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Death to Transactional Recruiting: Why Relationships Win

August 25, 2021 by Lacey Walters

If you’ve been in any sort of hiring capacity over the last several months - or even in a job seeking capacity - you’ve noticed that despite a super saturated market, it’s harder now more than ever to land the talent or role you need. Everyone is hiring, and everyone is looking for work - so it seems like there should be no issue. Yet still, transactional recruiting is killing the market. Here’s how we beat it to the punch. 

 

Transactional Recruiting vs. Relationship-based Recruiting 

When you think of the standard hiring process, you probably imagine that there’s an employer who posts a job online, qualified people apply, they review these applicants, interview the ones they like, and eventually make an offer of employment. There’s no middle man bringing the opportunity and the candidate together. This is transactional recruiting. In transactional recruiting, the people applying to those LinkedIn job postings are active job seekers - meaning, they’re either looking to make a move or are currently unemployed. These types of candidates are either desperate for a change, or desperate for income, and usually take the first job that comes to them. This can result in quicker turnover, bad hires, lower rates of job satisfaction, and so many more negative consequences that come from the transaction-like hiring process. 

Relationship-based recruiting on the other hand, while offering a mix of active applicants and urgent hires, depend more on consultative “selling” and targeting passive candidates. Recruiters have an extensive network of employers and employees alike in their given industry, AND they have working knowledge in the industry that can be indispensable for hiring. They might know of companies closing, new technologies hitting the market, or other shifts in hires that can impact the open jobs market. With this insight they are able to look at currently employed, “passive” candidates and help them find a smarter career move that offers something their current job doesn’t - even if they aren’t looking to move jobs. This process follows more of a: client calls the recruiter they want to work with, then the recruiter looks to their own network and creates that bridge between the qualified candidate and the job opportunity. Because of the relationships the recruiter has built, they are able to make connections that would otherwise be missed if the employer were to just make a post on LinkedIn. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Venn Diagram

There’s merit in both recruiting styles. Sometimes, transactional recruiting can be very successful and can give people opportunity when they need it. However it tends to be a bandaid fix that requires future strategizing, creating more work in the long run. Relationship-based recruiting, with its personal touch and insight into people’s needs beyond a paycheck, offer a more long-term solution. This style also usually builds into a partnership, where a recruiter can supply a constant stream of top tier candidates, rather than just one-off hires. 

 

Why Transactional Recruiting Doesn’t Work

Did you know that 20% of turnover happens in the first 45 days of work at a new company? This can be attributed to several factors, most of which are side effects of transactional recruiting. Maybe the candidate applied to the job description posted online, and accepted the job without knowing all the details. This leads to feelings of distrust. There could have been a lack of support within their first few weeks, where the person who hired them hasn’t made contact since. This absence of a long term relationship leads them to believe there is no one advocating for them behind the scenes. 

Transactional recruiting, in its rush to fill a need, ends up leading to more open roles when that early stage turnover sets in. It feeds its own cycle of bringing people in fast, and losing them just as quickly due to poor handling. Sometimes there are too many applicants in the pool and the first one in gets the gig. Other times, the time allotted for hiring fills up quickly with reviewing resumes and contacting references and the decision has to be made before all candidates have been properly evaluated. In a similar situation, hiring managers could be worried about losing talent to competitors and in turn, hire too quickly. Whatever the reason, transactional recruiting often results in cutting corners - and recruiting is all about timing. 

The simple nature of posting a job online and gathering a large pool of applicants can speed up the time it takes to get a resume on the desk, but can give hiring managers the anxiety of choice. They always want the best of the best, but it’s hard to know for sure what they’re getting when the market is so vast. According to Dr. Leaf, “Too many choices lead to bad decisions, indecisiveness, or dissatisfaction with a decision.” Worse yet, by only posting jobs and reviewing candidates from job applications, they’re missing a huge chunk of the market by not approaching currently employed, passive candidates. There aren’t enough hours in the day for leadership to review applicants, interview, run background checks, AND do their normal 9-5. It typically takes companies 100 hours over the course of 4 weeks to get an offer to a viable candidate. With millions of people in the workforce, they don’t have the time to weigh all their options and are often not satisfied with their final decision. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Comparison Chart

