In a recent session, Jennifer Rouillard and I were celebrating some of
her current spectacular victories. As is understandable, we were
bragging on Jen, and also comparing her to others in her market space
who just don't rise to her level of performance and value creation and
whom she finds it fun to compete against!
Jen Rouillard  |
With some real power, Jen asked me, "Do you know what I think I'm able
to do that just about no other recruiters my clients work with can
do?" Fortunately, Jen didn't make me answer; I'd never have gotten it
right. She went on, "I'm able to share details with my clients that
they just don't get anywhere else. Really, what I have is on-the-fly,
long term, detail-level conversational recall."
Jen explained exactly what she meant, and reconstructed the fine points
of how this candidate detail or that issue's important nuances were so
critical to her clients and to the entire placement process. Specifically, Jen walked me through how she closed the current deals we
were celebrating.
When she was done, I pushed our conversation to a more general level. We discussed the employees she's hired and trained as well as their
successes and failures. We completely agreed that conversational recall is one of
the most important any recruiter can have.
Having worked with Jen going on two years now, I can tell you that our
conversation was no mere bragging session. Jen demonstrates exactly
that kind of natural ability in all our work, and she sometimes scares
me with her amazing recall. Fortunately, I have some of this ability,
too, and so I get through!
What about you? How good is your recall for people and issues,
emotions and information that they shared with you, sometimes many
months or even years ago? Do you hold or dump this information from
your memory?
As I pondered this, there was just no way to get around the ancient
question regarding nature versus nurture. Do you have to have this
ability BEFORE you become a recruiter? Is it possible to develop this
ability even if you are not naturally gifted the way Jen is?
There is good news and bad news. I'll give you the bad news first, and I'll
put it in terms of managers. Managers, admit it. You simply hate it when
you ask an AE or PC who just got off the phone with a candidate about
this or that and you get that blank stare, the monotone voice and the
repeated statement, "Well, I don't know..."
Over the years there is actually no complaint I've heard from managers
more frequently, nor with more depth and frustration in their voices. Managers so often feel that their people just don't pay attention when
they're on the phone. Many can't seem to remember anything about
the people they speak to. So, managers, let's be clear. You do need
to train your people that the details are important and that
professional recruiting is all about accessing and using detailed
information about people over extended periods of time. You must make
it clear that success demands this ability be developed, enhanced,
flexed and used every day at work.
Here's the good news. No matter how bad your memory may appear, it is
most likely that you can build its powers simply by working on them. Here are a few tactics you can use today:
1. When you don't have enough data or finely detailed information,
call your candidates right back. You don't have to confess that you
forgot something, although you surely can confess that if you wish.
All you have to do is ask for a bit more emphasis in this or that area
than you were able to capture in your notes. The more times you go
over the information with your candidates, the more the information
will stick in your mind for recall.
2. Did you notice that I didn't leave memory in your mind alone, just
now in point 1? It is a scientific fact that you remember emotions far
better than you remember mere informational details alone. The key, then, is to connect with your candidates
emotionally. That, in fact, is what Jen is so amazing at herself. She
truly connects with every person she meets at a deep emotional
level, and with a type of blinding speed that's stunning to witness. She "gets" you and she gets you fast. That "get-you" factor is actually emotional connection.
3. Practice your presentations before you give them. You're about
to call an important hiring manager on an important search, with the
best candidate you've yet found. If you have any hesitation in your
mind or heart, that will come through. Do a dry run! With whom? Really, with anyone. Your boss is an obvious choice. But, don't
forget the candidate you'll be presenting. No one hates to hear about
themselves, especially when presented in the best possible light. Practicing with your candidates will not only improve your presentation, it will also please and impress them greatly. We
know that practice makes perfect. Go
over the details repeatedly. You'll be amazed at how rapidly your
detail mastery will rise!
4. Awaken. That's right, there's a reason why coffee is considered
the fuel of business. You must be alert. Too much caffeine already? Perhaps your diet, sleep and exercise patterns are more important to
your daily work than you realize. Everyone knows that their health is
important but most never realize how much their work performance and
income is affected by it. If you haven't considered how your health
makes you money, or limits your income, you should! I've preached for
years that recruiting is an endurance sport. It requires robust
athletic resilience to succeed.
5. Improve your energy quotient. If you assess the most successful
performers, many of whom may appear quite out of shape, there's
something quite uniform you can observe. They have high, sustainable
energy. Don't pay too much attention to style or presentation. Look
for the alertness in the eyes and the clarity in the voice. The best
performers are on their game. They're alert. In addition, you will
also find that a surprisingly large number of great performers are
absolutely in tip-top physical condition by any standard. I have to
get a bit more specific here...
6. Work out in the morning, before you start your work day. Walking
is fantastic, especially if you're out of shape and need a gentle way
to get started. My own physical exercise is informed by the martial
art I practice, historical swordsmanship. Without considering any of
the other health benefits, the most important key is deep breathing. You need copious amounts of fresh air, large amounts of oxygen in your
blood stream to really wake up and be ready for your work day. While
you can surely work out any time you wish, and many don't feel that
they are "morning people," the argument for a morning workout before
work is hard to defeat. When you pick up the phone, it's show time!
7. Yes, it's show time. It really is. When you pick up the phone to
make that first call of the day, you need to be warmed up. You must block out all the noise and distraction from the rest of the
world and enter into the phone call with everything you are, head,
heart and soul. When you're there for the other person with all you
are, you will find your long term, detail recall of the conversation
simply catapults. It's quite amazing.
These tactics are exactly what Jennifer Rouillard brings to her
market. That's why she's rising to the top of her market so
powerfully right now. Will these tactics do the same for you? It's
worth finding out.
