Warm Calling vs Cold Calling in Recruitment

We can all agree.

No one has ever enjoyed an out-of-the-blue message from a stranger late afternoon on a work day. Especially one that is obviously trying to sell us something.

Although we might be divided as a population on how to appropriately handle such instances:

1. Politely explaining that we’re not interested.
2. Expressing their frustrations (even indirectly).
3. Ignoring the communication entirely.

You have to admit, cold calling is universally disliked. Why?

There needs to be a certain element of trust before any consumer would ever consider buying something (or, in the case of recruitment, making a dramatic change in our lives).

At the end of the day, a one-off interaction on LinkedIn isn’t going to have the impact you might think. It can be frustrating, impersonal, and easy to ignore.

Plus… it’s not the best first impression, is it?

What is Cold Calling?

Put simply, cold calling is an attempt to make an unsolicited visit, phone call, or another form of communication to someone in an attempt to sell goods or services.

What is Warm Calling?

On the other hand, warm calling is when you only interact and make contact with leads who have already expressed interest in your product.

Applying “Warm Calling” Marketing in Recruitment

You should use these principles in your talent attraction strategy. Why?

Well, as someone that is responsible for identifying prospective candidates and encouraging them to send a job application, you can’t just “spray and pray”.

Even if you spend time researching and qualifying leads that have exactly the right skills and qualifications you want, you have to accept that they:

1. Might not be interested in what you have to say.
2. Could be perfectly happy in their current role at their job.
3. Just aren’t in a situation to take any element of risk.

Therefore, in order to successfully fill gaps within your company, you have to be smart with your approach. Start to target “hot leads” (people in your industry looking for jobs), or warm up leads yourself.

How to Warm Up Leads for Successful Recruitment

A well-developed recruitment strategy would be designed to slowly build a relationship with your ideal employees over time.

Then, when you have an open job position, you’d be able to share the opportunity with your “warm leads” and encourage them to apply.

As they’ll have heard of your brand and interacted with you before, they’ll be more likely to take your offer seriously – giving you the chance to generate high-quality applications for your company.

This can be done in multiple ways.

1. Employee Referral Schemes

When you have an urgent gap to fill, you might benefit from asking your employees to do the lead warm-up for you.

When your teams reconnect with their network and speak to old industry friends, you might find yourself with a list of perfect candidates looking for work.

2. Create Targeted “Employer Brand” Content

To reach industry professionals, you can publish insightful and creative articles, emails, and social media posts that build traffic.

Filter in information about working at your organisation, feature interviews with your employees, and provide sneak peeks into office life; voila!

Before you know it, you’ll have warmed up a lead for the future.

3. Work with Specialist Industry Recruiters

Instead of spending weeks networking with potential candidates, consider onboarding a specialist recruiter… they’ll already have warm and hot leads eager for job opportunities.

You’ll be able to benefit from their:

1. Years of experience.
2. Expert knowledge.
3. Relationships with talent.

Recruit with Ross Clifford & Associates

If you need to efficiently fill gaps within your organisation, the experts at Ross Clifford & Associates can help.

We recruit for various job positions across the creative, marketing, technology, and digital environments and are confident we can find the perfect fit for your business. Contact us today.