As a recruiter you need easy sourcing and sales.
"Social proof" is key to this! Candidates and clients in your network who think that you're ace and are prepared to recommend that others work with you will drive your pipeline for you.
But we often see a lack of process in getting recommendations and this makes recruitment harder.
3 Stats to Focus You on Getting Testimonials
9 out of 10 purchases happen because of peer recommendations. (Source: Marketing Charts)
Referrals are 5x more effective than all other sources of hiring. (Source: Zeti)
69% of clients would work with a recommended recruiter. (Source: CIPD)
So, having a strategy to get recommended is key!
1 Stat Says it All, Though!
But here's the clincher: 91% of customers say they’d give referrals, but only 11% of salespeople ask for referrals. (Source: Sale Carnegie)
So:
Referrals, recommendations, testimonials are easy to get...
However, recruiters are just not asking for them!
But, recruiters! You have a wealth of candidates and clients to tap into and convert in to great referees.
Choca Bullhorn CRMs.
Busy LinkedIn contact lists.
And surely for every placement you make you could get 1 x candidate and 1 x client testimonial... But are you?
My 3 Tips to Help Get Testimonials and Weaponise Them for Easy Sourcing and Sales
1️⃣Ask, but be specific! 💪
Don't just ask for a testimonial and leave it to the client or candidate to get around to it. Have a call with them at the end of your assignment and ask them questions. These questions could get you started:
What was your issue?
Why did you choose to work with me?
What did we do for you?
How will this new hire / new job help you now?
Give me 3 words to describe your experience of working with us. (These in be super helpful in getting your message across to who you want to work with...)
This testimonial call will not only get you valuable feedback. It will also be a great excuse to manage your candidate and client experience (and account / pipeline), and also ideally help you get further business / candidate leads.
Ask:
Who do you know that we can also help?
2️⃣Write it for them📝
Draft 2-3 short paragraphs and email it back to the candidate/client to get their OK.
Use their language in the copy you create - this will make it sound more human, less "markety", and also get them to sign off quicker.
Pro tip! Ensure you use valuable keywords to ensure that this content is optimised on your website and LinkedIn profile when you come to publish it.
3️⃣Get it online 📢
Publish testimonials on:
Your website, and not just on your testimonials page. Knit them into your blogs, job adverts, sector pages.
Google updates - ask your marketer to do this for you.
Your Linkedin profile recommendations. (Use the Request a recommendation feature in Linkedin and paste in your copy - make it easy for your community to recommend you.)
Your Glassdoor page.
Your email signatures.
And create cute images. I use Canva to create speedy 2minute testimonials that I can use in my sales and marketing.
My Final Tip? Timing is Key
So recruiters! Don’t be afraid to ask for a recommendation you deserve it!
Promise yourself to ask for a recommendation from the candidate and client on your next placement – just do it! And then rinse and repeat using my tips above.
And don't keep them secret - get the message out there. Your desk, pipeline, boss, and bank account, will thank you!
Recruitment Training
We deliver the best Recruitment Training through live webinars and our online training platform Recruitment HIIT.
Our recruitment training helps new and experienced recruiters qualify their jobs, speedily source and advertise, and improve their screening. It boosts CV to interview ratios, whilst giving great tips to prevent counter offers, and secure the placement and beyond.
Plus, if you have Bullhorn, Analytics, Automation, SourceBreaker, LinkedIn, Calendly, Teams, Daxtra, Broadbean, idibu, Hinterview, Paiger, and more... we train on those too!
