Think like a Headhunter: Have a system for everything

As I sat down this weekend to discuss the highs and lows of the recruiting business to a potential new hire for us, it came upon me, how much of what we do is related to having a “system”. Without a plan, without the ability to have a system for every distinct action I take in our business, we’d be failing to have an action plan — some very wise person once said “Fail to plan, and you can plan for failure.” If you want to think like a headhunter and score the job you want – you need a system that makes each distinct phase of your job search easier:

1. After every resume submission – track it — who did it go to, when, and when (if) did you hear back?

2. When you complete interviews on the phone or in-person – send a thank you email (ask for their email!).

3. When planning for an interview - get & print directions, practice interviewing with a friend, review interview tips

4. Post-interview – thank you letter, asking about “questions or concerns about your fit for the job”

5. Objection-handling – no candidate is a perfect 10 — but jobs get filled by “8″s all the time – it is all about bridging the gap between needs vs. wants. Ask the question, and you’ll improve you odds infinitely.

If you have a system for each job lead, each interaction and each recruiter you work with (as I’ve said a million times – ALWAYS tell you recruiters they must get your permission to submit a resume), you’ll be thinking like a headhunter and spending more time on quality situations vs. busy-work leading up to an interview.   The Massachusetts software engineer market is red hot – under 2% unemployment as we speak — even so — you must be able to have a system to get the job you want.