Welcome back to the Hirewell Hot Corner, where sports and recruitment meet. I am your host, Dan Spittel, joined for the first time live and in person with my Ironman co host, Louie Morici. Louie, great to see you in person. It’s definitely fun. I think this is 26th or 27th episode. First one we’re doing in person.
Been able to hang out quite a bit. We’re doing an all company meeting, in house here in Chicago. So it’s fun getting to see my guy, Dan, in the flesh and record our first show together in person. Yeah. A full year in the making for the Hirewell Hot Corner. First time in Chicago, in a while, had to take full advantage of the opportunity.
But let’s jump right in. Louie, what’s going on in your world and the world of sports today? Well, as a Chicago sports fan, it’s been pretty dismal, bears have an awful loss after going up big against the Broncos. There’s just internal turmoil over Justin Fields and our coaching staff. But ultimately we’re seeing entertaining football, throughout the league.
Yeah, it’s fun to be a fan. It’s not that entertaining, if you’re a fan of the Steelers offense. Matt Canada has no idea what he’s doing. The fact that he still has a job is quite frankly disgraceful. I’m hoping he doesn’t squander the career of Kenny Pickett and maybe we’ll figure it out at some point this season.
But, other than that, we’ve had some predictable records through four weeks of the NFL season. We’ve got the Eagles, doing their thing. We’ve got the Bills who’ve come back to life after a quick drop off, but they’re doing well again. A little bit of unpredictability as well.
Some wild action. The Dolphins dropping 70 points on what we thought was a good Broncos defense. A little bit of everything. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we’re seeing some teams, Packers doing a little bit better than people thought. Jordan Love finding his way and then ultimately coming back down to earth pretty bad with a 7 QB rating last week.
But yeah, we’re seeing the Eagles got taken to overtime with Washington Commanders this past week, but squeaked out a win. So we’re seeing some parity, there is obviously the heavy hitters, the Eagles, Chiefs squeaked out a win as well. But it’s been a great season so far, unless you’re a fan of the Steelers or the Bears. Alright well, we’ll jump off that one.
But as far as, there’s some wildness in the season so far, but there’s also a lot of effective predictability. You mentioned Eagles, let’s talk about that strategy the Eagles are employing that people can’t seem to stop and not more people are doing. Yeah, it’s a play for those who aren’t familiar, it’s really in a very short yard, fourth down, third down, where they just need a yard.
Basically, they line up two or three guys behind the quarterback, they hike the ball to the quarterback and they basically just push him over the line of scrimmage or past the first down or into the end zone wherever they’re doing it from. It’s as simple as you could think. People can’t stop it. Other teams, we just watched the Giants try to pull it off themselves.
Two of their players ended up hurt. So it’s a great play, but ultimately, it’s as easy as it seems, but it’s not effective apparently for everyone but the Eagles. Simple yet wildly efficient for them. I believe they’re among the highest teams converting on those short down situations this year, going back to their efforts last year.
And, part of the reason propelled them through the playoffs and Super Bowl. Louie, how do we translate the tush push 3rd and down, 3rd and one 4th, and one 4th and goal to three. I think it’s really just about getting candidates, getting clients, over the goal line. You’ve had a candidate interview or interviews with the client.
They’re at the offer stage. How do we ensure that you lock them in for our client, for us, for them, and get the result that we want. Get the first down. Get the touchdown. Absolutely. And this is going to be another Hirewell Hot Corner first, it’s going to be a two parter. Exciting times over here at the Hot Corner.
This episode is going to focus on the candidate side, the offer stages, interviewing, getting them over the goal line, if you will. In part two of this episode, we’ll come more on the client side, looking at the business development, the sales end. So let’s look at it from a candidate’s perspective, talking through the interview process.
What are some areas where someone might fall short of the goal line throughout the interview to an offer stage? If from interview, final interview to offer, where could the fall off be? They could get other offers. They could have a change of heart, but ultimately as a recruiter, one thing I stress is confirm. Close after every round.
Check in, “Hey, how did the 1st interview go?” “Oh, it was great for this, that, and the other thing.” Great. If they were to make an offer, how do you feel about it? Is this something you can still see yourself doing? And just kind of get them answering those questions. So, at the very end, if they do end up getting offered, you’re not blindsided, you’re kind of confirming along the way.
Maintaining consistent communication throughout the whole process keeps you from getting blindsided, keeps the candidate informed, typically gives you better opportunity to provide feedback to the client while we’re doing it. We hear a lot about common reasons why a candidate might not, might fall off before they get to the goal, and why a client might not see the results.
One that I’ve seen a lot, and I know we’ve talked about before is the interview process is just too long. And the problem with that is they’re not moving quickly enough. There’s too many steps. They’re not being confident. The clients, in terms of making a decision on what might be a really strong candidate. And what happens is, the fallout is, people who are actively searching for jobs, people who need work, aren’t going to wait around for you, forever.
No. And we’re seeing that happen. The longer the interview process, the more likely, even if you like the candidate, they’re going to have another offer on the table. And believe me, in a world where job security is hard to come by, they’re going to take the sure thing, the offer that’s on the table.
And be much less willing to roll the dice on maybe a job they do want more and they’re not going to pass up a job offer just because there might be a better one. They want that security. They want that lock in. So the longer it takes, you’re running the risk of losing some great candidates.
As much as you might be their top choice company, dream job, can’t wait around forever, got to pay the bills, got to take care of the family, whatever that looks like. Another one that we hear a lot from the client side is the cliche of, we really like the candidate you offered. But we’d love to see more. More candidates. Can we see three to five more people before we make a decision? As a recruiter, that’s a tough one to hear, especially when you feel very strongly about someone that you have presented, and it seems that they are pretty set that
that person is a good fit. That is, I think the worst thing you can do is always looking for the greener pasture and the grass is greener on the other side. If you interview someone that you like that, you think you’ll do the job. Don’t wait around. I know that there is patience. There’s all this, doing due diligence. Now, if we’ve presented one candidate overall, and it happens to be one that you really like, okay, maybe wanting to see more. But if we’re on candidate 678, and you finally found someone that you vetted through the process.