TRY HIIT FREE HERE
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Before You Jump on the AI Bandwagon: How Recruitment Leaders Get Tech Right
I recently had an inspiring chat with a recruitment leader, and it struck me how many recruitment businesses are currently throwing themselves into tech pilots - especially AI - just because they don't want to get left behind.The pressure is real, but if you aren't careful, you’ll end up with a business full of "shiny new things" that don't actually fix your biggest recruitment problems.Here are 5 ways I believe recruitment leaders can cut through the noise and ensure they are getting the right tech for their recruitment businesses.1️⃣You Aren't Testing Tech; You’re Fixing a Business IssueThe biggest mistake I see is recruitment businesses testing a system rather than the thing they are trying to fix. Before you even look at a new tool, ask yourself:What is the actual problem? Is it data health? Recruiter productivity? Speed to market? Sales? Stronger client and candidate relationships?Does this process even need to exist? Sometimes we buy tech to "fix" a process that we should have just deleted in the first place.2️⃣Beware of "Frankenstein" Processes and DataOver the years, many recruitment firms have built what I call "Frankenstein tech" - those extra bits and pieces plugged in that create more complexity than they solve. (Expensive luxuries...)Frankenstein Data: Are you spending money to enrich data that you then do nothing with? Frankenstein Processes: Are your recruiters multitasking to the point of exhaustion because the tech doesn't serve a clear purpose? AI / Automation / Analytics should be the surgeon that cuts away the "Frankenstein" parts, not another bolt-on limb.3️⃣Tackle the "Admin Tax" and "Integration Debt" (and Myths)Every time a recruiter has to manually format a CV or move between non-integrated systems, they are paying a "tax" with their time.The Win: One leader I spoke with successfully rolled out a CV formatter that turned a half-day wait into a minutes-long task. This solved a genuine business problem: time to submit.The Debt: If your tech doesn't talk to each other, your recruiter becomes the "integrator," stuck in the middle of chaos. Be sure of what that means and how you manage that.The "Fully Integrated" Myth? I'm often told by leaders that they want a fully integrated tech stack. They want everything joined up... But, you may still need humans to be part of the integration. I'm ok with that - just be sure which parts of the recruitment lifecycle you genuinely need them to do and when... But please, please aim for as much integration as you can.4️⃣Solve the "What’s In It For Me?" (WIIFM)Your recruiters might be scared of AI, Automation, and Analytics. They think it’s coming for their jobs.To get buy-in, you have to move past "this will make the company more money". Would you believe that there is an ever increasing strata in recruitment that are not motivated by earning more?Find their motivation: Is it a shorter lunch break? More time at the gym? Getting home to their kids? The Enabler: Position tech as the tool that lets them go faster and stay human.5️⃣Remember the "DAD" ModelWhen analysing your current processes, run them through this filter that I often use with my clients when conducting a Bullhorn RoI Vision program:Delete: Do you really need this process? Automate/AI/Analytics: Can these tool do this better and faster? Delegate: If you can’t automate / Ai / analyse it, can you give it to someone else? (in-source / outsource?Final Thought: Slow Down to Go FasterDo what Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee advocate: Slow down to go faster. (Thanks for the insight, Jo!)Don't be afraid to take stock, briefly pause your pilots, and ensure your tech is truly moving the needle on your bottom line - not just adding to the noise and cost.Are you ready to audit your "Frankenstein" processes? Let’s chat about how we can get your humans and tech working in harmony. BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATIONBullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.Can't wait for the webinar?BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
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Blog
Bullhorn Power Series ~ Stop Missing Out on Sales: 5 Tips to Use Your ATS, Automation, and Analytics to Drive BD
For many of my clients, Recruitment is now officially in a BD-first market.For recruitment leaders, the challenge isn’t just finding new business; it’s finding the right business and winning it before the competition even wakes up. If your recruiters are still manually scouring the database or "spraying and praying" cold emails, and paying external systems like LinkedIn, Indeed, and job boards for leads, you are losing revenue to firms that have turned their Bullhorn stack into a high-precision sales machine.🔢The Maths of Modern Business DevelopmentRecent data from Bullhorn Grid shows a staggering divide between "traditional" recruitment firms and "automated" ones:The Speed Gap: High-growth firms are 3.5x more likely to use automation to beat competitors to the first CV send.The Admin Tax: The average recruiter loses 12+ hours a week to manual data entry. That’s two full days of lost selling time.The Gold Mine: 76% of placements come from people already in your database, yet most BD teams ignore their own "warm" data in favour of cold outreach.⁉️Are You Paying for a Recruitment Database or a Graveyard?Most ATS/CRM platforms are graveyard-like: full of data, but nothing is moving.But the true RoI from Bullhorn comes when you combine Bullhorn’s core power with Automation, AI, and Analytics. You empower your humans to turn that graveyard into a "Predictive Sales Engine."Instead of asking your team to "hit the phones harder," imagine a world where:Analytics tells you exactly which clients are worth your time (and which ones to fire).Automation nurtures prospects in the background while your recruiters are closing deals.The ATS surfaces the perfect candidate for a "spec call" before the client even posts the job.🚨Join Our Upcoming Webinar: The BD Power HourI see too many recruitment leaders struggling with "activity for the sake of activity." It’s time to move from "busy" to "profitable."I’m hosting a live webinar specifically for recruitment leaders who want to power up their Bullhorn tech stack for new business sales. I’ll be diving into the stats above and sharing at least 5 actionable tips across your Bullhorn ATS/CRM, Analytics, and Automation systems which you can implement immediately to:Identify high-probability prospects.Automate your processes to land more deals.Reduce your team's "admin tax" to free up hours of crucial sales time per week.📅 Weds 10 June, 15:00 BSTREGISTER NOWBullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.Can't wait for the webinar?BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION