Responsiveness is key when fostering any professional relationship. In the world of placing top talent, this fact is even more true. In past years, responsiveness might have meant client dinners and office meetings. Alas it is 2020… Today, responsiveness via virtual media ensures recruiters beat competition for top talent and retain their hiring clients. Recruiters, hiring managers, and job seekers must be consistently responsive in order to build respectful business partnerships that yield intended results.
Set Communication Expectations!
The most important part of ongoing communication must happen before any partnership or business relationship is established. Setting expectations with a client establishes best practices regarding when and how to communicate with that person. Conversely, it does not matter if someone is responsive—if goals and expectations for the partnership are not outlined then consistent communication will just burn time and money.
Timeliness is and always will be a factor in a business partnership. Placement professionals, hiring managers, and top talent should all have an understanding about when communication can occur.
Common dialogue regarding timely communication might go something like this:
“When I submit talent on a Monday, how quickly can you review, respond and provide feedback?” recalled Tara Thurber, Director of Talent Innovation for DefinedTalent.
Hard work can come to a halt if questions like these are not asked at the beginning of a professional relationship. Setting common days with availability or simply sharing work calendars are practices that can get everybody involved in the same time frame. When each party understands each other’s schedule, then work is done on the most efficient level.
Another standard for communication is the medium or arena in which an interaction takes place. Ask the question, What is your preferred method of communication? Professional relationships might begin on social networks like LinkedIn or through a Zoom webinar—this is why it’s a great idea to build out a personal or digital brand. However, once a relationship with a client is underway, the medium might change to email, phone, or text message. Some people find texting fast and easy, but others may prefer a formal phone call. Figuring out the best medium for seamless connection is important as to not ruffle any feathers when it’s time to talk.
Finally, professional partnerships should have well defined goals. For example, think of a job seeker’s relationship with a recruiter. One could say that the goals involved in this relationship should be obvious: job placement. However, details can make the difference between landing that person a job in their field and wasting time on opportunities that don’t match the talent’s objectives.
All expectations and parameters of a business relationship take into account that there is competition—especially now in the world of recruiting. These factors ensure that respect is given to the individuals involved and each person’s hard work is valued. What’s more, when expectations for communication are clear, it’s more likely that individuals involved will give insightful feedback to push along common goals. Hard work, attention to detail, and expectations are absolutely necessary to foster any business partnership. And in the end, even if desired results are not fully achieved, the relationship will at least be based in trust and respect.
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