Today’s recruiters and HR professionals are more and more challenged when trying to find candidates with the right credentials and personality to be long-term employees at companies. One big part of the recruitment process is effective communication, where the recruiter can draw the prospective employee into the idea of working for their company, and the employee can, in turn, effectively communicate why they’re the best person for the job.
But what’s the secret to truly closing the deal and finding the right professional? Biron Clark, an executive recruiter and career advice blogger, says the key is the “50 Percent Rule,” where you ensure, as the recruiter, you’re allowing the candidate to speak at least 50% of the time in each conversation you have with them. “Fifty percent is a bare minimum or baseline. If the candidate ends up talking 70 to 80 percent of the time on a phone call, that’s great,” he adds via Brazen Careerist.
“Do you talk more than 50 percent on your calls? Some recruiters are above 75 percent,” Clark goes on to write. “Start noticing your ratio and work toward bringing your number below 50%. The easiest way to change this ratio is to ask questions and listen to the answers, and not interrupt.”