Why Relationships are Better 

Relationship-based recruiting is here to help alleviate that buyer’s remorse. Because of their in-depth understanding of the hiring need, and the market the role is competing in, relationship-based recruiters can create long-term matches resulting in better retention. Great recruiters are better than bartenders, therapists, and best friends rolled into one. They’ll listen to client and candidate needs, delivering thoughtful results. Hiring is motivated by more than money. People invest a lot of emotion, time, and effort into career changes, relocations, and job moves. Recruiters know how to sympathetically yet effectively manage money, relationships, and emotions throughout the entire process. They offer onboarding support, ongoing candidate follow up, and act as an advocate for both the candidate and the client company when communicating between the two parties - making sure both are happy in the long run. 

Relationship-based recruiters are in it for more than just one placement. In this long-term partnership, they will establish a 360° understanding of an organization, its team, and its needs both currently and strategically for the future. They advocate for the business by keeping an eye on the market, capturing talent when it’s available - not after it’s needed - sending clients alerts about top talent even when they aren’t actively hiring. When actively hiring, these recruiters don’t waste a hiring manager's time by just sending whatever applicants come their way - but by pre-screening candidates to ensure they are qualified with both the background experience AND the soft skills needed to do the job and feel at home with the company. Recruiters seek to learn from what’s working and what’s not in the world of employee retention, before a business has to learn the hard way with a bad hire. By consulting on what perks employees actually want - for example - they can advocate for what the candidate wants from their job, and give the client company positive action items they can use to make measurable outcomes with employee satisfaction. As more good matches are made, this mutually beneficial relationship grows and continues to produce good hiring outcomes for years to come. 

 

How to Break out of the Transactional Cycle of Bad Recruiting 

Unfortunately, transactional recruiting remains a fairly commonplace hiring practice. If you’re working with a recruiter already today, try to determine if they are transactional or relationship driven by watching their actions. As a client - do they have touchpoints outside of when you post a job? Do they follow up on the progress and successes of new hires? Do you find yourself wanting to refer friends, family, and colleagues to them? As a candidate - do they contact you outside of when they have a job for you? Do they ask about how satisfied you are in your current role, and celebrate positive answers? If any of these were met with a “no,” they are using a transactional recruiting approach and are not a good long-term choice for any organization or individual. 

Now that you know how to identify the bad, you’ll have to start working on uncovering and engaging with top recruiters in your industry. Start by getting referrals to recruiting firms from other hiring authorities in your organization. Conduct the right research, looking for things like placement guarantees, high retention rates in placements, and repeat clients - NOT just cheap rates and fast turnaround times. Read online reviews from LinkedIn, Yelp, and Glassdoor. Google the name of the recruiter you’re looking to engage with, and see how they fare among industry postings (i.e. Do they have blogs written about the newest technologies in the space? Or do they not exist online at all?) Ask them questions. Get quotes. Shop around. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Just like making the right hire, it’s in your best interest to take your time when selecting a long-term recruiting partner. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Checklist

Finally, although seemingly counterintuitive, know when and when NOT to work with a recruiter. Many hires can be made through your own internal network. When building out established business units, ask for current employee’s references or consider promoting someone up and filling the role internally. However, if you’re replacing someone confidentially, being discreet could be in your best interest. In that case, look for a recruiting firm that offers a privacy/confidentiality policy. Recruiters should be used for larger, strategic moves when your own network is lacking what you need. If you’re unsure how to properly support building out a new business unit, or if a recruiter would even be beneficial for a specific role, ask! Recruiters thrive on market intel and love to offer their expertise where they can. When working with a strategic, relationship-based recruiting partner, you’ll be rest assured in their honesty if a particular search is better for you to try filling alone. 

 

How Blue Signal Kills the Average Transactional Recruiting Model 

We’re All About Building Long-Term Relationships 

Blue Signal offers every search a 12-month guarantee. The way we see it, our client’s success is our success. The more our clients hire great people, the more they’ll thrive, and the more help they’ll need to grow! 94% of our placements are retained after 12 months, meaning our impact lasts long after contracts are signed. 

