Ways to Crush Your Intro Call With a Recruiter

You have officially caught the attention of a recruiter because of a referral or your LinkedIn profile is just that amazing. Congratulations to you! Now, it is time to set up an intro call!

More than likely, you will be invited to a phone interview or Skype intro call with the person who found you. So, wowing them is going to be important! You want to crush this call and here are some ways to do it.

Recruiters are not really looking to find out the deepest details of your skills. More so, they want to see if you meet the basic requirements for the job or not. With that in mind, be sure that you study the job description before speaking with the recruiter to make sure it is aligned with what you want to do or can do. Quickly touch on your strengths in the call and cover the basics required for the job.

Note: If you cannot do the job, touch on your strengths and then quickly be honest that you do not see this is a job for you. Sometimes, saying no does more to show you are a professional than agreeing to a job you will ultimately fail in.  

Recruiters love candidates who are enthusiastic, strong matches for a job they are looking to fill. Your confidence in your abilities gives them the confidence to refer you. If you are a skills match and give off the impression you do not believe in those skills, the recruiter will be less than impressed and not feel confident in referring you.

Ultimately, recruiters want to feel confident that once you are passed through to the next stage of the process, you will not be a waste of time. They want to believe you will be eager to learn more about the job and interview well enough to get the offer.

Companies hire job candidates based on three things:

• Can you do the job?
• Are you likable?
• Are you a good culture fit?

You have to show early on that you are a strong culture fit. If you are going to talk about a company that you know very little about, it is time to do the research into the company’s culture, online presence, and brand personality.

Then, throughout the call make it very clear that you are aware of the company culture and why you would be a good fit. There is so much emphasis today on the fitting company culture that this deserves to be talked about at the beginning of the call.

If you understand the role of the recruiter in the hiring process, you will likely be able to have a better call with the recruiter. Understanding that recruiters are compensated either entirely or partially based on their ability to fill open positions will help you understand a strategy for communicating with the recruiter.

If you understand that “they want you to win because it’s a win for them”, you will have an easier time being open, honest, and direct. They want you to crush the intro call because if you do, and then win the job, they win. Then, the recruiter can go on to make more money. And they can do it quickly.

So, never be afraid to ask for the recruiter’s input on how you can put your best foot forward. Clear up any doubts you may have and move on to the job interview. Again, this person wants to send you through to the hiring manager. Make it easy for the recruiter to do it!