A recruiter’s full breakfast usually consists of some freshly baked Job openings,  grilled old Job openings, a bowl of unrealistic expectations served with the hot deadline pressure from operations.  The last thing one needs is a cup of hope for finding the right candidate. Isn’t it? 🙂

While you start by hitting the famous job portal to catch the right fish, you want to hunt down all of them like a Boss!

A Recruiter’s breakfast 🙂

The next step is the Cold call to potential candidates.

Here are the 5 common mistakes recruiters do during Cold calls:

1. Not taking consent for discussing the Job opportunity?

Doing a Cold call anytime in your office hours may seem convenient to you, however this may not be always true for the potential candidates. The office hours of recruiters usually have an overlap with the candidate’s shift timings. It always makes sense to introduce yourself and your motive and then take the consent for discussing it further. If it is not a good time for discussion you should ask for the convenient time. You should keep the communication line open by sending a follow-up email or text message. Not taking the consent will result in low turnout for interviews.

Always take the consent

2. Are you looking for a Job Change?

While it is important to know the interest of the potential candidate, most recruiters introduce themselves and quickly ask the most tempting question “Are you looking for a Job Change”. The fear of losing a job opportunity stimulates the candidate to say a Yes without any factual or logical decision making. Jumping to a decision straight away fades your brain’s power of intellect. As a recruiter, you are not only hiring a human resource but also selling a role. Most of the potential candidates are passive job seekers. It is important to describe the role, skills and the expected competencies first and then take the conversation forward. It is also important to share the detailed job description with the candidate and allow fair amount of time to the candidate for reviewing the same.  Just like fishing you have to put the bait first and then wait for the right moment.

3. Start Negotiating the Expected Compensation

Don’t fall in the trap of negotiations in the Cold Call

While it is important to confirm the existing and expected compensation, many recruiters fall into the trap of salary negotiations during cold calls. The conversation shifts from a Cold call to a negotiation call without any assessment or interview process which does not make any sense! One should understand that the compensation components vary as per Organization.

For Example:– An employee 7 lac CTC (Cost to the company) in the current Organization may be equivalent to 10 lac in your Organization assuming the components like Transport deduction, Medical Insurance and Gratuity.  I have worked with many Organizations where these components were not even part of the CTC. On the contrary,  some companies consider every penny spent on an employee an integral part of the CTC.

The level of detail during recruitment increases as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available with time. In a nutshell, don’t get in the trap of salary negotiation during Cold calls and try to make a wise decision.

4.  Gold plating the role and company profile.

There are several awkward moments during Cold calls where the recruiters takes pride in introducing themselves whereas the candidate have not even heard about the company. This is usually seen in small and lesser known companies, which do not want to spend in marketing themselves for various reasons. This makes it extremely difficult for their recruiters to establish the initial rapport. In order to convince the candidates, some recruiters cross the line and start lying about the role and company profile. For Example:- They start briefing the job description of a HR head whereas the actual role is of a HR manager only. This helps in the short term but does not last longer! The solution is to be honest and striking the real interest based on the learning the role can give and the growth path since the evolution of the Organization.

5. Not Asking for Referrals 

Remember the cup of hope and optimism from the recruiter’s breakfast I talked about in the beginning. You did your best research to find the right candidate but things don’t work out for whatsoever reason. Don’t lose the hope and don’t forget to ask for any referrals. Trust me it can save a lot of things for you. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Chinese Proverb). Consider the step asking for referrals as one of such giant steps.

“Recruitment is an art and not an easy task”

Lets take a moment and applaud all the recruiters for the challenges and emotions they face on day to day basis.

Cheers…. Happy Recruitment! Feel free to Like, Share and Comment