“Despite working together multiple times, they still follow their process and make no assumptions about the goals for the position.” - Wireless Company, Hiring Authority 

No matter the search, or the history we have with a particular company, we always work through our process from start to finish, giving the same white glove service to veterans that we do to new clients. With long-term partnerships in mind, we want to make sure that we make no assumptions about needs for the position and instead leverage knowledge from past engagements to give us insight into what will always be an ongoing hiring process. Instead of assuming we know the space and launching into taking shots in the dark, we transcend transactional recruiting by building a long-term relationship and using that as a stepping stone for future engagements. 

 

We Place Priority on Good Matches, Not Temporary Fixes 

The problem with the transactional recruiting model is that it places too much emphasis on getting someone hired fast, not getting the right person hired. People working with transactional recruiting firms often feel pressured to pick a candidate quickly, rather than doing due diligence and reviewing options. With relationship-based recruiting, recruiters will be able to better manage that emotional component - that “right” feeling you get when you know someone will be a good fit for your organization. In fact, 63% of Blue Signal’s candidates are promoted within 18 months of being hired - meaning these candidates are not only making an impact in the company, but are far exceeding the role they were originally hired for and are supporting long-term company goals. 

“I really appreciated the fact that (Blue Signal) took the time to understand what we were looking for instead of simply throwing a bunch of resumes at us. I never felt pressured to move forward with a candidate that I didn’t feel was a good fit for the role.” - Electrical and Electronic Manufacturing, Hiring Authority

When choosing candidates that are right for the role, AND for the future of the organization, clients will hire better matches - not band-aid fixes. Blue Signal deploys a 12-point interview process that matches a candidate’s actual wants and needs with what a client can offer them. We match career aspirations, compensation needs, timelines, key motivators, and more to ensure that candidates line up with what the company can give them in the long run, not just because they can cut a check the fastest. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting 12-Point Interview Process

We’re Passionate about Helping People 

When working with the right company, for any service, it’s always the greatest feeling knowing they have your best interests in mind. That’s how Blue Signal got to where it is! Each of our recruiters are passionate about helping people reach their goals - whether that’s building their own company into further successes, or by making a career move into a better opportunity.  We’re not happy 'til you’re happy. The guarantees we’ve put in place and the processes we have established are all deployed to make sure whatever the match, that all parties are excited to start the work! 

“(Blue Signal’s) drive to ensure successful, win-win placements for both clients and candidates helped accelerate our recruiting process, eased many of the burdens typically associated with recruiting efforts, and resulted in our making exceptional hires.” - Wireless Integrator, Hiring Authority 

With over 220 combined years of recruiting experience, Blue Signal’s personal touch has built an incredible network of top performing candidates. Our current rolodex of contacts is priceless. 

The methods we use to post jobs gain us excellent applicants, but more important (and a greater attestment to our success), is our list of referrals. 78% of recruiters find their best quality candidates through referrals. Transactional recruiting falls short by using only the here and now talent, and not leveraging an established referral network. By creating long-term relationships, Blue Signal keeps our candidate’s and client’s best interests in mind for far more than the immediate hiring need. 

 

Here Lies Transactional Recruiting, Relationships for the Win 

Armed with this knowledge, it’s difficult to go back to the old ways of transactional recruiting. Whether with Blue Signal, or with another firm out there, never settle for anything less than a partnership with your next recruiter. Remember to look for recruiters that make touchpoints outside of when you post a new job, recruiters that check in to see how your hires are faring, and recruiters that you’d refer to others. Leverage online reviews and your own professional network for referrals. Know when to - and when NOT to - work with a recruiter at all! And if you ever feel pressured - just like with a bad high school ex - break up with them. When you know what to look for in making the decision to work with a particular recruiter, remember that the right recruiter can change the trajectory of your company. For better or worse, the choice is up to you. 

Blue Signal is always here to call upon if you have further questions, aren’t sure what your needs are, or just want a second opinion! Recruiters know the markets and the movements therein. With our focus on industries like wireless and telecom, IoT, information technology, finance and accounting, emerging technology, cloud and managed services, manufacturing and industrial, lighting, logistics and supply chain, food and agriculture, human resources, and medical and healthcare - leverage our expertise! We’d love to chat. 

