Recruiting is Sales
June 30, 2024
I was listening to the Starbucks episode of Acquired yesterday (feat. Howard Schultz). The story of him working at Xerox, sneaking past security in Manhattan office buildings, and trying to sell word processors to unsuspecting folks really stuck with me.
I always pictured sales jobs as being like the one Schultz had at Xerox. You know, making 50 cold calls a day, walking up to people at conferences, and basically pushing your product onto anyone who'll listen (and even those who won't). But here's some advice that you (yes you, the reader with the technical background who has likely never done sales before) can use to get comfortable doing sales.
When I was leading product and engineering at CoinList, I had to recruit engineers, and essentially, I had to sell high quality candidates on the company. And I realized that selling people on the company boiled down to three key things:
- Understanding CoinList's unique niche in the market and what we had to offer (a close-knit team and culture, high autonomy in projects, and crypto-nativeness)
- Understanding the motivations of each candidate
- Either "making the sale" by explaining how CoinList could fulfill the candidate's expectations, or recognizing when there was too much of a gap between us and parting ways due to fit reasons
Early on, you've got to prospect your candidates. In the hiring manager call, you need to figure out what the candidate is looking for and whether it aligns with the company's values and what you can offer. And here's a pro tip: have that hiring manager call early on! Ideally, right after the recruiter (or before if you're helping source). This way, you can screen effectively for what you're looking for, and if you do end up hiring this person, you'll have multiple touch points with them, building trust before you go into the sell call.
Now, in a sell call, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Believe what you're saying
- Address the candidate's concerns
- Drive home how you can help them achieve their goals
But here's the thing: you shouldn't be trying to convince people to be there if they wouldn't be a good fit. Trust me, that'll just end in disaster for everyone involved. Plus, people can usually tell if you're lying to them. If you honestly believe everything you're saying, you'll come across as more confident and authentic, which will naturally draw in the people who resonate with your message.
We batted well above average in converting offers because of this approach.
- FAANG engineer who felt they had little control at their job? Sold them on agency.
- Someone who has an offer from Coinbase but is more crypto native? Sold them on how they'll actually work with smart contracts at CoinList (this was before Base).
- Junior engineer looking for mentorship? Sold them on our tight knit team.
Recruiting is sales, but I realized it doesn't have to be the kind of sales that makes you feel like you need a shower afterwards. It's about understanding your company, understanding your candidates, and making the right match. Simple as that. (Simple doesn't mean easy though).