Outside to Inside: Making the Switch

A newfound acquaintance asked me for my thoughts on making the switch from agency recruiting to corporate recruiting. I refer to this as inside recruiting vs. outside recruiting. While responding to her I thought, this ought to be a post!

I would first like to state my pseudo-biased opinion that recruiters who have worked on the outside first, make better inside recruiters. This statement is slightly biased, because that was my own career path. However, over the years I have recognized that I share some very common characteristics of the people who also started in agency. I call these foundational skills: Working with a sense of urgency and consultative style.

The world of agency is customer focused, fast paced and often feast or famine. Some work on straight commission, others earn 75% of their income through commissions. The outside recruiter also has fierce competition. Not only are recruitment firms a dime a dozen, but they compete with the employer's recruiter in an already saturated war on talent. I give big props to the outside recruiter. It's a tough gig, a lot of hours, super competitive and sometimes..... endless spinning in mud.

When a professional completes a degree in HR and ends up in corporate recruiting, they never had a chance to develop some of these foundational skills. They never had to work so hard to make sure bills were going to get paid or that they can eat. Therefore, the sense of urgency and the focus on the customer tend to be less developed.

I want to clarify that I am NOT saying that all insiders are without these foundational skills and all outsiders have them. I think we all know the world is not so cut and dry that we can stereotype like that. I am simply saying there are different competences that are developed specifically from environmental factors in agency and it's typical to see these in a person who has come from agency. It is the commission and competition that make it a hustle for the outside recruiter. That hustle though, is highly transferable if you chose to take your career to the inside. In fact, if you ask me, it's transferable to several different corporate positions. If I were an outside recruiter looking to make the move to the inside, I would be focused on these differentiators.

As far as tips for transitioning from the outside to the inside, I personally made the jump through a customer relationship. Maybe it was a stroke of luck that I was hired by a man who is married to a recruiter. He saw my hustle, knew there was a ton of hiring forecasted and had limited resources to make it happen. I had to prove myself. It wasn't easy, and it was a ton of work. I was able to save them money and in turn learned the motivations of the internal staffing function and how goals are vastly different. Eventually it helps to have some education around the HR function as a whole (like a PHR), but you also learn that over time on the job. Although, I have no regrets about my agency beginnings, I prefer my current corporate recruiting career. This is mainly due to the improved benefit plans and the stability of knowing exactly what my paycheck will look like on payday.

So... you want to make the switch?

1.)   Try before you by! How many times has an outside recruiter said that exact phrase?!!! There is merit in that phrase. I personally think that if you can take the risk; find a true temp-to-hire recruiter position. It's your foot in the door!

2.)   If you can't take the risk then... Start getting networked! Yeah-yeah I know you are a recruiter, who is already networked. I am not talking about candidates; I am talking about prospects. Make this about sales. Sell yourself as a safe bet to make the switch. This means:

• Go to local networking events and target the HR colored tags. Introduce yourself, tell them you're not looking to sell services, but rather get networked due to your desire to make the switch. www.networkafterwork.com is in most major cities and frequented by recruiters.
• Leverage LinkedIn. Connect and join recruiting and HR groups! Use the group membership to connect with high level corporate talent acquisition professionals who are also in the group. Let them know you are interested in making the switch. 
• Attend a conference and network there. ERE holds two a year, but you can also attend LinkedIn's or HCI's The key is in networking the right people and focusing your communications around your desire to make the switch. You are on the hunt for yourself and you will need to remember that first and foremost. Anything else is just an added bonus from the process!

3.)   Apply and provide well-written cover letters and follow up emails. Connect your expertise on the outside as an advantage, if given an opportunity to join their team.

Now I ask my recruiter friends, on both the inside and the outside, what did I miss? Any other suggested ways (examples or stories) on making the switch? Please help me and share!!!

Unlocking Motivations

Earlier this week someone quoted this common saying, "People don't leave because of the company; they leave because of their boss". In some cases that is true, but what about the people that liked their boss and moved on anyway? There are other motivations for moving on and frankly they don't always have to be negative!

