Amybeth Hale – Research Goddess

One of the most important things to do when you start working with a new recruiter, in my honest opinion, is laying out the ‘ground rules’, the ‘rules of engagement’, setting expectations, etc. However you want to label it, as a researcher you MUST let recruiters know some key points:

• Let them know a little about your researching background (if you have prior experience)
• Describe the concept of ‘Research’ to them
• Go over some of your procedures
• Set realistic expectations of your results
• Let them know YOUR best method of communication

Following these easy steps will help you develop an open line of communication and a good relationship with your recruiters, and it will also give them some insight as to what you, as a researcher, provide to them as a benefit. Otherwise, you may be viewed as a ‘junior recruiter’ or a ‘data entry’ individual (grr I hate those labels!)

1. Describe your research background. If you have prior experience as a researcher, I highly recommend bragging about yourself a little to your new recruiter. This way, they will understand that you know what you’re doing and most likely have some respect for your function in the office. I usually like to include here some of the industries in which I have conducted research as well, so the recruiter knows where my expertise may lay.
2. Define ‘Research’ for your recruiter. This is SO important, especially for recruiters who have worked with a researcher in the past. I usually break research down into two large categories: phone sourcing and internet sourcing. Since I am on the internet side of things, I will break down internet research into some sub-categories: active and passive. I then describe the difference between the two to the recruiter. Alot of recruiters think that internet researchers exist only to scour Monster, Hot Jobs, CareerBuilder, etc. and harvest resumes. That may be true for a researcher who conducts active research. But that’s not what I do! So I take the time here to explain what I do as a passive researcher. I also let the recruiter know the reasons why I avoid using job boards (because other recruiters are hungrily harvesting the same contacts; because alot of active candidates use your job opportunities as leverage for a raise at their current place of employment, or to gain a higher salary through another opportunity).
3. Outline some of your search procedures. I always give some examples of some of my sources for research to the recruiter. Examples: I look at press releases, listservs, industry associations and trade publications, professional networking, company websites, discussion groups, etc. I usually add here that the movers and shakers in their industry are the ones being talked about in press releases and are actively participating in their industry associations. They are not the ones spamming recruiters with their resume.
4. Set realistic expectations. I live by this rule: under promise and over deliver. The worst thing you can do is promise something that you cannot provide. Your recruiters will lose trust and confidence in you if you make promises that you cannot keep. There are a couple of important things to mention when setting expectations: establish a time line for project completion, and establish some expectations of your search results. Here, I will typically iterate that I am supporting several other recruiters and let them know how I work my projects (please see my post on Effectively Managing Your Research Projects). At this point they already know that I look at passive leads and may not always have a resume for a contact, but that I will always provide contact information for the person. I think it is also important to mention here that your role is to add to their recruiting efforts, and not replace their need to cold call. Maureen Sharib wrote an article awhile ago about a question she was asked regarding what one should do with the leads she provided. Don’t let your recruiter abuse you by making you do their job. Your job as a researcher is to provide leads. Their job is to qualify them.
5. Go over YOUR chosen method of communication. I believe in following one process, and with that I believe in establishing your method of communication. Otherwise, you will receive your search requests in any number of methods. Let your recruiter know how you manage your projects, and kindly let them know how you want them to pass along their projects for your assistance. If you do not establish a preferred method of communication upfront, you will kick yourself in the butt for as long as you work together. If they begin sending you requests using other methods, gently guide them back to your preferred method. You can do this tactfully or not-so-tactfully, and I recommend using tact whenever possible! This will keep your relationship a happy one!

Once you have had this conversation, the recruiter will respect you more and be more likely to adhere to the things you have outlined. I have found it more difficult to set expectations with recruiters with whom I have never had this conversation. The ones I educate upfront on how research works are better at communication and understand what I do more. People don’t know what they don’t know, but if you take the time to explain this to them, they will appreciate your efforts!

These two words have bothered me for quite some time, and for some new sourcers it may be something to learn to differentiate from the beginning. A ‘candidate’ is not the same as a ‘lead’, at least not in my book. Why, you may ask? Well, let’s start off with their very definitions:

According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, a Candidate is:

• One who offers himself, or is put forward by others, as a suitable person or an aspirant or contestant for an office, privilege, or honor; as, a candidate for the office of governor; a candidate for holy orders; a candidate for scholastic honors.

According to WorldNet, a Candidate is:

• Someone who is considered for something

According to WorldNet, a Lead is:

• An indication of potential opportunity

Small, but important differences in my book.

When you give a recruiter a list of names only, those are leads. At this point, they are only potential candidates. The recruiter’s responsibility is then to turn them into candidates by qualifying them.
However, if you have found specific information, such as a bio or profile, on these people that would indicate that they have some qualities your recruiter’s client has requested, does that make them a candidate? Or are they still considered a lead? I’d like to know the answer to that one.
In the same respect, if you give a resume to a recruiter, is that a candidate or a lead? I would argue candidate because you’ve probably looked over their qualifications and pre-determined them to be a decent fit for the opportunity based on the specs your recruiter gave you. Some may think differently, however.

