Recruiting Trailblazers

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This week - Marcus iterates upon his recent podcast "How to Have Your First Conversation With a Candidate" by looking a little more closely at the steps you need to take along the relationship development journey in order to build a rock-solid relationship from scratch- by demonstrating your vulnerability and empathy and ensuring you have a "human" moment, to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Lindsey Day, Assistant Director of Talent Acquisition and Development at Infotech, a Florida-based company that provides software solutions for the road construction industry.

She is also a career coach and one of the first members of the Forbes Coaches Council and a board member at startGNV, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness around local startups in Gainesville, Florida.

Listen in as Lindsey shares her best advice for creating a positive candidate experience, including how to showcase your company culture when you’re limited to digital means, and why talking to candidates directly instead of relying solely on their resumé often leads to the best matches.

She also gives some tips on maximizing that very first interview with a candidate so that recruiters can have meaningful conversations that go beyond qualifications and salary.

Finally, Lindsey speaks on how Infotech helps companies be seen as employers of choice—even through rejecting candidates.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:18] An introduction to Infotech

●      [02:00] Key recruiting challenges in today’s market

●      [04:56] How to showcase company culture digitally

●      [06:09] Where a positive candidate experience starts

●      [09:06] The limitations of the resumé

●      [11:07] The first conversation with the candidate

●      [16:14] Why recruiters and candidates should stay in touch

●      [19:00] How to help candidates be as successful as possible at the interview

●      [21:30] How Infotech ensures a consistent and meaningful candidate experience throughout the interview process

●      [25:17] How to balance selling and buying at the interview stage

●      [28:37] How to distinguish yourself as an employer by giving insightful feedback

●      [29:59] Lindsey’s work at the nonprofit startGNV

Key quotes:

●      “We are facing a lot of the challenges that a lot of companies our size are facing. That is, we are now competing nationally when we used to compete regionally thanks to the remote work movement.”

●      “The first conversation is about determining fit. So, does this individual have, not only the skillset, but are they going to be a fit in this work environment?”

●      “One of the biggest compliments that I can get as a recruiter is: ‘That was the best rejection I ever got.’ That means [...] I’ve been an advocate for the company and I’ve been an advocate for the candidate.”

●      “A candidate can really feel when you do care about their best interests. A candidate really appreciates that personal trust.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Infotech

●      startGNV

●      Lindsey Day on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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This week, Marcus shares his strategy for the all-important internal interview - or the first time a Recruiter speaks with a candidate.  
Marcus reveals his list of priorities on each candidate call along with the workflow and typical questions he asks each person.
Lots of value here for both internal and agency Recruiters - particularly the notion that the #1 objective of each  "1st Convo" is to kickstart a longer-term relationship that may yield wins for both parties in the future, rather than just simply screening the person in, or out, for the role at hand.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Kristina Finseth, Director of Growth Marketing at Interseller, a prospecting and outreach platform for recruiters and sellers.

Listen in as Kristina offers her top tips and recommendations for leveraging and harnessing cold email for recruitment success. She describes the value of Interseller specifically as a platform for outbound-driven teams.

Kristina preaches a low-volume, high-quality approach when it comes to any email outreach campaign, with a focus on niching down and building momentum through sheer consistency. She dives deep into how to write personalized emails that seize your prospects’ attention and touches on the metric she prefers to track instead of open rates.

Finally, Kristina gives her recommendations for reaching out to companies that have recently received funding. She introduces her newly-released course, Outbound FIRE Framework.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [02:11] An introduction to Interseller

●      [03:50] Using Interseller’s platform in conjunction with LinkedIn’s tools

●      [05:16] Email versus InMail

●      [07:51] The pillars of a successful outreach campaign

●      [15:50] How Interseller finds email addresses on LinkedIn

●      [18:29] Grabbing your prospect’s attention with great subject lines

●      [22:33] Keeping your prospect’s attention after they open the email

●      [28:32] Why personalized emails save more time in the long-run

●      [37:02] Using segmentation effectively

●      [39:33] Funding as a trigger for outreach

●      [43:16] About the Outbound FIRE Framework course

Key quotes:

●      “We're always preaching a low-volume, high-quality approach. That’s the philosophy we take on email outreach as a whole.”

●      “As far as best practices go for following up, three-to-four emails in your initial sequence is all that you need.”

●      “I personally don’t care about open rates. It’s not the first thing I care about. I always work from the desired result, backwards. I care about booked meetings.”