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Recruiter Tips Tagged With: active candidates, best practices, hire, hiring, job market, long-term solutions, market insights, money savings, partnership, passive candidates, passive talent, recruiting, recruiting best practices, relationship-based recruiting, Retention, talent, Talent Acquisition, talent acquisition best practices, Transactional recruiting

Blue Signal Success Stories, Client Testimonials

May 5, 2021 by Lacey Walters

Over the last nine years, Blue Signal has worked with hundreds of clients in various industries, successfully executing over 2,250 searches. With over 200 years of combined recruiting experience, we have found that supporting others in fulfilling their goals is the most rewarding part of the job. We love the opportunity to help others in any way we can, whether it be supporting our community, finding the perfect candidate for a role, or providing insights on a recruitment strategy. While our numbers speak for themselves, hearing those success stories and getting positive feedback from our clients is what truly makes our job worth it. Blue Signal is humbled by these testimonials we’ve received, and we appreciate each and every review.

TESTIMONIAL:

“My company has been working with Blue Signal for several years. Since that time, Blue Signal has changed our company for the better in so many positive ways, but especially from a cultural and performance perspective.  Most of our leadership team and middle management have been permanent placements from Blue Signal.  As a result of their incredible initiative on our behalf, we’ve earned numerous awards for culture (e.g., Best Place to Work, Certified Great Place to Work), performance (e.g., Inc lists, NC Fast 40 mid-market companies, Financial Times Fast 500 in the Americas, Fast 50, etc.), and have been recognized as one of the leaders in our industry in innovation (e.g., Telecom Tech, Inside Towers, etc.).  We wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are today without Blue Signal.

The recruiting industry has a bad reputation.  Many recruiters simply inundate clients with resumes having little to no knowledge of the position, candidate, or company and with little or no concern for either the candidate or the company.  Blue Signal is completely different.  They elevate long-term relationships over short-term profits for both candidates and clients, trusting that profits will eventually come.  Blue Signal is disrupting an industry that is desperately in need of disruption by leading with values.

Blue Signal exhibits all the types of trust necessary to build and maintain positive relationships, which creates a virtuous ecosystem for both recruits and clients.  They keep their word.  They do what they say they are going to do.  They have a willingness to be candid and transparent.  If they make a mistake (which is rare), they will admit their mistake.  They are a master of their trade.  I can count on their professionalism and excellence.  They don’t follow the industry crowd – they do things their own way.  They are insightful, knowledgeable, and take the time to demonstrate their knowledge and desire for a positive candidate and company match.  They demonstrate a genuine concern for the well-being of others.  And finally, they are reliable.  I can trust that they will uphold the same habits and norms of behavior repeatedly and over a long period of time.

Blue Signal is a standard-bearer for their industry.  I’m confident they would be an outstanding representation for this Award for Ethics.  I give them my highest recommendation."

— CEO & Founder, Top Telecommunications Company

TESTIMONIAL:

“Matt Walsh and his team at Blue Signal did a great job helping us find a specialized engineer for a position that had been open for over a year. We had been working with other recruiters for several months before I received a referral for Matt. Although I was hesitant to work with another recruiter, he really set himself apart with his professionalism and industry knowledge. I really appreciated the fact that Matt took the time to understand what we were looking for instead of simply throwing a bunch of resumes at us. I never felt pressured to move forward with a candidate that I didn’t feel was a good fit for the role. You can tell he genuinely cares about matching the needs of both his candidate and his client. I highly recommend partnering with Matt and his team at Blue Signal for your hiring needs.”

— Engineering Manager, Electrical & Electronic Manufacturing

Testimonials from client

Blue Signal’s search process is unlike any other, using a highly targeted 12-step interview process to match the right candidate to the right opportunity. We take the time to understand the needs of the client and find candidates that exemplify those characteristics and qualifications they’re seeking. If hiring managers wanted to review hundreds of resumes, they’d just post the open role themselves. That’s why Blue Signal does so much more than collect CVs. We alleviate the burdens in our clients’ searches by presenting top talent who are vetted through our 12-step process before they reach our clients’ desks - saving them time, and money.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal has exceeded my every expectation in a search team. I will not introduce them to competitors, as I'm hoping they focus on new markets to fill their time and remain my secret weapon in the war for my specific unicorn talent.”

