QUESTION: How many hours a week or day do you suggest a full desk recruiter should spend on marketing calls – someone that is very experienced and also for someone that is starting to market after only working on the candidate side? – Penny, Omaha, NE
ANSWER: How many hours a week do you suggest on a full desk? That is a good question, and the coaching I am going to give is to get out of the mindset of hours and get into the mindset of results.
Several years I hired a mentor and coach by the name of Kevin. When I hired him I asked how much time I got to spend with him one-on-one. He looked and me and said, “As little as possible”, with a smile on his face. To be honest I was insulted.
He then said, “I could touch your forehead in a moment’s time and give you the wisdom that created another million dollars in business for you, or we spend two hours a week, 52 weeks a year, to get the same result. Which is more preferable?” Of course, I told him that touching my forehead was my choice, to which he said “That is what I mean by as little as possible”.
How many hours should your recruiters spend marketing? As few as possible. As few as possible to get the desired result.
What is the marketing objective, Penny? Is the goal to get a search a week? Is the goal to get two searches a week? Is the goal to get one search every two weeks? The ratio is probably 15 conversations with a hiring manager, which is somewhat cold, to get one job order that you would work on. That is just a ballpark figure but it is quite accurate based upon my work with our clients. Some do less. Some do more.
What I would challenge you to look at is how many conversations does he or she need to do to get that stated result? When they are brand new and they are in transition from recruiting to marketing, so I would suggest they do 90 minutes a day while they are still recruiting. In those 90 minutes, I want them to talk to a minimum of three people a day with an increasing target of four to five per day.
I would always challenge you to shift your mindset to focus on results rather than hours.
Great question. Thank you.
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