●      “True personalization isn’t just using industry, company name, first name, etc. True personalization is crafting an entire two sentences that are just for you.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Interseller

●      Outbound FIRE Framework

●      Kristina Finseth on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Rory Maddocks, Managing Partner at Talisman Advisory Partners, a brand new recruitment services business based in Los Angeles.

Rory previously served as Head of West Coast Business at GQR Global Markets for six years, leading a division of cross-functional specialists teams in renewable energy, commercial construction, aerospace, cybersecurity, and T&D.

Listen in as Rory explains why having a strong internal talent acquisition strategy is key to the success of any recruitment-as-a-service business and multi-year retainers versus contingent search and the problems with the latter. He specifically touches on why contingent search may be more beneficial to the recruiter than it is to the actual client.

Rory then speaks on why engagement is vital in an industry shaped by the democratisation of data and how building long-term relationships online starts with a great content strategy.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:32] An introduction to Talisman Advisory Partners

●      [04:41] What sets Talisman apart

●      [06:10] Defining “recruitment-as-a-service” and its pricing model

●      [09:52] How to charge different recruitment-as-a-service clients

●      [14:28] The limitations of the contingency paradigm

●      [17:06] Rory’s thoughts on the contained model

●      [20:50] The importance of niche marketing today and how narrow Talisman is going

●      [21:27] The importance of storytelling in your content marketing

●      [24:50] How to nurture online relationships as a recruitment business

●      [29:44] Active versus passive candidates and finding their motivators

●      [33:55] How Talisman is faring so far

●      [36:01] Rory’s goals for the rest of the year

Key quotes:

●      “What’s good for the recruiter in a contingent model isn’t necessarily what’s good for the client.”

●      “Data is becoming democratised. Data is so accessible now. [...] A lot of recruitment businesses are going to have similar databases; but, it’s the quality of that engagement [that counts].”

●      “As a recruitment consultant, you’re not hired to find jobs for people. You’re hired to find people for jobs.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Talisman Advisory Partners

●      Rory Maddocks on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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This week on Recruiting Trailblazers, Marcus delivers a short episode on his interview preparation strategy for candidates.
Marcus explains the importance of the Interview Prep call - from both a relationship-building/cementing and a strategic point of view.
Quite simply - it revolves around 3 keywords - Vision, Culture, and Role.  Marcus gives examples of the types of questions that candidates need to ask early on in the interview to build rapport - and understand the interviewer's "hot buttons".
Marcus states that it's only after you have defined what's most important to your interviewer (qualities, attributes, mindset, skills, experience, and accomplishments) - that you are able to accurately reconcile answers that really hit home - along with a dialog that resonates impactfully.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with The Recruiter Coach, Lyndsey Meredith. She is a personal branding, startup, and success coach for recruiters.

With over 15 years of experience in the recruiting space under her belt, Lyndsey shares just how critical it is for recruiters to get clear on their personal brand, and offers her best advice on cutting through the noise in the industry today.

Listen in as Lyndsey explains how personal branding saves you a tremendous amount of time and is why it is surprisingly easy to start building your brand today—particularly on LinkedIn—if you know the right steps.

She dives deep into her four pillars of personal branding on LinkedIn, the two different types of content you should be putting out consistently, what it means to be “authentic” on a professional platform, and how to improve your storytelling and messaging.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:33] Why is personal branding so important for today’s recruiters?

●      [03:05] How to write an eye-catching headline on LinkedIn

●      [06:54] Navigating LinkedIn’s limitations around connection requests

●      [08:38] How to write an “About” section on LinkedIn that gets visitors to take action

●      [11:09] The perfect LinkedIn profile photo and banner

●      [14:17] Daily habits to adopt for your LinkedIn strategy

●      [16:42] How to create authentic content consistently

●      [21:27] The importance of storytelling in your content marketing

●      [26:02] Maximizing your potential on LinkedIn

●      [28:48] Determining which platforms your audience hangs out on

●      [30:28] Knowing whether you may need to use Sales Navigator

●      [31:50] Dialing in your messaging

●      [34:20] How to build your authority on LinkedIn

Key quotes:

●      “Personal branding is really important for a recruiter because it’s scalable.”

●      “Personal branding is all about authenticity.”

●      “The worst thing you can do is to be what they expect. Do what you can to stand out on LinkedIn.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Meredith Consultancy Services

●      Lyndsey Meredith on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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Marcus is taking the week off interviewing for July 4th - but has recorded a short 5 minute message to listeners of the podcast - if you are an Agency Recruiter - well worth a listen!