— General Manager, Chemical Manufacturer

Testimonials from Client

When working with Blue Signal, clients gain access to passive talent that they may not find otherwise. Chances are, the best talent on the market is employed today - but hopefully not by your competitor. While partnering with a recruiting firm has various benefits, this access to passive job seekers is our clients’ secret weapon in finding their specific “unicorn” talent. Blue Signal recruiters have thorough training, niche industry knowledge, and strong expertise that allow them to curate a candidate pool of otherwise inaccessible talent.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal is a tenacious, committed partner in the recruiting process. Their drive to ensure successful, win-win placements for both clients and candidates helped accelerate our recruiting process, eased many of the burdens typically associated with recruiting efforts, and resulted in our making exceptional hires.” 

— VP of HR, National Wireless Integrator

Testimonials 3

Blue Signal’s streamlined recruiting process allows clients to save time while increasing productivity and efficiency. We understand time is money, so we provide a fast turnaround — guaranteeing candidate resumes fast, usually within 24 hours of the initial intake call. Most of our searches are filled in under 30 days, saving our clients’ valuable time while providing them with exceptional hires.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal is an exceptional recruiting partner  – they start strong, they stay strong, and they finish even stronger!”

 — Chief Channel Officer, Wireless OEM

Testimonials 4

With over 245 years of combined experience, our recruiting team knows what it takes to connect leaders with top talent. Our recruiters consistently deliver success to our clients and their teams, finding top candidates hand-picked for specialized positions within the industry. Once we’ve found the perfect candidate, we keep that momentum going by offering retention support — including background checks, reference checks, offer letter preparation, and paperwork support — to ensure our client’s new hire’s onboarding is smooth sailing. From start to finish, Blue Signal has our clients covered.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal is a true partner in the recruiting process – their job wasn’t done, until our job was done!”  

— VP of Sales, Wireless Company

Testimonials 5

Our job goes beyond a signed offer letter. We invest in your company’s success by guaranteeing results. Unlike other recruiting firms, Blue Signal’s unique search agreements come with a 12-month guarantee for new hires. If our client’s new hire leaves within their first year, we will credit them the difference to find a replacement.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Matt and the team at Blue Signal use an incredible process to deliver outstanding results: the people they’ve helped us recruit have created tens of millions in enterprise value for our organization.  I’m always on the lookout for the extremely rare opportunity to create an actual competitive advantage.  I consider Matt and his team at Blue Signal one of those very infrequent differentiators. I give them my highest recommendation.”

— CEO, Telecommunications Company

Testimonials 6

At Blue Signal, we believe hiring the right people is the best way to transform a business. In fact, 63% of Blue Signal candidates are promoted within 18 months. This top talent is destined to make an impact, with an average tenure of 56 months. Blue Signal is passionate about finding candidates that produce results, adding value to our client’s company and bottom line.

TESTIMONIAL:

“I have used Matt and Blue Signal over and over specifically because they don’t compare to other recruiters I’ve used – they are better, faster, more accurate, more effective. I have used other recruiters who seem to think that if they throw enough candidates at you, one is bound to ‘stick.’ Blue Signal filters down to truly qualified individuals BEFORE they get to me – key for my schedule and the business.”

— Senior Sales Director, Wireless Company

Testimonial 7

In such a competitive talent market, companies cannot afford to waste time looking at subpar candidates. All of our recruiters pre-screen, cross reference, and conduct initial interviews with each candidate before presenting to our client, so they know that time spent on their search is not wasted. We strive to find extraordinary candidates while taking our client’s timeline and budget into consideration, matching their urgency every time.

TESTIMONIAL:

“I had an opportunity to work closely with Blue Signal on two different occasions. The first time, when I was going through the interviewing/hiring process with their client. The second time, when I was one of the interviewers for their client, seeking the proper candidate for the job opening. On both occasions, Blue Signal provided very close and professional assistance during the entire hiring/interviewing process.”

