Ponder this for a moment. When a professional football quarterback fades back to pass, does he believe he is going to complete the pass? When a professional golfer strokes a putt, does she believe she is going to sink it? When a professional baseball player stands in the batter’s box, does he believe he is going to get a base hit? The answer to all three questions is a resounding yes! The bottom line is that in each case, the athletes have the mindset on every attempt that they are going to be successful. Intellectually, they understand that they won’t be successful every time, but from a mindset and attitude standpoint, they believe they are going to have success on every attempt. In one other example, think of the doctor that will be doing surgery on you or a loved one?
Now, let’s segue into the wonderful world of IT staffing. I have asked thousands of sales executives and recruiters over the years this very simple question: Do you expect to fill every job order you bring in as a sales rep or recruit on as a recruiter? I’m sure most of you know the answer. By about 98 to 2, the answer I get is “no.” As an industry, we’ve come to believe that successful placements almost happen by accident. I believe most producers (sales & recruiters) have to readjust their thinking when taking an order or speaking with a candidate about an order. Sales folks especially fall into this trap. However, the successful sales men and women I’ve observed have a “matter of fact” attitude. Meaning, if I take this order and decide to work on it — think of stepping into the batter’s box or lining up a putt — as a matter of fact, I plan to fill it.
PREMIUM CONTENT: US staffing to grow 6%
I worked very closely with two fantastic recruiters several years ago, and the most common trait they had was this attitude. Nothing in the world was going to stop them from making the placement. Don’t get me wrong, they became masters of their craft with traditional competencies such as people skills, finesse and expert recruiting processes. However, by far the most important intangible of their success was their attitude and mindset about successfully filling job orders.
The next time you take a job order, think of that quarterback fading back to make that pass. Rest assured he believes with his heart and soul, he’s going to complete the pass. Sales folks and recruiters need to do the same thing.
MORE: How to hold on to top talent