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the podcast, Marcus Edwardes speaks with two amazing guests: Vanessa Raath, a global sourcing trainer and international keynote speaker based in South Africa; and James Hornick, partner at Hirewell, a 70-person recruitment agency in Chicago. James is also known as the publisher for the Talent Rants and Sarcasm newsletter.

Listen in as Vanessa and James give their thoughts on how market conditions have changed over the past year-and-a-half and how the roles of the sourcer and recruiter have evolved as a result.

Vanessa shares how attitudes have shifted with regard to remote working and how this has led to the rise of the hybrid workplace, why sourcers and recruiters need to optimize their online brand if they want to stand out in today’s market, and where to recruit and follow-up aside from LinkedIn Recruiter.

James explains the art of the counteroffer, why tenure is not a measure of good or bad decisions made by the recruiter, and the disconnect between what companies advertise and what job seekers really want.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [03:19] How the sourcing an role has changed in the last several months

●      [08:38] The rising importance of the recruiter’s online brand

●      [11:56] Recruiting for big versus small brands and automating your process

●      [14:42] Finding and following up with candidates beyond LinkedIn Recruiter

●      [17:21] Considerations around personalization

●      [20:04] Vanessa’s top advice for struggling sourcers and recruiters

●      [23:30] How Hirewell is differentiating itself in today’s market

●      [26:40] How unique, relevant content and teamwork keep Hirewell top-of-mind with candidates

●      [30:39] The art of the counteroffer

●      [37:19] Preparing candidates to deal with counteroffers from their employer

●      [40:11] Why ping-pong tables, beer taps, and the like are no longer in vogue

●      [41:36] How hybrid models will continue to develop in the coming months

●      [43:26] What engineers are really looking for in their new roles

 Key quotes:

●      “The demand for sourcers and recruiters, from a global perspective, has literally gone through the roof.” ~Vanessa

●      “The beauty of your online brand is that it all comes down to you and how hard you want to work at it.” ~Vanessa

●      “If you’re a company in the employee perks industry, you have to be getting killed right now, because nobody cares about this stuff. All they care about is more money and to be able to work from home if they feel like it. Those are your two levers, and nothing else is really resonating right now.” ~James

●      “Companies have such company-focused language. They think they know what’s cool about their company that they want to sell, but it’s not in line with what job seekers want to hear about, typically.” ~James

Resources Mentioned:

●      Vanessa Raath

●      James Hornick on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes chats with Riece Keck, the founder, and CEO of Vault Recruiting, a boutique agency specializing in recruiting for recruiters as well as embedded recruiting services. Vault Recruiting Agency’s primary market is the technology startups and has built out engineering, finance and accounting, customer success, and sales teams at some of the Bay Area’s leading startups. 

Riece Keck is also a podcaster, founder, and CEO of The Vault Academy, an end-to-end platform for new and experienced recruiters to learn the ropes and outlevel their skills. 

Tune in to listen to our guest talking about his content development, the changing work and recruitment demography, and the best recruitment models that can work best for companies.

Timestamps

[02:38] Thoughts on content development

[03:50] The changing work and recruitment demography

[07:28] Shift in how people think about work

[10:47] Force or offer Hybrid model?

[12:21] What’s lost in agency recruiting

[13:02] Working from home vs working in an office

[16:24] What remote agency recruiter is missing on training

[19:37] Crafting LinkedIn content

[21:00] Current situation of the agency market

[24:42] How can your business flex?

[27:17] Internal vs agency recruiting

[30:38] Figuring out a workable interview strategy

[33:28] Doubling down on niche marketing strategy

[36:33] Reason to be ‘niche’

[38:53] Engaging successfully with clients

[39:38] Best advice to recruiters on the container model

[42:18] Competition with internal recruiters

Notable Quotes

●      What the next generation of recruiting professionals needs to get good at is learning to build an audience online and learn how to generate an inbound stream of clients and candidates.

●      I think what’s lost a little bit from an agency perspective when you’re remote is when you’re new.

●      You have to be able to make the content you’re creating relevant to the audience and the niche you have chosen to engage.

●      When the market is really tight, it becomes harder to find good candidates.

●      There’s no reason not to be niche. You know the market better. You know your audience better, and you have a deeper network of clients and candidates.

●      If a good candidate is referred to a company, they should hire them.

Connect with Riece

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riecekeck/

Vault Recruiting Website: https://vaultrecruiting.com/

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/