I could go on for hours about motivations as they relate to corporate politics and life decisions, but in this case... moving on to a new job. Some people are motivated by money and some are motivated by recognition. I personally get motivated by the opportunity to learn something new and my own career progression. You may have a great boss and great relationships with your colleagues. The day-to-day environment can be stable and comfortable. The work can be interesting too, but at some point you may feel stagnant. As if you are on a hamster wheel...content, bored and moving in place.

I wouldn't classify this as disengaged, although some would argue you are in fact disengaged. The reality is that the person is engaged, but still unfulfilled. You can like your job, company, boss and work, but not be given development opportunities or a career path. There is no doubt in my mind that being your own advocate is critical to moving your career forward. You need to raise your hand for projects, ask for development, communicate the career path you are looking for and most importantly be open to feedback. However, if you advocate for yourself and still come up short, it should be no surprise when you leave for that very thing. I think the same can be said for relationships, but that is a whole different kind of blog and trust me I am better with career than love (insert self-deprecating laughter).

From a recruitment standpoint (I mean this blog is called Recruiting Diaries after all) it is critical for you to know your candidates motivations from the first call. If you get nothing else from your initial conversation... know their motivations!!!!

Why are you looking or open to a new opportunity?

Check the following:

• Location
• Work/Life Balance and Family
• Compensation
•  Benefits
• Challenge
• Development
• Recognition

Knowing motivations (in a very legal and non-discriminatory way) will help you determine if the position it right for the individual and the individual for the company. It also gives you an advantage in the negotiation and closing process. Knowing your candidates salary needs and motivations, help mitigate all of the unsuspecting road blocks. Knowing their career ambitions, development needs and past history, help you know how to sell the opportunity. Understanding their need for recognition, development needs, work history and past behaviors, help you determine if they will fit the culture and if the potential for engagement/retention is there.

Since when is Thank You not important?

Considering today's competitive job market, it blows my mind how many people don't send a thank you note. If you get the interview... you should thank them for their time and consideration. In fact, according to a recent study by TheLadders, 75 percent of interviewers report that getting a thank you note impacts their decision. Yet, still 10% do not send one and 21% only send a thank you sometimes.

There is the evidence folks and it takes so little of your personal time to do so. Furthermore, it gives you the perfect opportunity to reiterate why you are the perfect person for the job and touch on the statements they made during the interview that resonated with you personally/professionally.

My advice: No question, you must write and send a thank you note after each interview within 24 to 48 hours. This is per person and tailored specifically to that meeting. Additionally, make sure you have someone proof it, because typos can have the opposite effect you are trying to accomplish.

What about other important Thank You opportunities?

• Your customer's loyalty.
• Your customer giving you a foot-in-the-door.
• Your coworkers assistance when you were out sick.
• Your colleague in another department gave you speedy support on something that was critical to meeting a deadline.
• Your neighbor being kind by shoveling your portion of the sidewalk or bringing in your trash bin from the curb.
• Your family member who willingly watches your child.
• A friends help on a DIY home project.
• Your spouses ear when you need someone to lean on and vent to.

Everyday we have opportunities to thank people. A little bit goes a long way. These relationships (all of the above) enhance your life in ways that we rarely stop to consider and appreciate.

Now is my turn... I want to say THANK YOU to all my blog readers! I don't get a lot of comments, but the numbers of clicks, views and private messages shows me the tremendous support you give me. I appreciate it and hope that I will continue to provide valuable content in 2014.

Take Down the Fences!

For years I've said that life is all about decisions. The good.. the bad and all of the outcomes. I personally try to learn from my decisions, but that doesn't mean I have always made the right decision.

Today I came across this pic posted on LinkedIn (see below). It made me think about decisions again, but in a broader scope. See... admittedly, I have a hard time with decisions where I am not confident that I can predict the outcome. Decisions involving risk seem to be the most difficult. You get to a point in your life where you can sit back and go..

 Ok... I got this. I have control over my life.  Maybe so much control is not a life fully lived?

There is a great quote by: Kenneth S. Davis - "Any life truly lived is a risky business, and if one puts up too many fences against the risks one ends by shutting out life itself."

This quote can definitely be applied to the bullets in this picture. This quote can definitely be applied to the difficulty of letting go control and allowing yourself to make decisions in the face of all the risks ahead.

Decisions, Outcomes, Learning.... move forward and take down the fences!!!!

Hmmm...  sounds like a good new year resolution.