Making the Most of Warm Leads Recruiter Effectiveness Academy 1 Appendix Complete Listing of Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Modules Action Plan Self Assessment Key Takeaways – Making the Most of Warm Leads Key Takeaways – Getting More out of Referrals Key Takeaways – Engaging Silver Medalists Key Takeaways – Targeting Niche Opportunities Agenda for Pre-Referral Coaching Agenda for New Hire Coaching Increasing Employee Visibility Post-Referral Debriefing Silver Medalist Engagement Process Optimizing Lead Generation Guidebook link
Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Overview of the Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Series The Recruiter Effectiveness Academy is a series of five short e-learning modules that cover the three areas most important to recruiting professionals—building talent pipelines, making great hires, and engaging successfully with key stakeholders. Building Talent Pipelines 1. Making the Most of Warm Leads 2. Reaching Deeper into the Labor Market Making Great Hires 3. Driving New Hire Performance 4. Improving Candidate Conversion Engaging Key Stakeholders 5. Achieving Great Hiring Manager Partnerships
Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads Action Plan for Lesson 1 Instructions: Fill in this worksheet as directed during Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads to create an action plan for sourcing high quality candidates fast. Questions Action Steps 1. Which teams do you recruit for most often? 2. Which hard-to-fill positions come up most often? 3. Which teams currently have open requisitions? 4. Does your new hire orientation cover the employee referral process? Yes No 5. Is the employee referral process explained clearly on your company website? 6. What employee referrals do you currently have in play? 7. Which employees have made referrals recently? Schedule pre-referral coaching sessions with these teams using the Pre-Referral Coaching Checklist from the appendix of this module, or send written pre-referral coaching materials. If no, suggest this measure and get it scheduled. If yes, update the agenda to include new hire referral coaching using the New Hire Coaching agenda from the appendix. If no, briefly summarize the revisions that would clarify the process and suggest these changes to your manager. Thank the employee for the referral, and make a note on your schedule to connect again after the interview process and again once the hiring decision has been made. Conduct post-referral debriefing with employees who have made referrals recently.
Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads Action Plan for Lesson 2 Instructions: Fill in this worksheet as directed during Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads to create an action plan for sourcing high quality candidates fast. Questions Action Steps 1. Which hiring managers have made hiring decisions recently? 2. Which candidates have been identified as silver medalists by hiring managers recently? 3. Who else on your recruiting team works with similar positions? 4. Which candidates were identified as a silver medalist by hiring managers? (from question #3) 5. When in the week would it usually be a good time for you to place check-in calls to silver medalists? Follow up with these hiring managers to collect the names of silver medalists. Use these names to create a living document where you can store silver medalist names and relevant information. Script the “soft decline” message for your personal use, then share with your broader team and practice via role playing. Collect outreach channels and interests from current silver medalists. Schedule a recurring reminder for yourself to stay connected with silver medalists.
Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads Action Plan for Lesson 3 Instructions: Fill in this worksheet as directed during Recruiter Effectiveness Academy Module 1: Making the Most of Warm Leads to create an action plan for sourcing high quality candidates fast. Questions Action Steps 1. What company alumni do you currently have in your rolodex or online networks? 2. At what kinds of conferences would you expect to find good candidates? 3. Which upcoming company events could you invite potential leads to? Connect with alumni and ask them to refer people from their personal networks. If applicable to the positions you recruit for, identify conferences by asking recruiting colleagues and hiring managers and invite potential leads to nearby networking or recruiting events. If applicable to the positions you recruit for, invite potential leads (including those from the above question) to nearby networking or recruiting events.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Self Assessment Yes No 1. Do you reach out to hiring managers and employees to both solicit referrals and to coach them on how to identify potential referrals? 2. Do you use the new hire orientation process to solicit referrals and to build a culture of recruiting in the organization? 3. Do you debrief employees regarding the results of the hiring process to ensure visibility and improve the quality of subsequent referrals? 4. Do you have a strategy for systematically identifying potential silver medalists (high-quality declined candidates) within your candidate pools? 5. Do you separate silver medalists (high-quality declined candidates) from clear declines in order to target them for future job openings?
