Honesty

"It is a well known fact...Vulcans do not lie," as Spock said in many Star Trek episodes.
Being honest is my #1 rule of sales.
never-lie-to-client
On a recent sales call a prospect said to me the number one rule she has when building a relationship with the recruiter or staffing firm is if the recruiter is honest.
Being in the staffing industry I'm amazed how many clients and candidates think recruiters are being dishonest. It almost seems recruiters fall somewhere in between life insurance salespeople and used car salespeople on society's stereotype pantheon of "people you don't want to believe (For the record I also worked in advertising sales and door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales, two more on that infamous pantheon)."
Yes, there are scuzzy recruiters out there just like in any profession.
That isn't true for the vast majority of people in this profession.
Almost all of the recruiters I know are solid professionals who have the best interests of their candidates and clients in mind. Insurance, cars, radio ads, vacuum cleaners are an easy sell compared to the recruiting industry.
Recruiters deal in the toughest commodity to explain, demonstrate, and control...people. Recruiters also have to make two sales for every candidate placed in a job. One sale is made to the candidate that they should apply for the job, and the other is to the client that their candidate is indeed the best person for the job. That is why being a recruiter is the toughest sales job I've ever experienced.
why-recruiting-is-toughest-sales-job

I agree with my prospect that honesty is the key to a good relationship, however I want to focus on a part of this problem that people outside of the recruiting industry might not understand. Honesty is a two way street and requires the client company to also provide honest information about the position they are looking to fill and the person they want to fill it. It also requires the candidate to be honest about their intentions and goals as well.

How many times as a client have you heard a recruiter say "we can fill that position" and then never hear from the recruiter again?

How many times as a recruiter have you heard a client say "it's not about the skills they have but if they are a culture fit," and in the end it really was about the skills.

How many times as a recruiter or client have you heard a candidate say "it's not about the money, it's about..." and then when you present the offer you find out the candidate accepted an offer for $2,000 more even though the benefits, schedule, life balance, etc., is better at your company than the place they accepted?
I guess it was about the money after all.

Sometimes you as a recruiter CAN'T fill a job order.

Sometimes as a client you just need someone who CAN DO the job, and although culture fit is ideal, pressures or deadlines dictate you just need someone with the right skills.

Sometimes as a candidate it IS about the money.

It is okay to share these things with each other!

Good recruiters aren't making up stories when they contact a candidate and are full of enthusiasm for the job. Good recruiters have asked the client enough questions and probed deep into the needs of the job, that they believe the candidate they are contacting can indeed be the solution to the client's open position. The disconnect comes in when a client, candidate, or recruiter says one thing (or doesn't say something) to the other party and it doesn't work out, and that makes everyone look foolish and wastes time.
Let's all drop the deflector screens and provide each other the information needed to help each other succeed.

My tagline for many years now is "A Heck of A Nice Guy."
I don't think you can be nice person without being honest.
Just waving a little flag for me with the above comment. LOL!
Thanks for reading!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy