Agency Consultants: How Do You Business Develop

Agency Consultants: What Are Your Business Development Strategies?

I’m curious to know what business development (BD) strategies you all are using. Here are a few that I’ve found effective to kick things off:

Feel free to add your own in the comments or share your thoughts on the following strategies:

  • Live Job Opportunities: Monitor job boards like Indeed for open positions. Identify the hiring managers and reach out through a cold email sequence, a tailored CV, or a cold call.

  • LinkedIn Cold Messaging: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify your target audience. Set up a three-step connection sequence: make a simple connection, provide value, and then include a call to action.

  • Email Marketing: Compile a list of your target audience from LinkedIn, export it with their email addresses, and execute a three-stage email campaign.

  • Insights Campaign: Develop market insights on topics such as salary benchmarks, industry executive moves, and industry outlooks. Share this information through email campaigns targeting your audience (this can complement your email marketing or LinkedIn messaging).

  • LinkedIn Ads: I’m currently experimenting with this strategy. Define your target audience, create an ad, and once individuals interact with it, retarget them with direct lead generation forms. While traditionalists may suggest picking up the phone, I believe a scalable funnel with LinkedIn retargeting could be a game changer. After two weeks, I’ve spent £200, gained 39 paid clicks, and achieved 6,000 impressions – though these numbers might not reflect meaningful engagement just yet. I’m excited to see how it all unfolds!

  • Referral Generation: When interviewing candidates, ask for references and navigate those contacts for potential leads.

  • CV Stripping: Research previous companies, identify hiring managers, and reach out via cold email or call.

  • Interview Intelligence: Investigate who the hiring manager is, if they’ve resigned, or if they are being replaced. With permission, pursue BD through email or cold calls.

  • Candidate Tracking: Inquire where candidates are interviewing and identify the hiring manager to reach out via email or call.

  • Open to Work on LinkedIn: If someone indicates they are open to work, connect with their hiring manager through a targeted outreach sequence.

  • Client Referrals: Don’t hesitate to ask your current clients for referrals to expand your network.

  • Content Posting on LinkedIn: Regularly share industry-related posts on LinkedIn. Establish yourself as a thought leader to attract inbound and warm leads.

What other strategies do you have?

P.S. I’m not claiming that any of these methods are the definitive answer; they are simply observations from my experience.

I am a UK Recruitment Consultant trying to work the US market

I’m a UK Recruitment Consultant venturing into the US market, and I’d love to share my journey and gather some insights.

To give you a bit of background, I’ve spent six years in recruitment. The first four years focused on business development and account management, collaborating with colleagues who specialized in sourcing candidates for our open positions. For the past two years, I’ve transitioned to working directly with clients in the US market, not just managing relationships but also actively finding candidates myself.

Our specialization is in recruiting software engineers, particularly those skilled in Microsoft .NET. When I entered the US market, I employed similar strategies to those I used in the UK, such as cold-calling candidates to identify where they were interviewing and scouring job boards for current openings. From there, I would reach out to companies with profiles of potential candidates to initiate conversations and build business relationships.

However, I’ve adapted my approach since working in the US. Given the abundance of leads available on job boards, I no longer rely on cold-calling candidates. Instead, I focus on connecting with hiring managers directly. If I identify a potential hiring manager, I attempt to reach them through calls in the first couple of days. If I don’t get a response, I follow up with an email, then reach out by phone again. This outreach strategy typically spans about four weeks, during which I send a total of seven emails (one initial and six follow-ups).

I replicate this process for multiple companies simultaneously, usually targeting around 10-15 new companies each day. With additional outreach to existing clients and check-in emails, my total outreach can encompass around 80-100 companies daily.

I genuinely enjoy my work and have dedicated significant time and effort to establishing myself in this market.

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to secure new business or insights from others’ experiences as recruitment consultants in the US! Thank you!

Quality of applicants – USA vs UK

Comparing Applicant Quality: USA vs UK

I’m interested in hearing about others’ experiences on this topic.

I specialize in recruiting for highly specialized technical roles in both the UK and the US.

From my observations, when I post a position on LinkedIn in the UK, approximately 1 in 15 applicants meet the minimum qualifications. However, in the US, that number drops to about 1 in 50.

It seems that the quality of candidates in the US is significantly lower than in the UK. Has anyone else noticed this trend? Do US candidates tend to take more chances compared to their UK counterparts?

It’s worth noting that my job postings clearly outline the minimum qualifications, and I always include screening questions.

On a related note, I also receive a much higher response rate for my LinkedIn recruiter messages in the US—around 40% compared to just 25% in the UK.

