Julia WeeksHaving a client drop off the face of the earth isn’t an unheard of situation in recruiting. However, if this is happening to you on a frequent basis, then there is something you need to change in your process when it comes to the recruiter-client relationship.
When reassessing your relationship building process with your clients, consider 4 key reasons why your client may have stopped communicating with you.
1. You Didn’t Set the Right Expectations
It’s important early on in the process that you and the client establish clear expectations of how your partnership will work. Setting up weekly phone calls to follow up on submitted candidates or any changes in the job requirements is an integral part of your professional relationship with your clients.
Make sure that there is a clear understanding between you and your client on how the process will work and how often you will communicate (as well as HOW you will communicate).
2. The Opening isn’t Real
If this is a new client or a client that you have not had such a great experience with in the past, don’t be surprised if they just told you they had an opening in order to simply end the conversation with you.
Sometimes a hiring manager will give you a bogus job order just so you will stop calling him!
You can avoid these situations by vetting out each job order you receive before you begin spending time on it. Ask the right questions when you have the hiring manager’s ear. Make sure that he understands that you will not just simply take a written job description from him and recruit without a qualifying conversation about the type of candidate he is looking for.
3. You Talked to the Wrong Person
Perhaps the person you spoke with about the job order wasn’t the actual decision maker. This is not unheard of and actually happens more often than you would think. When this does happen, a lot of times the person you spoke with is too embarrassed to call you back and tell you that he was the wrong person.
However, as a skilled recruiter, it’s important that you know who you are taking a job order from and understand what their role is in the hiring decision.
Once again, make sure you are asking the right questions from the get go and never settle for talking to anyone other than the key decision maker when it comes to hiring for the position.
4. You’re doing a Bad Job
Sometimes it just comes down to the simple fact that you’re not doing a good job. If you’re not following up with your clients early in the process with updates on the candidate search, they have likely moved on and are spending time with a recruiter who keeps the line of communication open throughout the entire process.
If you are simply forwarding resumes of candidates with no actual presentations or reviews based on your assessment of the candidates, then the client has lost respect for you.
Maybe the candidates you have submitted just aren’t anywhere close to hitting the mark. It’s up to you to ask the right questions early in the process so that you can be sure to hit the target with your candidates.
Being a recruiter is not easy. Your clients have entrusted you with their job openings because you have the expertise and knowledge when it comes to hunting down the right talent. When you slack off and don’t meet their expectations, there is little chance that your calls and emails will be returned.
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What are some other reasons why your client isn’t calling you back?
Josh Tolan
