#378 Why recruiters need sales skills

Why recruiters need sales skills

A sustainable, modern approach to recruiting

Recruiters’ reputation ranges from famous to infamous.

The employer evaluation websites for job application processes show a wide range of realities. Some people in recruiting are very well trained, very structured, know exactly which questions are relevant and are fully convincing right from the first contact. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of the medal. Many people in recruitment have received little or no training, ask questions according to a standard pattern and ultimately make judgements based on a personal feeling or gut feeling rather than on facts, proof and evidence.

How can sales skills help here?

Where do we start?

Every recruiting activity starts with a targeted approach. Job adverts are important and form the starting point. Today, however, you need to implement additional measures. Programmatic advertising, lead ads - what counts is that you appear where your target group is. Therefore, avoid frantically using every platform. Choose the right platforms based on facts and knowledge. In addition, the approach must meet the expectations of the target group. There have been more than enough attempts at singing bank employees, rapping police people and dancing architect office staff (as young people would say: cringe), the targeted approach is the beginning of every recruitment. What is the targeted approach? A sales skill. The discussion about whether sales skills are ever needed is therefore no longer necessary. Please always make sure that the people in recruiting are familiar with your latest campaigns to avoid unpleasant knowledge gaps.

Next steps

After the initial contact, the next step is the relationship building phase. Relationship building based on the principle of reciprocity. If you proactively take care of the applicant, it is highly likely that they will also take care of you. In the next phase, you make the offer and the negotiation begins. Pitching and negotiation - both must be learnt professionally in order to achieve an optimal result. Further aspects are clarified in the communication and problem solving phase. Proactive communication and openness in problem solving are key aspects here in order to successfully move on to the final phase. The conclusion must be focussed. Closing techniques must be used in a targeted manner and mastered down to the last detail. Only if you have mastered all phases will your recruiting approach have a chance of success in the competition for talent. All the skills mentioned are sales skills, which are essential in recruiting. The times when recruiting was sometimes even seen as a secondary activity of HR are long gone.

Realisation

Training on this topic must be carried out by experienced professionals. Professional, targeted, customised to your needs. Set clear, meaningful and scientifically verifiable key performance indicators (KPIs). Bear in mind that any form of arbitrariness in target setting will result in equally arbitrary circumvention mechanisms and that you can cause massive damage to the organisation if you behave incorrectly. In addition to the hard, measurable factors, please also note that soft factors are just as important, such as the mood in the team, internal employer brand image and organisational culture, to name just  a few. The CSFs, the Critical Success Factors, the soft factors, must be taken into account here in the same way as the KPIs in the evaluation.

You must permanently establish change here. Every campaign, every job advert, every application, the process is constantly being adapted, adjusted and continuously improved. For years, managers have been telling employees that there is an opportunity in every change. Now it is important to follow up these words with deeds in terms of real willingness to change.

To summarise: the phrase ‘I don't need to master sales, I work in HR’ is outdated and no longer acceptable as an attitude towards the matter. You need people with people expertise, HR specialist knowledge, labour law expertise and corresponding experience. Such a team with expertise, experience and sales skills will deliver excellent results.

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 More on this topic in this week's podcast: Apple Podcasts / Spotify

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Niels Brabandt is an expert in sustainable leadership with more than 20 years of experience in practice and science.

Niels Brabandt: Professional Training, Speaking, Coaching, Consulting, Mentoring, Project & Interim Management. Event host, MC, moderator.