— Sr. Field Application Engineer, Wireless Company

Testimonials 8

One of the best parts about recruiting is seeing candidates become clients. Regardless of your role in the interview process, Blue Signal provides support and resources every step of the way to guarantee the best results. You can rest assured that whichever side of the business you fall on, we will work to protect your best interests.

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal, and Art Reed specifically, provide very professional recruiting services. I would not hesitate to recommend Blue Signal to any employer looking for the right candidates, and to any professional seeking the proper career opportunity.” 

— Sr. Field Application Engineer, Wireless Company

Testimonials 9

Over the last nine years, Blue Signal has established itself as the premier executive search firm within wireless/telecom, IoT, medical & healthcare, finance & accounting, emerging technology, cloud & managed services, manufacturing & industrial, logistics & supply chain, human resources, and related industry niches. Working with both candidates and hiring managers, our targeted, specialized searches deliver highly qualified professionals to meet every hiring need. With recruiters located all across the country, we’re able to find and place exemplary candidates from coast to coast. 

TESTIMONIAL:

“Blue Signal has done a great job providing multiple qualified candidates for each of my three recruiting engagements. Despite working together multiple times, they still follow their process and make no assumptions about the goals for the position. As a busy hiring manager, they’re also great at gently managing me through the process – something I find helpful when multiple priorities begin to conflict. I enjoy the communication and collaboration with Blue Signal and would definitely use them again.”

— Global Director, Wireless Company

Testimonials 10

At Blue Signal, we invest in the search process - whether it’s our clients’ 1st or 50th search with us. We use a highly targeted 10-step candidate search process to source, recruit, screen, interview, and place the best candidates in our client’s industry. This search process consistently results in excellent hires for our talent seekers, leaving no detail overlooked.

TESTIMONIAL:
“Reflecting on the last year, I’ve truly appreciated working with you. Having worked with many recruiting firms over the years, I can honestly say Blue Signal is top notch. Your professionalism, thoroughness, and overall friendliness is truly appreciated.”

— Head of Engineering, Wireless Company

Quote of a testimonial overlaid on a photo of an office with a blue tint

As a relationship-based recruiting firm, Blue Signal strives to cultivate deep business relationships with our clients. By establishing an understanding of the client’s organization, their team, and both their hiring and business goals, we’re able to bring an unmatched level of thoroughness to the search. As a result, our long-term relationships and genuine interest in our client’s success set us apart from the rest.

CONCLUSION:

The recruiting space is a competitive one, filled with many different approaches and styles. We encourage all clients and candidates to employ whichever strategy works best for them, even if that means consulting them to turn down the wrong offer or walk away from a subpar hire. The proof is in the results. Our incredible clients’ testimonials help Blue Signal stand out from the rest. If you have reviewed our processes and feedback and believe Blue Signal to be the right recruiting firm for your business, contact us today and set up a consultation to partner with us on your next search.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Testimonials Tagged With: clients, Executive Search, feedback, Interview, interview process, interviewing, passive talent, recruiting, reviews, Search Process, Talent Acquisition, Testimonials

Hiring Managers: Have a Better Consultation Call with Recruiters

October 26, 2016 by Lacey Walters

The typical job order procedure goes something like this: Fix up an old job description or use an HR-provided template. Send to the recruiter of choice, sometimes with a quick consultation call, but often with a short email with one or two details that pop to mind before hitting “send.”

Analyzing a job order takes hard work, but a bad hire is lot more expensive and difficult. A good employee is one of the best investments a company can make, so it pays to plan the decision carefully. A good recruiter is able to tap into the passive candidate pool, where some of the best employees are. Setting up a consultation call with a recruiter is the first step in accessing these top candidates, but that is not the end of the story.

Consider these questions beforehand to have a more effective consultation and position the recruiter to find the best candidates.

 

7 Questions to Ask Before a Consultation Call:

 

#1 – “Why should a successful candidate leave their job to work for us?”

