I am often asked by managers and recruiters… “What is the most effective recruiting tool?” As a data driven person I know immediately that the answer is… referrals from top performing employees within your own firm is the best source for quality hires. However, if you push me hard, I come up with what is technically a better answer. The recruiting tool that has the highest success rate (it is 100% at some firms) is having the CEO personally ask the recruit to join the firm. I have tried this at several firms with 100% success and we are currently using it at Agilent Technologies. Bill Gates has been known to do it and every top recruiter that I have ever asked about it responds almost immediately with the same mantra “it works every time!” Why does it work? Obviously being aware that the top executive of the firm knows who you are is a WOW just by itself. The fact that he/she wants you as an individual to join the firm and work directly with them is also a powerful motivator. In addition having the CEO call them works because:
When the CEO contacts them directly it is relatively easy for the candidate to make the assumption that knowing and having access to the CEO will assure that they will get more than their share of each of the listed items
What do you need to do?
It takes more than a simple phone call to ensure success. The most effective CEO contacts include these elements:
Conclusion
Having a CEO contact a candidate directly makes your firm stand out. It requires some up-front preparation on the part of the CEO but it’s nearly 100 percent success rate tends to make the preparation worthwhile. If the CEO isn’t available having a senior vice president, a well-known manager or the GM make the call can also be effective. Try it, you will be amazed at the results. As a side benefit, as a recruiter you’ll also get to know the CEO quite well during the process of preparing them for the phone calls!
