No Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Ask Again

As recruiters our number one goal each and every day is to find qualified candidates for our open job requirements. That sounds so easy but the reality of it is, it’s not. If it was easy, our clients would do it themselves and we wouldn’t have a job. Regardless, most of us begin each and every day contacting candidates either by phone or social media asking if they would be interested in a new job opportunity we are working on. We continually hear “no thanks, I’m happy where I am”. I’m here today to tell you that just because you get a “no” today from a candidate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try back again in the future. Make sure to add that resume to your database so you have it for future opportunities. No now, doesn’t mean things won’t change in the future and the next time you call it could just be a “yes”. The “no’s” work both ways. Often times as recruiters, we’ll get resumes for posted positions that aren’t quite the right fit, so instead of the candidate saying “no” it’s us saying “no” to a candidate. Once again, candidates, please don’t take it personally that this position isn’t quite the right fit. Your experience today may not be what my client is looking for. Not everyone is the right fit for all positions or all companies. Remember that the culture of the company is just as important as you fitting the job requirements, so it may not be the right culture fit. As recruiters, we never know what opportunities may come up in the future, so it’s best to establish a relationship and keep the door open in case a new job requirement you get next week, may be a great fit. To get a “no” to turn to a “yes” you have to have persistence. Persistence should be one the job requirements to be a recruiter because if you aren’t persistent you aren’t going to be very successful. Victor was one of my best turn around stories. I remember it well because I had placed one sales person and had one more position to fill for this client. It was December and if I placed one more person, I’d get an awesome Christmas bonus. I contacted Victor and he said he thought the Account Exec position sounded interesting so I emailed him the job description. He said he’d give me a call the next day for an interview. Next day came and no call. I tried for a week to reach Victor before he final answered my call and said, “no” I’m actually not interested in the opportunity after all. Sorry, really Victor were you sorry? Well anyway, no Christmas bonus for me. Fast forward 9 months later and I had a different company looking for an Account Exec in the same city. As I was looking through our database I came across Victor’s resume and thought he’d be a great fit for the position, but did he deserve another chance? Would he just say “no” to me again? Well, if I didn’t call him, I wouldn’t know, so I took a chance. Guess what, this time he was interested, and the company was just the right fit. Three years later, he’s now the Regional Manager for the company. My call to him again was a great outcome for both of us. Life has a funny way of working out just when you start to believe it never will, so go out there and let those “no’s” roll right off your back until you get a “YES”.  Happy recruiting.    

Keenan

Keenan is A Sales Guy Inc’s CEO/President and Chief Antagonist. He’s been selling something to someone for his entire life. He’s been teaching and coaching almost as long. With over 20 years of sales experience, which he’ll tell you he doesn’t give a shit about, Keenan has been influencing, learning from and shaping the world of sales for a long time. Finder of the elephant in the room, Keenan calls it as he sees it and lets nothing or no one go unnoticed.