I'll never forget the first time I was ever kicked out of a casino. Several years ago, I was a professional card counting blackjack player, personally mentored by the legendary MIT blackjack team. One of the key concepts they taught me was to NEVER put money on the felt unless you KNOW that you have a HIGH LIKELIHOOD of getting a return.

As a result, I consistently had an advantage when I played and never took unnecessary risks or senseless gambles. The science of mathematics and probabilities governed the results, and I was actually banned from several casinos because of this skill.
Recruiting is the same way. You should NEVER spend your time in an area unless you KNOW you have a high likelihood of getting a return on it.

Your desk is full of risks, and you have to make decisions about where you invest your equity, which means how you spend your time, money and resources. This is especially true if you work a contingency desk where every minute of your day is at risk. You need to remember that recruiting is a risk management business, and you have to think of it that way. What that means for you is that when you are making decisions about which searches to work on, you have to follow a criteria of logic to give yourself better odds of success.
Here are seven indicators, or 'tells' that you can use on knowing which searches deserve your time:
1. The prospect, or client, returns your calls, and does so promptly.

2. If they ever are late or delayed in calling you, they acknowledge this and even will apologize.

3. They say, 'thank you' to you when you spend time with them. They seem appreciative that you are working their searches.

4. They give you time on the phone. They carve out twenty to thirty minutes initially so you can take a proper search assignment.

5. If you ask them what they are looking for, they don't respond, "Just send me a widget
manager. You know what I'm looking for. I don't have time for this."

6. They are respectful in their tone to you. They don't seem rushed or hurried

7. They give you referrals within the organization such as other decision makers who are looking for people. Or, they introduce you to other decision makers from whom you can get more information about your searches. They trust you and give you latitude to connect with other colleagues in their company.

Copyright (c) 2009 Scott Love
Scott Love improves recruiter performance by getting recruiters to think at a higher level, to develop a better strategy, to master recruiting tactics, and to develop better work habits. He has created a simple step-by-step system of recruiting success that is replicable. Nearly 2,500 search firms and staffing agencies from sixteen countries have invested in his training tools. Visit his website for free videos, training tools,downloads, and recruiting tips

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