New Google/Yahoo spam filters take effect in Feb.

Important Update: New Google and Yahoo Spam Filters Launching in February

Have you or your IT team reviewed your DMARC and DNS settings to ensure your emails meet the new Google and Yahoo spam filter requirements? The changes will go into effect on February 1st.

For more details, check out this article: TechCrunch.

Before making adjustments, you can assess your domain’s reputation by visiting MailTester. It will provide a report on whether you have DMARC, DKIM, and other necessary settings, along with a score (I recently improved mine from 9/10 to 10/10!) and suggestions for any corrections or additions needed.

IT recruitment case!

IT Recruitment Challenge!

Hello everyone, I really need some assistance! I’m currently applying for junior recruiter positions since I haven’t been able to find anything in my field of study and experience. I hold a degree in communications and have briefly worked for an NGO. Despite lacking extensive experience, I’ve progressed in a few interview processes. My only relevant experience was supporting the HR department as a receptionist at a large plant right before graduation.

The problem is that international companies often ask for a challenging recruiting case I’ve handled, and I’m struggling to think of a solid example. If anyone here has experience in recruitment—especially in IT—could you share a real case and explain how you approached it? I would be incredibly grateful for your help! I’m in a tough spot, as I’m at risk of losing my rental home after months of job hunting, and my savings are dwindling. Thank you so much for your support!

Seeking Java/Python resumes on ZipRecruiter; cost concerns over viewing contacts. Exploring ways to minimize expenses or access info for free.

I’m looking for Java/Python resumes on ZipRecruiter but am concerned about the costs associated with accessing contact details. I have a ZipRecruiter account and am specifically interested in candidates with 0-5 years of experience in these languages. Each resume’s contact information costs $3, which adds up quickly—around $3000 if I plan to view 1000 resumes. ZipRecruiter does have a premium plan for about $35/day that includes job postings and some complimentary resume views.

I’m exploring strategies to reduce these expenses. Are there any alternatives for accessing contact information without incurring fees? I’m not sure if there are tools, Chrome extensions, or other methods that can help lower costs. What strategies would you recommend?

Thoughts on a new recruitment SaaS platform

Thoughts on a New Recruitment SaaS Platform

I’ve noticed that many companies and hiring managers rely on a variety of tools to make swift and effective hiring decisions. While I haven’t worked as a professional recruiter or hiring manager, I have been involved in hiring during my time at various startups. This process was often tedious and manual: posting jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed, waiting for applications, sifting through numerous resumes, reaching out to candidates for calls, and ultimately shortlisting after interviews.

I understand that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can help streamline these interactions with candidates, but I believe there’s an opportunity for a more comprehensive solution.

Here’s my vision:

  1. Companies and candidates would create profiles on the recruitment platform.
  2. When a company is seeking a candidate, they would post a job that includes details such as the job description, salary, work arrangement (remote/hybrid/in-office), and PTO flexibility.
  3. The platform would then analyze this information to identify candidates who meet the criteria and fit the job description.
  4. Once suitable matches are identified, the platform would automatically notify the candidates about the job opportunity and provide them with a scheduling tool (similar to Calendly) to set up a direct call with the interviewer.

Advantages of This Approach

  1. Elimination of Resume Overload: No more sifting through thousands of resumes – the platform filters out irrelevant profiles, minimizing human error.
  2. Qualitative Matching: The platform would do more than just blind matching; it would assess whether candidates genuinely meet the job requirements (e.g., filtering out candidates with only 2 years of experience for a role requiring 10+ years).
  3. Efficient Communication: Instead of multiple calls to gauge candidates’ expectations, the platform would only connect companies with candidates who meet mutual criteria, thereby saving significant time.
  4. Cost-Effective Hiring: By bypassing recruitment agencies and other costly methods, businesses could save substantial amounts of money. The platform could operate on a flat monthly subscription model for match-making services.

This would create a robust filtration and matching system for companies and candidates worldwide. What are your thoughts on this kind of platform? Are there any existing tools that offer similar functionalities?

Setting up solo, before leaving 9-5

Starting My Side Recruitment Business Before Quitting the 9-5

Hi everyone,

I’m excited to share that I’m looking to launch my own recruitment venture! I’ll keep this brief: I have recruitment experience from working at an agency where it felt like managing my own desk or business within a larger framework.

That said, I’m not in a position to leave my job and rely solely on savings just yet, and I tend to be a bit cautious about high-risk moves.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has successfully started a side business while still working full-time. How did you manage it? What advice do you have for building your client base before making the leap?

Thanks!