I find it odd that many recruiters seem to be inspired by the film Boiler Room.

I’ve even read articles saying it has been a catalyst for entire sourcing strategies.

Have you seen it?

Spoilers: it’s a film about conmen and the mass screwing over of little people.

What does that have to do with recruitment?

It’s probably more the image of muscly bros charismatically making deals on the phone, than shady dealings.

Or lines like -

“And there is no such thing as a no-sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can't. Either way, a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close?”

I think that needs to be in a Vin Diesel voice for maximum impact.

Yes, I know it was a line spoken by Ben Affleck, but Mark Sinclair really knows how to nail a three-worder.

I am Groot.

Woo, yeah! Who wants a chest bump?

While conning and screwing over the little people.

Or maybe it’s the line “Always be closing” – close at every opportunity.

It makes sense from a candidate's perspective.

Gain their commitment at every stage: first phone call, interviews, offer, all those touchpoints.

Honestly, you should watch Boiler Room.

It’s distinctly average and not a pinch on Glengarry Glenn Ross, which Boiler Room even credits, a masterpiece of US cinema, and also on salespeople screwing each other over.

Or The Wolf of Wall Street, about… uh.

It’s not a great track record for salespeople on the big screen, so why are they so glamorous?

Maybe because it’s for the promise of success and the perception of control.

Gain commitment, control the process, and secure the deal.

In an environment like recruitment where, unlike boxes or shares, the product can change its mind, that must seem appealing.

I wonder how many candidate drop-outs, ghosts, counteroffers and various other disappointments your average Always Be Closing recruiter suffers from?

Going by the density of posts on LinkedIn it seems quite the problem.

To be fair, they’re probably million-dollar recruiters, and the people they place may be happy enough.

How about the people they don’t place?

And indeed, could one of those people have been a better placement?

I don’t know about you but if someone tries to close me too hard, it raises my hackles.

I imagine it’s sometimes easier to say yes, and buy yourself time to breathe than argue your doubts.

And if you’re worried you might make the opposite decision to what an Always Be Closing recruiter wants, isn’t it just simpler to ghost, drop out by text, or something else it’s easy to complain about?

After all, it’s not like any trust has been sold, when the conversation primarily serves a recruiter’s needs and how a candidate’s might intersect.

Let’s not forget all the problems caused by closing – compromised experiences, rushed decisions, prioritising close over qualification, decreased employer brand, a missed opportunity for relationship building with candidates who might be better for the next role.

If not Always Be Closing, then what?

How about building a relationship and the trust that ensues, working to the candidate’s needs (the ones they sometimes confuse with their wants), and giving the complete information required to make an objective decision?

It’s not so snappy, true.

With trust, it’s easier to voice a concern because you’re in a safe space.

Sometimes those concerns are insurmountable, and withdrawing is the right decision.

Sometimes those concerns aren’t warranted, and with trust comes the opportunity to discuss why that might be, enabling a better decision.

Rather than repeat myself on the benefits or how this can be done systematically, read back through my emails on Candidate Experience, Branding, SEO and Conversion Rate Optimisation (https://gregwyatt.substack.com/archive).

Inherently these emails are about closing, but not a recruiter’s closing.

They’re about enabling candidates to close themselves at the right time and, when needed, for recruiters to facilitate that decision.

Either with a no, or a yes.

If you want a pithy line to high five with, try “aim for no” because if you do that well, then the yeses that are left will be yes for the right reason.

Or you could try “always be opening”, as in opening the door to the right next step in the process, even if that step is withdrawing for the right reason.

Always be closing?

No thanks.