Recruiting prospects who eventually become hires generally possess these two characteristics:

Dissatisfaction: Their current situation is not meeting their expectations.

Hope: They’re optimistic that changing their situation would relieve their dissatisfaction and allow them to do their best work.

At the initial interview and nurturing stage of the recruiting process, a recruiter or hiring manager should spend most of their time focused on these two issues.

Asking questions that help a prospect verbalize their dissatisfaction brings their pain into focus.

Helping a prospect imagine how working in your group could solve their specific problems solidifies their hope.

If these issues are frequently addressed with the right prospect, you’ll move more quickly and reliably towards the finish line.

What should you do if your prospect is not experiencing dissatisfaction?

Move them off your warm list and focus your attention on prospects who have problems.

Don’t worry, there are lots of them.