For recruiters in any industry, tough conversations are nothing new. Finding a new position can be stressful, and helping candidates navigate these waters can be difficult. For CDL recruiters, hard conversations can range from discussing a carrier’s industry reputation to reviewing the results of a VOE report. And sometimes, these hard conversations aren’t with candidates at all but with internal team members. Bringing up new ideas or proposing changes to internal process can start a conversation that many are unprepared to have. There are a few reasons these hard conversations with candidates might be necessary. If your organization has a less-than-stellar reputation in the industry, for example, driver candidates might be hesitant to join the team. You will have to not only explain where this negative feedback stems from but offer up a list of ways you’re working on changing this reputation for the better.
Thanks to the HR thought leadership team at WorkHound, here are four steps to get through these hard candidate conversations with ease:
- Be confident. It’s a common human response to be hesitant when going into tough conversations. When it comes time to talk to driver candidates, be confident! If you start to second-guess your main message drivers will be confused and start to question whether or not you are qualified to have these conversations in the first place.
- Be prepared. In order to be confident and self-assured in these conversations, recruiters need to have the right information in front of them. CDL driver candidates are going to be asking the hard questions regarding compensation, hours, regulations, and more. This isn’t the time to make up data or have to hunt down answers while a candidate waits on hold. Do your research and have the information in front of you to have these detailed conversations with candidates.
- Have a clear goal in mind. When talking with CDL driver candidates, what are the outcomes you want to shoot for? Are you hoping that a driver accepts his or her offer? Are you trying to convince a driver to fill out an application? What about talking a driver through his or her interview process? Offer suggestions and topics that will help guide drivers to this logical end goal to keep your conversations moving forward.
- Anticipate a reaction. If a CDL driver candidate is going to be having a hard conversation with a recruiter, they’re probably going to have some sort of reaction. As a CDL driver recruiter, you can’t logically expect there to be simple subdued nods without any outward reactions. Anticipating how people will respond – and being prepared for unexpected outcomes – will help ensure you’re not stuck in an awkward situation with a candidate.
Want to learn more? DriverReach has built a suite of solutions that are tailored specifically to helping CDL driver recruiters manage and track CDL driver conversations and interactions throughout the entire application lifecycle. From the first touch to ongoing retention and nurturing, DriverReach solutions can help recruiters navigate these hard conversations and ensure they have the right information in front of them at the right time. You can learn more here.
Stay up to date on CDL trucking trends! Be sure to check out the DriverReach blog for other relevant articles and head over to our webinars page for an up-to-date list of upcoming events and on-demand recordings.
Interested in seeing DriverReach’s modern Recruiting Management System in action? Request a demo!
