How Do We Get That First Bit of Engagement from a Talented Candidate?

*From my recent conversation with long-time friend and business partner, Matt James.

Matt: Some of the concerns that come to mind when people hear “recruiting” are- how do we get that first bit of engagement from a candidate in the midst of everything else that they've got going on? How do we get their attention?

Joe: I want to highlight that we are using the word recruiting very specifically here.

Of the clients we work with, one of the things we'll hear pretty regularly is- "I'm not a recruiter. I don't want to recruit." So there's this negative connotation around it. And I've noticed people start to use the word attraction instead- "Let me attract the person in. I'm so attractive. Let me compel them to be in conversation with me and to want me." And man, the energy on that is all wrong. That is the exact opposite, wrong attitude to bring into the conversation.

Recruiting is this idea of- “No, I want you. I've heard about you. Your name has come to me as someone who I had to be in conversation with.” So recruiting is this forward energy. Instead of you being the attractive character, the talent is the attractive character. They're the ones that you're there to honor. They're the ones that you're there to get curious about. Who are they? What are their dreams? What could this person accomplish given the right conditions for success? What could this amazing human being create with their business and in their lives?

That's the idea of recruiting- “I want you. I've heard of you. I don't know if it's a right fit yet, we've got to get in conversation, and we're going to be selective, but from everything I see and from everything I know, you have the potential here to do something great, and I'm curious to explore that with you. You are worth the conversation.” It’s all about pursuit. That’s very different than- “Let me attract you. You come to me.”

And then here's the beauty of this, I happen to believe- and most good clients and people who are great team leaders happen to believe- is that every human being has intrinsic value just because they are human. I believe that they deserve to be honored and acknowledged for who they are, and what they have accomplished. I believe those conversations are very rare. Very rarely is someone genuinely honored. Very rarely does someone show up curious about them with full presence, ready to listen, and to discover. And I believe that, in and of itself, is good work that is worth my time. So when I look at a day of recruiting conversations, the thing that comes to mind first and foremost is- “This is my opportunity, with every single person who shows up, to leave them better for the encounter.” The thing I visualize in my mind is, I want them to go home that night to their spouse and have something to brag about. I want them to go home and say- "I had this conversation today and I'm the hero." I want them to go home with something that makes them feel really great.

That's an attitude. That's a mindset. If you can't do that, it's not going to work.

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Matt: How important has that mindset been to your success? And how important will that be to our success? I think it'd be easy to skip past that into more of what would be perceived as ‘tactical information’ here, but how critical is that attitude and mindset to someone's success in growing a team of talent?

Joe: It's the key. Without it, nothing else matters. Carrying this mindset into your conversations is the foundation of the whole process.

Think about it this way, when you talk with someone or you hear about someone who's met another person who's accomplished great things, or is a great leader, you'll often hear them say- "I shook their hand, and just in that little moment of exchange, I felt like I was the only person in the world, and the only person that mattered." In that brief moment, that feeling was able to be conveyed by that leader. And that's what makes them so successful. So not only is it a great way to approach the world and the people around you, but it makes good business.

I mean, why would I give you the the investment of my energy, presence, and curiosity if I don't believe you're worth it? And sure you might end up investing some of that energy, presence, and curiosity onto people who you're never going to have more than a single conversation with, but is that so bad? You left them better for the encounter. You left them with a little bit of hope around what their future could be. You left them feeling proud of who they've been and what they've accomplished so far. Is that a bad thing?

And then if you think about it this way, how do you know who this person is? When you're approaching this person, you've got to think this might be a partner that I have 10 years from now. And how does our first impression go? You don't have the privilege of two conversations in, being like- "I really like this person, now I'm going to show up." No. You've already been framed. You already have this signature of who you are and how you show up, and what you're about. It’s too late.

You never know when you're going to get on the phone with a candidate who’s going to be one of your key empire builders, one of the key people who's gonna really explode growth for you. So dude, you better show up. You better be in the right mindset and attitude. If you show up there, not only do you have a lot of energy and fun in the conversation, because it just feels so good to show up with that approach, but you're going to get a lot more success and results with people who want to engage.

PS. If you're ready to get serious about building a world-class team of talent, click here to talk.

PLUS: Whenever you're ready, here’s 3 ways we can help you build your business by building people:

1. If you need help designing a wildly profitable recruiting process- from defining your value proposition to crafting a seamless candidate journey that retains- click here.

2. Get appointments with qualified candidates dropped on your calendar weekly by our "Done For You" Recruiting team.

3. If you need help getting into conversation with referral partners in your target market, let's connect on our "Done For You" Alliance Partner Solution.

Oh, and... check out VISION ARCHITECT:
visionarchitect.com