This can be an intimidating question, but it is critical to ask in today’s candidate-driven marketplace. Remember that every company has its strengths and weaknesses, including competitors that are employing the best of the best. What one candidate considers a drawback, another candidate might consider a bonus. For instance, one candidate may be looking for a large salary increase and open to heavy travel, while another may consider taking a pay cut if it means a short commute and a more relaxed office culture.

It is not feasible to know each candidate’s exact priorities (although it pays to ask during the interview!). The best approach is to build a list of all the selling points of the job. Frame as many aspects as possible in a positive light. This gives recruiters better ammunition to sell the job to the best candidates on the market.

 

#2 – “What is the market rate for candidates who can do this job well?”

In the end, every company has budget limits, and the best candidate on the market may be more firepower than what the job really requires. Get a firm grip on the job requirements, then research the average market rate for people who do that job (Glassdoor.com is a good start, but check job boards for advertised salaries as well). Check the national average as well as the local average.

If there is a big gap between the budget and the market rate, there are some options: discuss raising the budget for the job with management, or lengthen the hiring timeline to allow more time to find the right fit. Another option is to revise the role expectations, such as hiring a more junior employee and building additional training into the first year of the role. Keep in mind that salary is not everything—a candidate may be interested in other selling points for the job.

 

#3 – “What challenges will this candidate face at my company?”

Be honest about the difficult aspects of the role. Every company has different challenges. Consider what traits and experience an employee will need in order to thrive on these challenges.

For example, Company XYZ has two candidates for a product manager position. Candidate A has decent product marketing skills but excellent technical skills and knows the technology inside and out. Candidate B has okay technical knowledge but has a track record of outstanding product marketing strategies and top-notch market analysis. If the company already has a strong technical team in place but consistently struggles with product launches, Candidate B is likely a better choice, despite how impressive Candidate A’s technical knowledge may be.

This is an obvious example, but many hiring managers allow themselves to be wowed by candidates whose top skills are not that relevant to the company’s biggest challenges. Do not pay for “features” that are not useful. Know the company’s pain points, and determine how this new employee will need to contribute to solving them. Then consider what accomplishments and past obstacles the ideal candidate will have faced that will prepare them to meet these challenges head-on.

 

#4 – “What frustrations do the top candidates have?”

Consultation call - candidate frustrations
Know the common obstacles that top candidates are facing. What are the downsides of working with the competition? What are the top candidates in the industry complaining about—outdated technology, a lack of resources, bad internal communication?

Wherever possible, put together an action plan to resolve (or at least compensate for) employee pain points to attract top candidates. Recruiters will use this information to draw candidates who have excellent skills but are frustrated with their current jobs.

 

#5 – “How will this candidate complement my team’s strengths and weaknesses?”

Another way of saying this is, “How will this person be different from me?” Everyone has a bias towards people that are similar to them, but this can lead to an office monoculture and eventually a skills gap that is very difficult to correct. Strong teams have a variety of talents and perspectives. Hiring managers should be wary of candidates who have the same background, same skills, and same personality as themselves or other people on the team—they most likely will not bring new skills to the table!

 

#6 – “Have I written the job description well?”

A list of demands and must-haves will not attract top candidates who are already successful in their current jobs. Write a job description that includes selling points and conveys the company culture. Give the recruiter details on how the career advancement opportunities, so they can attract results-focused and motived candidates. More tips here.

 

#7 – “Have I budgeted ample time to work with the recruiter?”

Consultation call - Man with Mobile phone connected to a smart watchA good recruiter will request a consultation call to get detailed information on the job. They will prepare questions and get as much information as possible on the role and the company landscape, especially if this is one of the first job orders they are filling for the company. A consultation call usually takes half an hour to an hour. Additionally, recruiters benefit from detailed feedback after resume submissions and interviews. This helps them to hone their search and locate a good fit. Clear expectations help everyone to do a good job.

 

Have a job order? We can help. Book a free consultation call with us here, or call us directly at (480) 939-3200.

 

Filed Under: Blog Posts Tagged With: candidates, consultation, consultation call, hiring, hiring manager, how to, interviewing, market challenges, passive talent, recruiters, recruiting

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