This is how to step up your networking game with Tonya Leadman

• In the ever-evolving world of recruiting, networking and candidate experience have become pivotal elements of success. Tanya Ledman, an experienced recruiter, recently shared her invaluable insights on these topics in a thought-provoking podcast episode. Let’s delve into the key takeaways from her conversation, focusing on the importance of proactive job seeking, meaningful connections, and the essence of authenticity and empathy in the recruiting process.

  Be Proactive in Job Seeking

  One of the foremost pieces of advice Tanya offers is the importance of being proactive in your job search. In a competitive job market, waiting for opportunities to come to you isn’t enough. Instead, job seekers should actively pursue opportunities, research potential employers, and reach out to industry professionals. Proactive job seeking allows candidates to uncover hidden opportunities and demonstrate their enthusiasm and initiative to potential employers.

  Leveraging Networking for a Competitive Edge

  Networking is not just about expanding your contact list; it’s about building genuine relationships that can provide long-term benefits. Tanya emphasizes the importance of leveraging networking to gain a competitive edge. This involves identifying and targeting the right people who can influence your career positively. By attending industry events, participating in professional groups, and utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn, job seekers can build a robust network that supports their career goals.

  Building Meaningful Connections

  Tanya highlights that meaningful connections are the cornerstone of effective networking. This means going beyond generic LinkedIn requests and impersonal emails. Personalize your approach when reaching out to potential contacts, showing genuine interest in their work and offering value in your interactions. Regular follow-ups and maintaining relationships over time can turn initial connections into mutually beneficial professional relationships.

  The Power of Communication, Transparency, and Respect

  Creating a positive candidate experience is crucial for both job seekers and recruiters. Tanya underscores the importance of communication, transparency, and respect throughout the recruitment process. Clear and honest communication helps set expectations and builds trust. Transparency about the hiring process and constructive feedback can significantly enhance the candidate experience. Respecting candidates’ time and efforts fosters a positive reputation for recruiters and their organizations.

  Utilizing LinkedIn for Recruitment

  LinkedIn remains a powerful tool for recruiters to connect with potential candidates. Tanya provides tips for using LinkedIn effectively, such as crafting personalized messages, joining relevant professional groups, and actively participating in industry discussions. By engaging authentically on LinkedIn, recruiters can attract top talent and build a network of professionals who trust and respect them.

  The Value of Relationships in Recruiting

  At the heart of successful recruiting is the ability to build and maintain relationships. Tanya emphasizes that relationships should be prioritized over transactions. Whether it’s with candidates, hiring managers, or industry peers, strong relationships are built on trust, mutual respect, and a genuine interest in each other’s success. These relationships not only make the recruitment process smoother but also lead to better hiring outcomes.

  Authenticity and Empathy in the Recruiting Process

  Finally, Tanya encourages authenticity and empathy in the recruiting process. Authenticity involves being genuine in your interactions and true to your values. Empathy requires understanding and appreciating the perspectives and experiences of others. These qualities are essential for recruiters to connect meaningfully with candidates and create a positive and supportive hiring experience.

  Conclusion

  Tanya Ledman’s insights remind us that recruiting is more than just filling positions; it’s about building relationships and creating positive experiences for candidates. By being proactive, leveraging networking, and prioritizing communication, transparency, and respect, both job seekers and recruiters can navigate the job market more effectively. Embracing authenticity and empathy further enriches the recruiting process, making it a rewarding journey for everyone involved.

 

 

Transcript:

 

Mary (00:00.836)
Tanya Ledman, welcome to Recruiting Insider.

Tonya Leadman (00:04.458)
for having me, Mary. I appreciate it.

