1. ERE Spring Expo 2010
The Evolution of the
Corporate Headhunter
- Lou Adler
Replacement
hiring
New hiring
The
“Sideliners”
Getting Ready for the Hiring Tsunami
3. Agenda and Objectives
• Are you a corporate recruiter or corporate
headhunter?
• You need to be a headhunter to maximize
quality of hire: “reach out” vs. “post and pray”
• Job-hunting psychology of the top performer
• Making the conversion to headhunter
– Know the job
– Maintain applicant control
– Tame your hiring managers
• Testing it out
4. The Employee Market
• Corporate recruiters focus on
those now looking - farmers
• Corporate headhunters focus
on those getting ready to
look and those open to talk
• Requires different process
• Where are the best people?
• Hiring tsunami coming
• Key: first, fast & with best
career offer
5. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Average
Best
Most
Best
Least
Best +5%-5%
Rock Stars!Mistakes!
Your current hiring process – these are
the people you now are hiring
It’s what you do with the other 90% than
counts – implementing a “raising the bar”
strategy
6. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Average
Best
Most
Best
Least
Best +5%-5%
Observations
• Everyone looks good when they’re hired. What happened?
• Discerning the “most best” is difficult during interview
• Top-third uses different criteria to find positions and apply
• Top-third uses different criteria to compare and select
• Top-third will not follow traditional approaches
• Break some rules to maximize quality of hire
7. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Average
Best
Most
Best
Least
Best +5%-5%
Converting Observations into Tactics
• What are the “most best” looking for – lateral transfers, better
jobs or better careers?
• What are the prime sourcing channels for the top group?
• When is the best time to source the top group?
• What criteria does top group use to compare opportunities and
select one over the other?
8. Career Focused Early-bird Sourcing
Explorers Tiptoers Googlers Networkers Hunters
Early‐birds Le;overs
Prospect
Talent Pool
Key Points
Target Early-birds – plan rather than react
Focus on careers – not jobs
Ask: “How long have you been looking?”
Be called first – Be found first – Day “-1”
Allow for “just talking” – Don’t force “apply”
Know the job – not the job description!
9. Formalize the Candidate Decision
SelecAon Factor New
Opportunity
Other
OpportuniAes
Current
PosiAon
The job itself
Learning opportunity
Growth opportunity
Poten8al impact
Job stretch
The hiring manager
The team
Compensa8on and
benefits
Work/life balance
Loca8on
Company
Culture
Environment
Security
Long‐term
compensa8on
Other
What criteria do the top
group of candidates use
when comparing jobs and
selecting one over the
other?
11. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
Job Description
Skills
Experience
Academics
Industry
Responsibilities
Competencies
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs
Grow sales
Build the team
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
Design circuit
The Difference
Maker: It’s what
you DO with what
you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!
12. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
The Difference
Maker: It’s what
you DO with what
you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs
Grow sales
Build the team
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
Design circuit
13. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
The Difference
Maker: It’s what
you DO with what
you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs
Grow sales
Build the team
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
Design circuit
14. Taking the Assignment: Taming Gorillas
Engaging with Managers
• What does the person need
to do to ace the performance
review?
• What (and when) are you
going to tell the person the
big projects & tasks are
during interview?
• Use a timeline – what does
person need to do 1st, 2nd ..?
• Ask about deal breaker
• Convert HAVING to DOING
and then get agreement to
“just meet” the candidate
Typical Examples
Major: Complete system design for
the ____ project by March.
Major: Consistently meet quota
within six months.
Team: Complete product spec
w/ Marketing by March.
Do First: Analyze problem & plan.
Do Next: Upgrade the team.
Sub-task: Learn the product line.
15. Attracting – Assessing – Closing
Onboarding – Performance Management
Why Performance Profiles?
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs
Grow sales
Build the team
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
Design circuit
Hiring
Manager
Recruiter
Top
Prospect
Hiring
Team
16. Attracting – Assessing – Closing
Onboarding – Performance Management
Why Performance Profiles?
Focus on
the
DOING
not the
HAVING
Hiring
Manager
Recruiter
Top
Prospect
Hiring
Team
17. Headhunter’s Favorite Weapon
• Dig into accomplishments
• See combo of behaviors,
skills & competencies
• Develop trend lines
• Assess consistency
• Create opportunity gap
• Get candidate to sell you
Please describe a
major accomplishment
or tell me about
something you’ve
accomplished that
you’re very proud of.
Use this question to assess, recruit & defend
Most Significant Accomplishment Question
18. Repeat the Question!
TIME
IMPACT
Team
Individual
Observe the Trend of Growth over Time
Have candidate prepare a 360°
work chart describing work
relationships
Use evidence to rank
and defend your
candidate!
Ask MSA question & fact-finding
for different team, individual tasks
& job-related tasks
Clarify job: describe performance
objective and ask about most
comparable accomplishment
19. Target the 48mm people
on LinkedIn who aren’t
looking – the Cherry
Picker Networking
Technique
Use for ERP and Close
Connections
20. Maslow’s Headhunter Tips
Social Needs
Security and
Safety Needs
Physiological Needs
• Stay the buyer!
• No “NOs”
• Don’t sell the job, sell
the next step!
• $$$ vs. Satisfaction
– Ask: what drives personal
satisfaction?
• “Not interested!” vs. a
short career discussion
– That’s why we should talk
– Long vs. short term
Achievement
Needs
Intellectual
Needs
Self-
Actualization
21. Becoming a Corporate Headhunter
• Reach out vs. post and pray
• Convert job descriptions into
performance profiles
• Convert performance profiles into
career moves
• Implement early-bird “engage first”
sourcing strategy
• Maintain applicant control
• Use the interview/screen to assess,
recruit and defend
• Persist – No “NOs” Maximize Quality of Hire
22. Becoming a Corporate Headhunter
• Audit Recruiter Boot Camp Online -
April 2nd – we’ll walk you through the
performance profile process.
– info@adlerconcepts.com
• Go to our table to obtain:
– Hire With Your Head raffle
– Audit pass to Mod 1 of Recruiter Boot
Camp Online
– Hot tip cards
– Opportunity to attend full Recruiter
Boot Camp Online raffle
Maximize Quality of Hire