Making the Most of Warm Leads Key Takeaways – Making the Most of Warm Leads While referral programs are often underutilized, recruiters can improve the quantity and consistency of referrals by teaching employees how to make quality referrals and ensuring a positive employee referral experience. Getting More Out of Referrals Effective management of silver medalists through the simple three-step process of identification, soft decline, and outreach creates a head start on future hiring needs that will decrease your work in the long run. Engaging Silver Medalists Recruiters can increase their number of quality leads by moving beyond job board postings to a portfolio of creative lead generation tactics. Targeting Niche Opportunities
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Key Takeaways – Getting More out of Referrals Referral programs can suffer from low volume and poor quality if employees don’t know how to refer or, if employees are unwilling to refer again after a negative referral experience. Recruiters can teach employees how to make great referrals through pre-referral coaching, new hire coaching, and post-referral debriefing. Recruiters can ensure a positive referral experience by increasing employee visibility into the referral process, as well as through post-referral debriefing.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Key Takeaways – Engaging Silver Medalists Effective management of silver medalists can create a head start on future hiring needs. Silver medalists are often underutilized for several reasons – they can be hard to identify, they may have been given a “hard” decline, or we may lose track of them altogether. Recruiters can increase the possibility that silver medalists will consider other roles in the future by identifying silver medalists during the post-hire debrief, by declining the candidate the right way, and through targeted follow-up communication.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Key Takeaways – Targeting Niche Opportunities Job board postings alone often fail to secure an adequate number of quality leads. Pursuing specific niche opportunities can help build your pipeline, especially for some hard-to-fill positions. Some of the innovative pipeline-building tactics that have yielded the best results for recruiters include tapping into the organization’s alumni network, attending academic presentations and conferences, and doing a small amount of targeted pre-conference attendee research.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Pre-Referral Coaching Many recruiters are becoming proactive about engaging hiring managers and their staff to fill their referral pipelines. Agenda for Pre-Referral Coaching: Update the team on current talent needs Highlight referral success stories Review the process for submitting referrals Brainstorm on where to find great talent Coach staff on how to sell candidates on the firm Solicit referrals in the moment Share materials for them to give out
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities New Hire Coaching While publicizing referrals to new hires is standard operating procedure, recruiters are now using coaching sessions to generate leads in the moment and build a recruiting culture. Agenda for New Hire Coaching Discussions: Explain the importance of submitting referrals Review the process for submitting referrals Share current key talent needs Solicit referrals in the moment Ask for access to the new hires’ network of potential candidates
Making the Most of Warm Leads Referral Outcome Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Increasing Employee Visibility Once referral has been received After the interview Once decision has been made Referral Outcome Confirm with the employee that you have received the referral Thank employee for the referral Share the timeline and next steps Update the employee on the status of the referred candidate Share next steps, if applicable Hold a post-referral de-brief with the referring employee
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Post-Referral Debriefing Every referral presents an opportunity for recruiters to coach employees on how to identify and target potential referrals in the future. If Candidate Is Hired If Candidate Is Declined Thank the employee for making the referral Let them know why the referral was successful Solicit additional referrals Thank the employee for making the referral Provide guidance on what the organization is looking for Encourage future referrals
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Post-Referral Debriefing Every referral presents an opportunity for recruiters to coach employees on how to identify and target potential referrals in the future. Alternatives to a Live Meeting General coaching should be provided even if it cannot be done in person. Phone calls and web conferences are good alternatives. A quarterly email or newsletter is another way to share feedback by highlighting referral success stories.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities How We Can Engage the Silver Medalist 1. Identification Identify silver medalists during post-hire debrief with hiring manager 2. Soft Decline Let them down easy so you can keep the dialogue going 3. Continued Outreach Keep them apprised of new job opportunities to continue engagement
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities How We Can Engage the Silver Medalist 1. Identification 2. Soft Decline 3. Continued Outreach Hiring Manager Debriefing Questions Which candidate(s) are silver medalists? What is the anticipated need and timelines for similar future openings? Are there other types of opportunities in the organization beyond your team that you think this candidate should be considered for?
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities How We Can Engage the Silver Medalist 1. Identification 2. Soft Decline 3. Continued Outreach Talking Points for a Soft Decline Acknowledge the candidate’s accomplishments and skills. Convey appreciation for their time and effort. Express genuine interest in staying in touch. Ask if they are open to being contacted about future openings. Determine the best method for follow-up contact.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities How We Can Engage the Silver Medalist 1. Identification 2. Soft Decline 3. Continued Outreach Things to Consider Know – and use – their preferred outreach channel. Know what is of interest to them (such as business developments, company news, and recruiting events) and include this in your outreach.
Making the Most of Warm Leads Getting More Out of Referrals Engaging Silver Medalists Targeting Niche Opportunities Optimizing Lead Generation Guidebook Optimizing Lead Generation summarizes a wide range of proven tactics pioneered by member organizations to bolster lead generation. Click to download the book