Dear Barb:
I have blanked for a while now and am short of my goals. It takes anywhere from six to eight weeks for me to place a controller or CFO. How can I become more consistent when the hiring process at this level takes so long?
Carl S., St. Louis, MO
Know Your Stats
Dear Carl:
The length of your hiring process should not prevent you from consistent production. It’s important that you know your individual stats. The most important number to monitor is your sendout to placement ratio. How many candidates do you send on a first interview before someone is actually hired? The key to consistent production is attaining the daily results you need in order to ensure you hit or surpass the goals you set.
When you are having a good month most of your time is spent presenting on existing job orders, checking references, prepping, debriefing, and closing. As a result, there is little or no time spent on the basics including recruiting and marketing. This can result in inconsistent production. If you know your individual stats and commit to attaining daily results (with no exceptions) you will become a consistent producer.
You might also want to add a lower level position to your niche that has a shorter hiring process. This would enable you to pull out the month if none of the high level placements close.
Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS