Mastering The Art Of Headhunting with Nicholas Thomas

Before we get started, what do you believe are recruiters' biggest misconceptions about headhunting?

I would say people have two main misconceptions when they think about headhunting.

The first is that many people feel it can only be applied to executive-level searches, where it is admittedly 99.9% headhunting, but it can also be applied to lower-level roles. Headhunting for these roles means you can present a far superior product and service to your clients by actively recruiting passive candidates that your competitors are not attracting.

The second misconception is that people do not like being approached by a headhunter, if your role is tailored to that person and unique to them, I have always found that people will always be receptive to you.

Before we get into your advice, what do you believe are the non-negotiables recruiters have to follow in order to be successful at headhunting?

I believe there are three main non-negotiables you need to identify to succeed in your headhunting.

Qualification

This may be one of the most essential non-negotiables, but it is also something people forget. Yes, you need to be able to identify the right person, do a good pitch, and get them engaged, but as soon as they start talking, you need to be able to listen to what they are saying and ask the right questions based on that. 

A benefit of doing this well is that if you are speaking with someone who is a manager, and you can portray your ability as a recruiter, they are more likely to want to work with you in the future once they are set up in the role you are recruiting them for.

Niche

I don't believe you can be a generalist when you are headhunting, as you need to present yourself as an expert in your market. So, identifying your niche and building out your personal brand, pitch decks, and all the jobs around that niche will help you massively. 

Sell Yourself

One of the best ways to get engagement from more senior figures you might be talking to is to showcase your successes. You can mention things like similar roles you have recruited for, how you've helped staff ‘X project’, how you’ve helped to raise someone's salary by 30%...all kinds of tangible information that they can relate to will always help you get a strong buy-in and build trust.

Do you believe recruiters should write out their headhunting script before they get on the phones and start headhunting?

To be honest, the only time I think you should use a script is in your first 12 weeks of Recruitment; after that, you should absolutely not use one. I don't feel that having a script promotes a free-thinking, autonomous consultant.

When you rely on a script, it becomes too much like a tick-box exercise of have I done this? Have I said that? Whereas without a script, it becomes a much more natural conversation based on the answers they are giving you.

You can definitely have a list of pointers to ensure you get all the key information, such as salary demands and notice periods, but I would really advise against having an actual script.

What do you believe makes up a successful headhunting pitch? What does this sound like?

In a pitch, you have 20 (30 if you are lucky) seconds to explain who you are, why you are calling, and, most importantly, why they should speak with you. 

Too many people focus on themselves or their business but yourself in the candidates' shoes. Would you want to speak to someone who just calls you out of the blue and waffles about themselves on the phone? No. 

Below is an example of a pitch that focuses on why someone should speak with you:

“Hi (First Name), look, I appreciate I have called you out of the blue.

I have a genuine reason to be calling you, and I am not here to waste your time. 

I know you are one of the best (Job Title) in (Location), can I have 30 seconds to tell you why I am specifically calling you?

IF YES TO THE FIRST QUESTION

Great, I am the leading recruiter for (Specialism), I have been exclusively commissioned by one of my leading clients to find them a new (Job Title), that I already know is a great fit for you.

(A) Given how skilled you are (Name), I imagine you get calls like this all the time, right? 

(Candidate answers yes)

(Name) I am not surprised by that at all, may I ask…*Go into Qualification*. 

IF NO TO THE FIRST QUESTION

Okay no worries, I will keep it brief…. Go straight to (A)

(If you want to know how we qualify, feel free to contact me at - [email protected])

Where do recruiters most often go wrong with their pitch? What should recruiters avoid doing at all costs? 

I think people often get too bogged down with listing features, I am sure most people will have heard of the FAB framework (Features, Advantages, Benefits), a lot of people spend too much time talking about themselves or the company they work for.

With such limited time, people only really care about the company we can introduce to them, the potential salary increase, and the opportunities we can offer them. Spend time understanding the candidate so you can present the role, focusing on the benefits for them.

If you don’t get through to them the first time, what’s your typical follow-up process and for how long?

Our belief is that we are relentless in our approach, and we will not stop our outreach until we have spoken with that person. 

However, there is a good reason for doing this. We will have done all the necessary research to ensure that they are the perfect person for that role, and therefore, it is in their best interests that they at least hear from us about this opportunity. 

If we were unsure if this was the right person, then we would not be so persistent in trying to speak to them, as this would be a waste of their time and ours.

What's the most creative or unconventional approach you've taken to reach a candidate?

Something that went viral on TikTok after appearing on the podcast was over a creative strategy to get hold of people through Microsoft Teams.

I have a consultant in my business who uses an unconventional method of calling people through teams if he doesn't have a mobile number.

His tactic is to use the search button in Teams to input their email address, and nine times out of ten, you will get the option to video call. It’s not something I have tried often, but he swears by it and has had some great wins.

If our readers implement just ONE THING tomorrow in their headhunting calls that you believe would help them have more success, what would the ONE THING be?

I have two answers for this, actually, depending on the level of the Recruiter reading this. 

For those at the start of their recruitment careers, you have to make sure you have some really good-quality lists of people to call and that your data is super organised.

When you are adding people to your lists or to a database, make sure that you have fully understood what their situation is, what they are looking for, their location, etc. so that when you are given a new role, you already have a list of 20/30 people you can start working through straightaway.

For those with more experience, I would say you have to maximise the opportunities you have with these people when you are on the phone with them.

The main objective is to get information from them about whether the role would be something they are interested in, but you also have to wear a BD hat and think about how you can use this conversation to win business from them, asking about new projects they have coming up or other hiring managers within the business that are hiring.

You should be able to get two or three calls off the back of that one call, that’s the mentality you need to have.

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: Do you listen to my podcast? I release a weekly episode with either a top-performing recruiter or recruitment entrepreneur to find out how they achieved their success so you can learn directly from their journey Check out my latest episode and subscribe to the show.

#2: Promote your brand to over 4,277 recruitment professionals by sponsoring this newsletter (bookings available from May 2024).

#3: Want to learn how you can leverage our all-in-one training platform to take on the heavy lifting of upskilling your team whilst you spend more time working on the business? >>>> Book A Meeting With Me Here