Sarah Peiker, Strategic Recruiting Leader, Manpower Group

Due to such factors as globalization, a rise in contingent labor and heightened competition for talent across all industries, organizations find themselves in a new reality; one in which human potential is at the center stage of economic growth. In this new era – the Human Age – talent has become the key competitive differentiator, and an individual’s strengths and potential drive companies forward just as capital once did. As organizations face numerous and increasing challenges in attracting qualified workers, it is up to recruiters to adapt their approach to ensure they can source and attract top talent that help the business meet its strategic goals.

As competition for that top talent has only become more heated, today’s recruiters need to employ a sales mentality to the candidate sourcing process. This involves combining the drive to succeed with an awareness of the organization’s current and future requirements. It also requires a deep understanding of the buying audience – in this case, both hiring managers and job candidates. In order to benefit from the sales mentality, recruiters need to develop the competencies similar to those used in complex selling environments in order to align business goals with the needs of both hiring managers and candidates.

Selling to a Dual Audience

Recruiting is often included within the HR generalist’s long line of duties, yet the skills necessary for a recruiter to be successful are different than the ones needed for the HR generalist. Unlike the HR generalist who must be adept at managing multiple skills sets, like analyzing benefits data or helping management develop the organization’s strategic path, the role of the recruiter is more singular focused. Acting as a salesperson, the recruiter must be able to convince a candidate the position and company are right for them and persuade hiring managers that the candidate is the right person for the job.

In order to be most successful, recruiters must understand how to hone their ability to cater to both audiences. When working with candidates, recruiters need to understand the factors most important to prospective job seekers, whether that might be salary, potential career paths or a certain office environment. Just like a successful salesperson, recruiters must be able to “read” a candidate to learn what it is that they most want from a job. In order to do this, the recruiter must have a strong understanding about the company and position, as well as future opportunities within the organization.

At the same time, the recruiter must be able to recognize and address the concerns of the hiring manager and larger organizational requirements. This involves adjusting the sales message and convincing a hiring manager why a particular candidate is the best choice for a job. While catering to dual audiences can be challenging, recruiters who use a salesperson approach will be able to not only find more qualified candidates, but also communicate to hiring managers why a particular candidate is best for the role.

The Sales Competencies for Effective Recruiting

To be effective, recruiters must  know not only how to find right-fit candidates and balance dual audiences; they should also be trained with a sales mentality in order to possess the behavioral and technical skills, attributes and attitude that are the hallmarks of success in a sales environment. The most important sales competencies successful recruiters should embrace include:

Hunter-Farmer Capabilities

Recruiters need to have the appropriate strategies, skills, and resources to effectively source candidates. One of those skills is the ability to understand how to gather market and demographic information quickly in order to target the right channels and find qualified candidates. Not only do they need to find the right candidates, but they also need to have the written, verbal and interpersonal skills to nurture relationships with passive, active and engaged candidates.

Consultative Problem-Solving Skills

Successful salespeople understand their customers’ needs and focus on delivering customer satisfaction, and well-trained service professionals know how to ask the right questions in order to understand how to embrace a collaborative approach for a winning outcome. Recruiters must develop these qualities in order to address the needs of the two audiences with whom they interact.

Strong Listening and Questioning Skills

Bridging the various needs of the candidate and the hiring manager requires effective communication with different populations. This involves paying attention to verbal and non-verbal cues and asking the right questions to qualify prospects. Moreover, recruiters should be trained to change their messages to resonate with different audiences, whether that may be new entrants to the workforce looking for career development and future opportunities or seasoned professionals who wish to develop a specific skill or seek job stability.

Ability to Deliver Compelling Presentations

One effective sales technique is to elicit emotion through storytelling. Recruiters should be able to assess hard and soft skill requirements beyond what is available in the job description and use those assessments to persuade candidates or hiring managers into making a decision. When recruiters have their finger on the pulse of their audience, they’ll be able to determine whether to use a consultative approach or a hard close.

Solid Negotiation Skills

Mastering powerful negotiation skills is a critical trait for recruiters, especially when presenting compensation packages or engaging in counter-offer conversations. Strong negotiation skills and the ability to positively impact business outcomes are essential in both sales success and recruiting.

Though they may seem worlds apart at first glance, sales and recruiting are both difficult roles that require tenacity, a solutions-focused mindset and the ability to forecast the client’s changing needs. And whether recruiting talent is cultivated or hired into the organization, training recruiters to think and act with a sales mentality is an integral step in acquiring the right talent to meet business goals. The organizations that embrace a sales mentality in their recruiting process will not only have a competitive advantage in the ongoing war for talent – they’ll also benefit from highly skilled teams that can help them win in the Human Age.

Sarah Peiker is vice president of recruiting solutions for ManpowerGroup Solutions RPO. With her wide range of industry experience from human resources management to recruitment management and consulting, Sarah provides a thought leadership role within ManpowerGroup in the areas of recruiting solution design and account management. With 20 years of industry experience, Sarah most recently developed and led the ManpowerGroup Solutions consulting business, which offers recruitment consulting services in areas including: recruiting process and compliance consulting, sourcing effectiveness and candidate selection and training.