Do not wait around. I don’t know this, if it’s accurate, but I’d say 90-95% of the time you’re going to lose that candidate. Really agree with you on the whole, grass isn’t always greener concept. You find someone you like, be confident. This might be the right fit for them, might be the right fit for you.
You’re taking a chance, taking a major risk by waiting, pushing them down the line, kind of kicking the can, hoping to find someone potentially better. You might have a 9 out of 10 on the top of your hands, and you might lose them out looking for that 10 out of 10. Yeah, and then you have to settle for a 7 or an 8 out of 10, or someone who checks 7 out of 10 boxes instead of 9.
So, be confident, do your research, ask the questions that you feel need to be answered in order to feel confident in a candidate. But don’t second guess yourself. Don’t wait around. Don’t sit on your hands because believe me, candidates, they’re moving quick. Other companies are seeking talent.
And you’re competing with other companies for talent, so don’t make the experience a negative one. Another common reason we see where the clients and the candidates just don’t make it over the goal line is not prioritizing recruitment.
And this is a very common issue. One that I know we’ve talked about on a previous episode. And honestly, a lot of the reason why we’re here in the first place is, not everyone can prioritize recruitment. And we get it. It’s a very big part of your job. And you have a full time job that doesn’t include hiring people. It’s funny you should say that, a colleague of ours here at Hirewell, is named Phil Muldoon.
He told me recruiting is 100 percent of our job and a very small percentage of our client’s job. So ultimately, that’s probably why we were brought in,
in the first place. But if you are recruiting, using a recruiting firm like a Hirewell, you owe it to yourself to buy in. And spend maybe that extra time.
Now, we’re not asking you to do anything that you haven’t done before. I mean, I’m sure these folks that we’re working with have been interview processes and are in charge of recruiting and meeting with people, but we’re bringing the right candidates to the table. We want to get this filled as quickly as you do with the right person.
Make it easier. Respond to an email. Don’t make us chase you. Like you’d be surprised folks that pay us money to work on their behalf, don’t buy in. It’s kind of confusing in a way, but at the same time, if you prioritize it,
it can be handled in a timely manner. It doesn’t have to be a three month process. We are doing our job effectively, if a lot of our job comes off your plate, but that doesn’t mean you can just go fully hands off, put it on the back burner. We do need input from our clients, hiring managers. You are the ones interviewing. Ultimately, you’re the ones hiring this person, have to work with them.
Consistent communication, I know I’ve said that probably about a million times on the show throughout the last year or so, but, you prioritize recruitment, we’ll prioritize recruitment. Be successful overall. And then I guess the other one, the main one, from a client offer standpoint now is, maybe it’s a rough offer.
We’ve talked compensation with candidates from the beginning. We have an idea of what they’re looking for. Probably the biggest thorn in our side sometimes is they do want to make an offer to this wonderful candidate, but…
They lowball. Like it’s, you know, when we do an intake with a client, we are asking them, what is the compensation range for this?
Where’s the flexible? What’s the range? And we provide candidates that meet that range. We send them at, all right, this person wants 75 and the range is 70 to 90, whatever the case is, and then we get to the offer stage and they come at with 65 and are expecting these folks to show that they can sell and ask for more.
It’s like, no, that’s what you have an interview process for and to know if they can do this. Now, at the offer stage, again, people are going to be entertaining a lot of offers. Go at them with a number that shows that you want them, that you value them, not something that they still have to beg for their supper sort of thing.
You already touched on it. We’re closing with the candidate all throughout the process. We know what they’re looking for. We know what it will take for them. And we try to do our best to construe that to the client on their behalf throughout this process. Try to make it as seamless as possible. Again, it comes back to the communication, but also comes to a level of the relationship, the trust that we know what they’re looking for. We’re not trying to screw over anybody in the situation. If the candidate wins, we win. If the client wins, we win. It’s all about being on that same level.
Yeah, and we thrive on being communicative with clients from the minute they see a profile for a candidate, knowing what they’re going to be expecting at that stage and to come in under that when, you know, it sours the relationship right off the bat.
Like, a candidate looks at it like, I guess you don’t value me at the rate that I value me. And even if they do end up signing, there’s always going to be that you know, they kind of lowballed me, but I needed the job. You know what I’m saying? So it’s-
Comes from a position of power. I think the Spider-Man saying is, with great power comes great responsibility and all that. So don’t abuse it. I mean, if a candidate is expecting X and you offer Y, which is lower than what they’re expecting, it goes sour more than it’s going to go right.
Louie, two minute drill, take us home. What is your one tush push play on the candidate side, most important thing to get them over the goal line? I’d say, voice that you want a job if you’re interviewing somewhere and the final interview and
be like, I want this job. Coming from sales that shows a vote of confidence and it takes the guessing out of it. If you tell a hiring manager, I want to work for you and I want this job. They’re going to take that and be like, this person knows what they want.
They’re direct. And it’s a closing tactic that I’ve learned in my sales career. And it goes a long way. My tush push from the client side, the hiring manager side is, be timely, be transparent. Maintain that level of communication with the candidates, with us, throughout the process. It will drastically improve the speed in which you hire people and the effectiveness of which you are at getting these hires across the goal line. A thousand percent. Thank you once again for tuning into the Hirewell Hot Corner. Please do join us again, for our next installment, in the next few weeks. And as always, stay classy LinkedIn.
