People ask me all the time if there was one most important rule or trick that you would apply to your desk what would it be? For me the answer is SO simple. What really makes a good candidate.
For 20 years now I've watched what we as recruiters go through everytime we start to put a candidate in front of a client. The hours of talking, weedling, begging, convincing all in search of the grand prize known as a placement. All of it is so unneccessary if you simply understand and define what makes a candidate. Remember a candidate isn't just someone who has the skills the client requires. In order to be a true candidate that person has to be WILLING TO ACCEPT THE OFFER! This is the part that most recruiters simply want to ignore and its ultimately the cause of way to many sleepless nights.
Fix the problem - if you want to end those sleepless nights, enjoy more placements and ultimately put more money in the bank you need to redefine what makes a candidate. Hence the Golden Rule of Recruiting.
In order to be a TRUE candidate the person you intend to submit must meet 3 criteria SIMULTANEOUSLY.
- They must have at least 85+% of the skills the client requires. (Think of it this way - list the top 6 things the client has asked for and your candidate better be solid in at least 5 of them)
- The money the candidate wants is within the salary range the client has given. (I know clients sometimes have wiggle room when it comes to salary ranges but the reality is it's not nearly as much as we think. Use this guide if your candidate wants more than $3000 over the high end of the range - your candidate wants to much and is breaking the rule.)
- The candidate must be motivate to accept the position by one major factor OTHER than money. If making more money is this candidates prime motivator THEY WILL ACCEPT A COUNTER OFFER!!)
Want proof that this rule is the truth - take a look at the last couple of deals of yours that fell apart; Candidate pulling out at final interviews or turning down the offer, and if you honestly analyze what they were saying before you submitted them I'll bet you ALL of them broke some element of the Golden Rule.
Here's my simple encouragement for you. Try it...what you will see happen is 2 things. First you'll be submitting a lot less candidates because finding candidates who meet this rule is alot harder than simply finding someone who has most of the skills the client asked for, but the second thing you'll see. You WILL absolutely make more placements!!
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