Influencing & Overcoming Objections
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Hiring managers can be a pain. Let’s face it, they often just sit at their desk and send off a requisition or an email requesting someone who walks on water. They pick up the telephone and ask us to drop by while they tell us about that impossible-to-find candidate they want within a week. They may not be sure of what skills they need the new person to have so they ask for a lot more just to make sure.
Anyone who has been a recruiter for a while has had an experience, or many experiences, with managers like this. Senior recruiters may have developed a relationship with a particular hiring manager that makes it easier to have an open conversation, but most recruiters find themselves dealing with people they barely know at all.
The fundamental issue is simple: you think the request is off-target or unreasonable and the hiring manager doesn’t. The fundamental questions are what do you do about it?
Probably half the recruiters I have talked with say they don’t do anything. They may have a brief discussion that goes something like this.
Recruiter: “Well, Bill, that’s going to be a hard one to fill. Are you sure this person will need a Ph.D. to do this job? Seems a little much to me.”
HM: “Absolutely. This is a critical project, and we need someone who can do in-depth research. And, by the way, did you know that John Jones, down in new product development, has just hired a Ph.D. for his research group?”
Recruiter: “No. I didn’t. But I’m still concerned that we’re looking for someone overqualified. Wouldn’t someone with experience or a background in research and a Master’s degree work just as well?”
HM: “No. I think we need to look for a PhD, and I’m leaning toward Stanford. I think they have a program that’s aligned with my needs.”
Recruiter: “I guess you realize that PhDs. from Stanford in this field are scarce and probably out of our salary range. I’m not sure we can attract the right person or convince them to work here, especially in the two weeks you’ve given me.”
HM: “I’m counting on you to do your best.”
The recruiter leaves this meeting feeling like he’s a victim of an unreasonable person who doesn’t understand the broader picture.
So, what can you do about this?
Influencing people and getting them to change their minds or do something different than they are used to is tough. Creating and managing change is an area where consultants spend lots of time helping organizations set new strategic directions or operate in more effective ways.
Over the years, we have learned a lot about how to influence people to do things differently. In a book written a couple of years ago by Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard, called “Changing Minds,” he outlines a process for change that may be useful for recruiters. Another excellent resource is Robert B. Cialdini’s Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion. These provide useful advice and practical strategies for pushing back and gaining trust and support.
Reason
According to Gardner, there are levers we can use to cause change. The first of these is to use reason. The recruiter in the scenario above tried this approach. By asking a few questions about the need (i.e. reasonableness) of the request and by indicating (although weakly) that it might be hard to find someone like this, the recruiter was using reason to convince the manager to look for someone different.
Research
The second lever is that of research. Here the recruiter could collect information, data, and facts and present the hiring managers with the actual number of PhDs available from Stanford in that area. He could show demographic data and whatever else might cause a logical person to agree and do something differently. And he could provide salary comparisons and discuss the salary ranges typical in this organization.
Resonance
The third lever is what Gardner calls resonance. I have written before that having a relationship with a hiring manager, getting to know him or her well, and building credibility will give a recruiter much greater influence. If this hiring manager had trusted in the knowledge and skill of the recruiter and listened to his advice, he might have agreed that a Ph.D. was overkill.
I believe that this is the most effective lever for a recruiter and, when combined with other levers, gives the recruiter a great deal of influence. Gardner’s fourth lever gets to this point.
Redescriptions
Gardner believes that by presenting arguments in a variety of ways, one can strengthen their power. By showing data in tables and graphs and by also using text and discussion, one can, in effect, amplify your influence. Finding a format that is most aligned with the hiring manager’s mindset is important, and if you have developed a good relationship, you will have some indication of what kinds of data are most influential.
Resources and Rewards
Using time and cost as ways to influence a hiring manager come under Gardner’s fifth lever. If all else fails, offering a reward or an incentive may tip the balance in your favor. This one rarely works by itself but combined with others is useful.
Real World Events
Events, public information, and what others are doing all influence us. Often people change because everyone around them is changing.
This “keeping up with the Jones” phenomenon is very strong and played a factor in the scenario above. The manager said that his friend had hired a Ph.D., so he wanted one, too. Although often unreasonable, this behavior is easy to see every day and can be used in a way to influence the hiring manager.
By being aware of the various levers that influence our thinking, a resourceful recruiter can craft better strategies to get hiring managers aligned with realistic goals. I urge you to pick up a copy of Gardner’s or Cialdini’s book.
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