I’d be interested in some other thoughts and opinions on this!

As a melancholy personality type (check out Florence Littauer’s book, Personality Plus), I like a certain degree of organization when working on projects. In order for a business to be successful, it must have levels of organization as well as an operation process. Without these elements, I believe, a business cannot, and will not, grow beyond a certain level. I like to think of my researching services as its own little business within my company, and I feel it is important for me to have a system to which I must adhere to make it run smoothly. I don’t remember where I read it but I saw a quote once that said successful businesses are not people-driven; they are process-driven. Think of it in this manner: if you were to not show up for work for a week, would your responsibilities be taken care of, or would it be mass chaos trying to delegate your projects? In my former office, I remember when I would take a personal day I would field at least 2-3 calls on my cell phone from recruiters in the office needing this, that, or the other from me. As much as I prided myself on a job well done, I am human and I needed a day or two off occasionally – NO CALLS!

So here, I would like to share with you my own personal system of organization. Feel free to use it, tweak it to suit your own research, or completely ignore it if you want. Keep in mind that this process involves more than just you. Therefore, there are certain steps which you cannot control. You can only control your own actions, and if the other folks don’t do their part, it can clog up the system. I think it’s important to have a conversation with each recruiter with whom you work to explain your own process and make sure they know their part in how it works.

The first part of the process is owned by the recruiters. It is their responsibility to get you the search requirements and, where applicable, enter their job order into your company database. From there, it is a combined effort in which researcher and recruiter need to open a clear line of communication to ensure that one is not wasting the time and efforts of the other. The end result should be a group of quality candidates for the recruiter to present to the client company, and everyone should be happy!

1. Recruiter enters the job into the company database. This I believe is a cornerstone to keeping things organized. This way, you have a central gathering point for tracking research activities, active candidates, communication between candidates and recruiters, interviews, feedback, etc.
2. Recruiter fills out a research request form and emails it to the researcher. Notice two very important elements here – a research request form, and the process of emailing it to the researcher. Please see my post on Effectively Managing Your Research Projects. If you do not have a set method of acquiring the needed details of the job, get one! Otherwise, you will get hand-written notes (often not legible), post-it’s, phone calls, “drive-by’s”, and so forth. By setting up a universal method for recruiters to get you the information you need on the job, it will make your life alot easier and your projects easier to manage.
3. Researcher gets any necessary clarification on the job specs and conducts an initial search. If you as the researcher need clarification on your job details, make sure you communicate with your recruiter. Get the details you need before starting your search. You are like a ship at sea, and if you set your course even a couple of degrees off, you will eventually end up many, many miles off course. It pays to do your due diligence up front. This way, you won’t waste your time OR your recruiter’s time. Once you have a good idea of what it is you are looking for, conduct a preliminary search to find about 2-5 candidates who you think are a good fit based on your specs.
4. Researcher presents candidates to the recruiter. Once you have your 2-5 initial candidates, present these candidates to your recruiter, just like they would to their client. Email them the candidates, ask them to look them over and give you detailed feedback on them. You need to know a) if they are on the money – that way you can continue your search as is, or b) what is off the mark with them so you can adjust your search parameters and realign your course. This is a crucial step in conducting research; you do not want to spend hours on end searching for candidates who are not going to have the right qualifications. Communication between researcher and recruiter is vital at this point.
5. Recruiter gives feedback on initial candidates. Recruiters should be willing to take a few minutes at this point to give some detailed feedback to their researcher. If this step is skipped, the researcher may end up working hours on a search that is off target. This is a waste of the researcher’s time and ultimately, a waste of the recruiter’s time since the candidates returned may not be worth calling. Recruiters, I implore you – communicate with your researcher. Let them know what you need. They will get you the right results quicker if you can spare them five minutes of your day!
6. Researcher continues/completes search and sends results to the recruiter. At this point there should be sufficient information for the researcher to complete the search. How you choose to get your results to your recruiter is up to you. If you enter your candidates into your company database, they will be ready for viewing and tracking right away. This is my preferred method. If you choose to email them, that works too. Decide with your recruiter the best method – FOR BOTH OF YOU – to track these candidates.

After the search process is complete, communication should not be!!! Most researchers, even if they do not receive bonuses based on candidates they source who are placed, have an interest in seeing their sourced candidates get placed in your jobs. Keep your researcher updated on interviews and let them know if their candidate is offered a job. **By the way, if you track your interviews through your company database via the job order you entered at the very beginning and your candidate’s record which should already be in your database, this communication step is VERY easy!!*** Also, researchers – it’s good to keep track of the candidates you’ve sourced who have accepted new jobs. You can bring these metrics to your employers when review time comes around to justify your costs. It also doesn’t hurt to toot your own horn with your accomplishments here!

To recap – COMMUNICATE! Researchers – ask for clarification if you need it. Recruiters – spare a few minutes for your researcher if clarification is needed. And be consistent in following your process. If you make exceptions for anyone, then no one will adhere. Stay as close to what you establish as possible. This will ensure a timely search process and quality results, which means money in everyone’s pockets!