What’s easier to write – a list of things that make you happy, or a list of things that distress you?
We tend to hear people say they could go on and on about how much they don’t like [insert setback here], but it's usually right around Thanksgiving that folks come up with arbitratry lists of things they're grateful for.
It’s because in this age of instant gratification, convenience and ease is expected. Things that disrupt our flow are easier to rant about because they’re unexpected, unpleasant surprises. Plus, getting things off your chest just feels good.
Recruiters, you want candidates to like you, right? But what if embracing conflict helped you make better connections with them?
Disagreement can facilitate more in-depth, profound conversations with candidates.
Many recruiters are often recommended to open up their outreach with flattery, or some other thing that’ll win them over. But focusing primarily on having an entirely positive conversation with candidates isn’t going to tell you much about how they’ll fit in with the company, how the team will benefit from their employment, or what a candidate has in mind for their career path.
Candidate outreach is more than a one-touch, one-way sales pitch – it’s a conversation. And like all tête-à-têtes, a conversation with a candidate takes this general course: The introduction, the small talk and establishing common ground, then the closing, cheers, see ya later.
But what’s one natural stage of a conversation that really gets the ball rolling? Disagreement.
There is no more B2B or B2C: It’s Human to Human #H2H #SHRM14 pic.twitter.com/zLMLZxAGTL
— Bryan Kramer (@bryankramer) June 24, 2014
Most people upon meeting, however, prefer to keep their interactions pleasant, neutral, and agreeable, and break off before reaching the phase where they realize they don’t completely see eye to eye. Surfacing objectionable points of discussion can give recruiters better insight to a candidate’s expectations and career goals.
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Learning about a candidate’s challenges, concerns, and needs gives recruiters a platform to listen, relate, and transition their outreach.
So why do recruiters eject themselves from the conversation before they reach that wall of variance? It’s because there’s a fear of offending people by getting them fired up about something, and to be clear, we’re not advising recruiters to go out and start sparking debates with candidates. Simply, find out what makes talent tick. Where did they have the disconnect in their previous position? What was the turning point that lead them to start hunting for a new opportunity?
Noah Kagan swears using these three steps - listen, relate, and transition - is the key to selling anything, which likely includes selling a job. Listen to the candidate and find out what they’re looking for in an opportunity. What challenges did they face in their previous job? What didn’t they like about working that company? Then, relate to their pain by recalling a time you were in a similar position and ask the Why.
Why didn’t it work out? This sets the stage for the transition, offering them a job opportunity that could resolve their concerns, which can range from better management, schedule flexibility, or a chance to get training and to advance in their career.
By finding out what turns off candidates, you can also get a sense of how candidates assess conflict resolution.
Understand what a candidates cares about and how they prioritize addressing their professional concerns, whether that be considering alternative approaches to management and training, or devising an optimal strategy for meeting the quarter’s business goals.
Candidates who recognize a disruption in their professional lives have probably also given thought to the in-depth rationale for why their employment didn’t work out. Poke around and find out the root for a candidate’s bad experience. How did they resolve the conflict while they were at the company? Listen to their course of action and learn how they can benefit your organization in good and bad times.
Recruiters who are willing to break through the surface of charm and geniality are more likely to learn more about a candidate’s professional goals and to genuinely gauge and engage with qualified talent. Want to learn more about building your candidate outreach? Download our eBook here!
