Recruiting Tips: Take Advantage of Exploratory Calls to Up Your Recruiting ROI

September 4, 2012

According to a LinkedIn Research Network Survey, 83% of fully employed respondents are not actively looking for new job opportunities. Of this 83%, most are open to connecting with a recruiter for future opportunities. 

Your initial recruiting note may spark candidate curiosity, but the exploratory call is a way to grab their attention. 

Additionally, exploratory calls allow you to get a sense of the candidate from a vantage point outside of a formal interview. So, before you schedule an interview, take 10-20 minutes for an exploratory call. You will see more results, both short term and long term. Here’s how:

  • Engaging more people allows you to expand your knowledge of the market. Conversations can turn into to leads that you may not have gotten elsewhere.
  • Networking is the key to success as a recruiter. It’s always important to keep building your network and engaging candidates and connectors alike. These calls will assist in expanding your network, as well as your rapport with connectors.
  • Exploratory calls provide you with the advantage of asking questions in a more casual conversation and allow you to ask first. If you tell a candidate all about the company, position, and culture and then ask what they are looking for, a good interviewee is going to match what they want to what you have. The exploratory call can help to prevent this. Introduce yourself, give a broad view of the company/position and then have a conversation about what the candidate is looking for. If it seems like a match, now is the time to get into the details and sell the job.
  • Referrals. If a candidate is not interested or is not a fit for the company/position do not hesitate to ask for referrals. If they don’t know anyone off the top of their head, they still have a better overview of the position to pass along to their networks.
  • Titles, job descriptions, and written content do not always do a company/position justice. As a recruiter, you know the true value of the position and you should use the exploratory call to talk about the intangibles (as well as the tangibles), enticing the candidate to want more. 
  • Both parties want to move forward? Now it’s time to talk about the candidate’s background.

In my opinion, the exploratory call should be the first step of the interview process. If you work the call with the tips above you will leave the conversation with more than you started with.

Director of Talent

<strong>Carlie Smith</strong> was the Senior Talent Manager, Sales & Marketing at OpenView. She worked directly with hiring managers and key stakeholders within OpenView and its portfolio to lead vital searches and provided process guidance on recruitment strategy, including talent identification, strategic sourcing, relationship building, and competitive intelligence. Currently, Carlie is the Director of <a href="https://www.circle.com/en">Circle</a>.