The Tao of The Hire

Somewhere a True Believer is training to recruit your candidate. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his phone and his Web 2.0 gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when his Candidate is hired and the Hiring Manager's need is filled.

This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or he does not. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause.

Still want to quit?

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely judicious in how you communicate, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of your relationships with you partners; Hiring Managers and Candidates.

Better stop short than fill to the brim. Over sharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it. Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of your Hire.


With apologies to Lao Tzu and Sun Tzu.

Our Customer, The Hiring Manager

The most important skill in your repertoire is your ability to build credibility with the Hiring Managers and become a "trusted advisor." This is paramount to our success as Recruiters. The Hiring Manager is our customer. Without a Partnership with the Hiring Manager we cannot be successful. It is that simple.

The Hiring Manager needs to know that you have developed a strong working relationship with the candidate on everything the candidate needs to be closed on and the candidate has a basic understanding of the position.

If the Hiring Manager does not believe in you and your candidate your chances for success are diminished greatly. Simply put, you will not schedule any interviews and you will not facilitate any hires.

One of the best ways of building credibility with the Hiring Manager is to take an active interest in the Hiring Manager’s line of business. Find out from the Hiring Manger what he or she views as their major challenges and why would someone want to work for them. Ask the Hiring Manager to meet his most successful people. If you are asked to call the candidate, do so as quickly as possible and give the feedback as quickly as possible. This is a great way to verify what you have done and build credibility with your customer.

The most effective way to “build a placement” is to dialogue with the Hiring Manager about what you are doing and what feedback you are receiving from the candidates.

Some of the techniques I have found to be helpful are the following; determine with the Hiring Manager why I candidate is a fit or not, weekly feedback thru email or a meeting (depending on the logistics), only forwarding candidates that fit the parameters developed with the Hiring Manager and HONESTY which is the most important.