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    "result": {"data":{"contentfulSkillmeterBlogPost":{"url":"smart-tactics-for-cold-calling-job-candidates","title":"Smart tactics for “Cold Calling” Job Candidates","description":{"description":"<p>Imagine you are a recruiter who is trying to cold call a\r\ngreat candidate for an IT position within your company. Your goal\r\nis to get his attention, to find out if he makes a good fit and possibly invite\r\nhim for an interview which he will be prepared to attend. These are some\r\nstrategies that will help you to achieve your goals effectively</p>"},"body":{"body":"<p>\r\n\tImagine you are a recruiter (called Marc) who is\r\ntrying to cold call a great candidate (called John) for an IT position within\r\nyour company. Your goal is to get his attention, to find out if he makes a good\r\nfit and possibly invite him for an interview which he will be prepared to\r\nattend. These are some strategies that will help you to achieve your goals\r\neffectively:</p><ul>\r\n\t\r\n<li><u>Do\r\nyour research beforehand. \r\n\t</u><br>\r\n\tResearch John’s (your candidate’s) background,\r\ninterests and motivations. Try to find out “What drives him?” \r\n\t</li>\t<br>\r\n\t\r\n<li><u>Be prepared. </u>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\tBefore\r\ncalling him have all the relevant information (job description, notes etc.) in\r\nfront of you. \r\n\t</li>\t<br>\r\n<li><u>Introduce\r\nyourself. \r\n\t</u>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\tOnce you give John a call provide some short\r\nbackground information about yourself so that he takes you seriously right from\r\nthe beginning. You could say \r\n\t<strong>“Hi John, my name is Marc, I’m the Recruitment\r\nManager of (company xyz). I’m currently looking for a (IT position) with (xyz\r\nskills). I’m impressed about your background and your profile on Linkedin\r\ncaught my immediate attention.” \r\n\t</strong></li>\t<br>\r\n<li><u>Ask\r\nif day and time is right. \r\n\t</u>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\tIf you are calling him at his workplace he might\r\nnot be able to speak freely. You can find out by asking \r\n\t<strong>“Is\r\nthis a good time to call you?”\r\n\t</strong>If the candidate is not\r\nin a position to listen or speak to you, you could leave a message or say \r\n\t<strong>\"I am currently hiring a </strong><strong>(IT\r\nposition). I\r\n\t</strong><strong>f you would like to hear more\r\nabout this exciting opportunity which offers (mention the best part of the\r\njob!) please call me at 000-0000000.”\r\n\t</strong> </li>\t<br>\r\n<li><u>Compare\r\nthe jobs and highlight the positive features of the new job opportunity. \r\n\t</u>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\tIf John agrees to talk to you, you can\r\ncontinue by asking \r\n\t<strong>“If someone would present you with a job opportunity\r\nwhich is significantly better than the job you currently have, would you be\r\nprepared to find out more about it?” \r\n\t</strong>If John says “yes”, ask the next\r\nquestion \r\n\t<strong>“Are you prepared to compare and\r\ndiscuss your current job with a new opportunity which I would like to present\r\nyou in more detail after answering me some questions?” \r\n\t</strong>If the\r\nanswer is again “yes” try to find out: \r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>a)</strong><strong>How\r\nmotivated are you to do the job? Do you enjoy it and consider it as fulfilling?\r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>b)</strong><strong>Do you feel\r\nchallenged (e.g. by learning new skills, taking on new projects, dealing with\r\nmore challenging tasks)? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>c)</strong><strong>Is there\r\nenough room for job growth and further career advancement? How was it in the\r\npast and how would it be in the future? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>d)</strong><strong>What is the\r\nrelationship with your HR Manager? Do you feel that your manager helps you to\r\ndevelop yourself and grow? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>e)</strong><strong>Do you feel\r\ncomfortable in your team, do you like working with those people? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>f)</strong><strong>Do you think\r\nthe management and leadership team in your company is doing a good job in\r\nmaking the company successful?\r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>g)</strong><strong>How well do\r\nyou identify yourself with this company, their products/services, their\r\ncorporate culture and values? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>h)</strong><strong>Do you have\r\nthe impression that you have all the resources and tools to do the job in the\r\nmost efficient and effective way? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>i)</strong><strong>Do you think\r\nthat you are being paid the right salary? \r\n\t</strong>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\t<strong>j)</strong><strong>On a scale\r\nfrom 1 to 10 how would you rank the company’s work/life balance? \r\n\t</strong></li></ul><p>\r\n\tIf you are\r\nable to get the candidate to answer you these questions, you would gain\r\nvaluable insights, for example what John feels unhappy about. You would also be\r\nin a strong position to convince the candidate that working for your company\r\nwould be a great move for his career because you know what positive features\r\nyour company can offer in comparison. Now is your turn to share relevant\r\ninformation about the job and company (position, job responsibilities, team\r\nsize, culture and values, salary packages etc.) so that it makes perfect sense\r\nto John why your job offer is so much more exciting and special than his\r\ncurrent job. Remember that every candidate will ask themselves “What do I get\r\nout of it?” and if the offer sounds highly attractive every candidate would\r\nappreciate an invitation for a job interview hoping to land a better job in the\r\nend.</p><ul>\r\n\t\r\n<li><u>Keep\r\nnetworking.\r\n\t</u>\r\n\t<br>\r\n\tNow let’s assume that you realise in the\r\nmiddle of the call that John is not suitable for the position or he himself tells\r\nyou that he is not interested in the job, don’t suddenly stop the conversation.\r\nInstead try to find out if he knows someone else in his network who might be a\r\ngood fit. You could say \r\n\t<strong>“Do you know anyone you worked with at previous\r\ncompanies who could be suitable for this job?”\r\n\t</strong>It\r\nmight be likely that John would not volunteer this kind of information without knowing\r\nyou a bit better. Therefore you could offer him to meet in person in order to establish a\r\nmore professional relationship. You could say \r\n\t<strong>“For me it is crucial to have a great understanding of the IT industry and\r\nI would appreciate it if you could share some of your personal insights regarding\r\nthis sector. John, could we meet for some coffee today or tomorrow?”\r\n\t</strong>\r\n\tMeeting the candidate in person (assuming you are not living too far away from\r\neach other) might help you in two ways: 1) getting a referral for the job\r\nposition you are trying to fill (hopefully) and 2) getting to know John who\r\nmight be a good fit for another job opening at a later stage. \r\n\t</li></ul><p>\r\n\tRemember that the way you\r\nconduct your conversation with a candidate over the phone will have a direct impact\r\non the outcome of inviting the person for an interview and possible job offer.\r\nConsider therefore every call as an opportunity to network and to increase your\r\ncompany’s brand image even if it doesn’t always lead to the desired outcome\r\nstraight away.</p>"},"authorName":"Karin Schroeck-Singh","authorBio":{"authorBio":"Karin Schroeck-Singh is a passionate Public Speaker, eBook Author, and a freelancing Online Content Producer. She has an MBA from the University of Leicester (UK) and gained 18 years of international work experience in Italy, the UK and India."},"publishedOn":"2015-04-18T08:04:19.657Z"}},"pageContext":{"id":"83094ff5-30c9-5aac-9c07-67d15d00c590"}},
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