ABC = Always Be Closing Company-conscience

Recruiting is often compared to sales and for good reason. We drive revenue through talent acquisition, develop and execute recruitment strategies based on hiring needs, build strong personal relationships with our hiring managers, peers, prospects and leads, and most importantly we find, manage, and close deals. Employment deals to be exact.

One thing I was told early on in my in-house recruiting career was to “Always Be Closing”, better known as the “ABC” of sales (see video above but be warned that explicit language is used). After all, if a recruiter can’t close then they aren’t doing their job finding and acquiring top talent for their organization. While closing candidates is imperative to recruiting, being company-conscience is just as important, even if it means not closing.

The truth is that not everyone is going to be a great fit for Storm8 and we have to be okay with that, even if it means letting a strong technical candidate go. While our requirements for our engineers are high, we cannot compromise our standards for passion and drive which are equally important. As an in-house tech recruiter in silicon valley where there is currently a war for talent, it is always difficult to let a strong technical candidate go, but if they don’t believe in the company, have only selfish ambition, lack passion, or motivation then you have to do what’s best for the organization and cut the cord. After all, the last thing you want is a Debbie Downer or a nay sayer infecting the organization with bad juju. Storm8 is a place where every individual makes a significant impact on the organization. We are working cohesively to take this company to the next level. We want people who want to help us achieve our unified goal of global dominance in the mobile social gaming market. Personal ambition is a great thing to have, but doing what’s best for the company before doing what’s best for yourself is more important.

On the flip side Storm8 isn’t always going to be a great fit for every candidate, and again we have to be okay with that. We are a start up company where things move very quickly, the level of ownership and expectation runs higher for each employee, and people are expected to hit the ground running with minimal hand holding. Not to mention we have a very flat organization without titles, our culture is very open and collaborative, and we get a lot of company wide emails showing off adorable pictures of employee dogs. This may not be the type of work environment for everyone, particularly if you dislike emails with adorable pictures of employee dogs, and once again we have to do what’s best for the organization and cut the chord. Similarly if a candidate isn’t comfortable with the culture, environment, or isn’t interested in the type of work they’d actually be doing at your company then you shouldn’t spend a great amount of time trying to convince them otherwise. Granted, some people need that extra push, but you should use your own discernment when to pull back. Here at Storm8 we are changing the way the world plays games on mobile devices, and we are completely disrupting the video game industry as we know it. It’s a fun and exciting field to be in, but it may not be for everyone. We are not selling a product afterall. We are selling an opportunity that could potentially change their lives, or at the very least impact it for several years.

Yes, recruiting is very similar to sales but it is not the same. In sales you do whatever it takes to close the deal. In recruiting (in-house) you should do whatever is best for the company, and sometimes that means you shouldn’t Always Be Closing.