Have you ever wondered why recruiters get a bad rep? At the end of the day you're just doing a job, so why is there so much criticism towards a career so many people have? Here is the reason you are ruining your reputation and every recruiters reputation.
Ya'll don't know my struggle. Ya'll can't match my hustle.
In any sales role it's all about the hustle right? Just go on Instagram or Facebook or just about any social media network and you'll find plenty of motivational memes related to "hustle." Now that you've read your motivation quotes you're all fired and ready to work.
So, you're a hustler and you're going to do whatever it takes to get your open roles filled. You're going to prospect, build lists, cold call, email and you're not going to give up until you find that unicorn candidate.
Now, let's say you reach out to 20 people and only 10 of them respond to your inquiry. You leave the other 10 people with a "WTF, who is this impression" and you have 10 people who are interested and willing to maybe give you a shot.
So you start to generate conversation with 10 interested candidate prospects. As you move along, you narrow it down to 3 candidates that have potential. You start to focus all your time on the 3 candidates that might actually get hired. The other 7 candidates are left curious if they have a chance. You don't want to lose those 7 other candidates because they might be good for a role you may have in the future. So you keep them on the line and try to manage their expectations. (Some are better at this than others)
Out of the 3 good prospects, one might get hired. You're left with 9 amped up candidates who are now interested in a new role, thanks to you. They being to imagine life in another job (the one you pitched them) and now look to you to help them. But...you can't help all 9. Maybe you can help a few down the road but you basically leave 9 people with a desire for a new job that you can't fulfill. And this is why people say things like, "recruiters suck" "I've never had success with a recruiter"
You are raising expectations, hopes and desires with candidate prospects and then leaving them in the dust. If you're good at what you do, you can leave all potential prospects feeling good but...90% of recruiters aren't skilled or thoughtful enough to leave a good impression with everyone. In fact, most recruiters probably leave people with a bad impression and just DGAF. As long as they make a deal who cares right? Churn an burn.
So let's recap. You reached out to 20 people, right away 10 people basically said you're annoying, go away. Then you raised interest and expectations with 9 other people who YOU later politely said go way to. In just one small search you have excited, bothered and annoyed 19 people. Now, imagine you do this all day everyday for a year. A lot of people will think you suck.
This article was written by Quintin Ford, a recruitment entrepreneur located in Playa Vista, CA. Quintin is the Founder of OCEAN | STREET and avid blogger and social media guru. Learn more about Quintin on LinkedIn.
