The Power of the Phone

In a world where you can have pizza delivered to your door at the push of a button, it’s hubris to think you shouldn’t be keeping up with the latest in technological developments. Especially when you’re involved in the recruitment industry, where tech and people-skills go hand-in-hand and both are absolutely essential to every step of our process.But remember – we were doing this long before online databases. Some of us were doing it before there was a computer in every home and front pocket. And there are serious merits to logging off and handling business the old school way.

We were pre-computer and prepared. One of the most important tools available to us, aside from our own brilliant minds, of course, was the telephone. That might sound very quaint to you, reader, but a telephone does what an e-mail can’t. A phone call has that certain je ne sais quoi that an e-mail doesn’t, and hearing another human voice will always breed more familiarity and empathy than a formal written communication. In fact, the power of the humble telephone has yet to be matched. Texts, e-mails, faxes, none are quite as effective in communicating a need or influencing a decision.

It’s like MP3 vs vinyl – your voice will always communicate more warmth and understanding than an e-mail can. It’s much easier to ignore text on a screen, which adds a layer of irony to this entire post. But please, read on. Building a strong rapport with clients and candidates is essential to our work, and it’s invaluable in ensuring that both are the perfect fit for each other.

Something that often gets lost in the ether is our ability to truly ‘sell’ a candidate to a client. This is, again, where a phone conversation can change the game. You can better communicate the candidate’s strengths, their background, and how well they would fit into the overall structure of the client’s company. And it also allows you to effectively qualify what the client is looking for in their perfect candidate. Simply put, a lot gets done in a phone conversation. Does this mean you should throw your laptop away and invest in an old-timey landline phone? Absolutely not. But it does mean that you should make friends with your phone, and make sure you’re using it to maximum effect. There’s nothing wrong with getting a little old school. So, why not pick up the phone (mobile or tele) and talk to us today at +353 1 627 8750 or e-mail us at info@celticcareers.com