The next entry is from the head of recruitment in Toronto.  He is new to the position but has been recruiting, training and hiring canvassers for the past few years as one of the top performing Door to Door supervisors.

Here is Rahim’s take on what makes a great recruit!

___________________________________________________________________
What Makes A Great Recruit?

At the present time of writing this, we’re over 50% when it comes to recruits passing their evaluation since I took over the department in March of 2010. I believe there are a series of factors as to why this is happening, and a lot of credit has to go to our trainers and supervisors for continuing upon the work that I do in bringing the right kinds of recruits in (I’d say a majority of credit goes to the actual canvassers and the rest of our staff - our recruits who are clearly passionate about the work they are doing, and the willingness of our supervisors to help them pass evaluation) If I am the spark and the catalyst at the beginning of the process, they are the explosions, and it’s their work on all side that resonates far beyond the process of the initial job call.

A recruit’s body language is what speaks to me the most - even in those who are quiet, there is a spark in the eye, and an open posture in the body. They are able to communicate on all levels, and I know I have someone of potential magic on my hands when it’s not an interview, but a dialogue.

In the initial effort, I’ve noticed that those who don’t say a word when it comes to emailing me their resume, and just send it out randomly as they would to any other job, it always ends in failure.

It is those who put in that little extra effort as to who they are, and why they want this job in particular (even if someone is using a template and just plugging in words, I can tell the difference between the two) that I will focus upon.

A recruit has to be able to deal with the improvisation of the moment. I’m unpredictable in my nature as to what I will talk about, but so is the work that we do in our face-to-face interactions, so if they are able to adapt within the process, be it in a job call or an interview, then I know I have someone of potential.

Passion doesn’t mean you have to be loud. It’s like an old-school wrestling promo. The best talkers would always be able to talk in quiet, measured tones, rather than just yell and flex their muscles. I’ve seen a few recruits come through who have all the charisma in the world, but it’s on shaky ground, because who they are is on shaky ground.

It’s those who have self-awareness, and that bit of self-assurance mixed with it, who pass evaluation. It’s those who love to speak with people, and possess that passion for the causes and the charities that we represent who pass evaluation. As our department grows stronger, and as our success rate continues to go up when it comes to our pass/fail ratio, it’s like momentum in my process is created, and we just bring in the right people.

The job call process is so thorough at this point, you pretty well see just about everyone who comes in, make it through to the next level, and the screening process has so many filters, we’re at a point right now where everyone who comes through our front door is someone who has a good shot of getting through evaluation.

A great recruit is someone who cares for something beyond themselves, or their immediate. It sounds like they mean what they say when they talk to someone, because they genuinely do.

A great recruit is focused passion, clarity of expression, and a charming smile.

It’s a pleasure to see in the here and now, so many of those with a fascinatingly beautiful character, comes through those doors. I envy our supervisors in a sense, because I’ve talked with these people so much before they start their evaluation, I realize they are the kinds of people I would have wanted to work with every single day out on turf, so clearly something in our department is going quite well (and I know it will continue to be so)

A great recruit has a strong heart, a great voice (in tone and character) It’s quite transparent (at least to me) in the process, of seeing that within others.

I would speak of that which a great recruit is not, but you could just flip every single kind of description around, and you’d have it.

If you know of someone who fits the description, and is looking for a job, I think you should tell them to come find me, because we’ve only started to grow, and the summer ahead looks absolutely wild.

Rahim