson with a crummy budget” If you are a conservative type and are having a ?cow? over this concept/ list or if you don?t believe there is a war for talent, at the very least be prepared. For if you are in direct competition with a warrior recruiter? now you know what the competition looks like! Either eat lunch or be lunch.