Mary (00:06.884)
For over a decade, Tanya has been a top performer in the recruiting field. She’s worn both hats, crushing it as an external agency recruiter and leading talent acquisition for a Fortune 500 company. Now she’s taking her expertise to the next level with her own executive search firm. Tanya specializes in executive searches across the food, beverage and CPG manufacturing space.

focusing on these critical leadership roles from managers all the way up to the C -suite. She’s also known for her white glove approach, building strong relationships, and achieving truly remarkable success in connecting top talent with leading organizations. Today, we will be discussing networking and the candidate experience. We’ll explore how powerful networking unlocks just a world of possibilities and how prioritizing a positive candidate experience.

candidate experience can truly transform the recruiting game. High level, what do you want job seekers to take away from your message today?

Tonya Leadman (01:11.21)
I think the biggest thing to get across is that you need to be proactive versus reactive, right? I think what job seekers don’t understand is that you have all the tools you need to be successful. You just need to learn how to really utilize them properly.

Mary (01:27.492)
So to back it up a little bit, how’d you get into recruiting and tell us one of your craziest recruiting stories?

Tonya Leadman (01:33.706)
this is one of my very favorite questions because I don’t know any other recruiter that really goes, I wanted to do this when I was in middle school, you know, like everyone else. I honestly, I fell into it and I’m from East Coast and I decided one day that I was picking up and moving to Arizona and 3 ,000 miles away and I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have a place to live. I was like, I gotta get, I just, I gotta experience the world, right? So I picked up and moved and then I fell into a position.

position there and then I’m very grateful. I’m very grateful because that kind of skyrocketed my, you know, my entire background within recruiting.

Mary (02:13.572)
and tell us one of your craziest recruiting stories that you can think of.

Tonya Leadman (02:18.218)
start with the ones from Arizona because those are my most funny but I actually I had a candidate I was an on -site senior manager so I worked at one of my clients for the recruiting side of that and I’d have to check in on my about six to eight hundred associates that I managed and my funniest stories were I had a candidate that was late to one of my interviews and when I called them I said hey you know Bob why were you late and he goes well listen I was nervous I was hungry

and I stopped for a hot dog. I was like…

Mary (02:49.924)
Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (02:52.682)
That’s interesting. And then the other one was I had a candidate and I called and said, hey, you’re not at work. Where are you? And she goes, listen, it was in January in Arizona. And she goes, there is frost all over my car and I can’t drive. And I said, honey, I’m from the East Coast. You got to blast that heat and get to work.

Mary (02:53.412)
I’m sorry.

Mary (03:11.364)
man, I am from the Midwest. So, you know, there’s a foot of snow and 12 foot drifts. We were still, you know, going to work, going to school.

Tonya Leadman (03:20.018)
Not Arizona, if it rains they don’t know how to drive out there. And I know, don’t get me wrong, but that was my funniest ones.

Mary (03:24.772)
Yeah.

 

 

Mary (03:55.78)
Let’s start with the candidate perspective. How can job seekers leverage networking to gain a competitive edge in today’s job market?

Tonya Leadman (04:10.538)
Yeah, it’s a great question. I think that networking is really underutilized, right? They find that it takes a lot of time. And in this kind of society, we want a microwave experience, right? We want to push a button and we want to have it done. And networking is not that way. So, you know, the biggest thing is a lot of them are uncomfortable. Same as I think COVID changed a lot of that. We do a lot of video calls now and I think that helped ease that. But, you know, especially

for introverts. It’s very hard to get on a call that you don’t know anyone and do a face -to -face interaction. But they think it’s a means to an end, like finding a job or getting a sale, right? They think they’re gonna do it once and they’re gonna be done, but that’s underutilized and often overlooked because it stops there and then you don’t gain the rest of the benefits going forward.

Mary (05:03.428)
So are there any specific strategies for building meaningful connections? So it’s not just that microwave quick burn, it’s more of the oven, you’re putting it in for that 15 hour networking event.

Tonya Leadman (05:14.698)
Yeah. Yeah.

You know, it’s about clear strategies and that’s often where networking kind of gets pushed to the side because they do it once and then they expect results and it doesn’t happen. So it’s setting up the strategy behind, I’m going to reach out to this person, I’m going to do a warm connection, I’m going to introduce myself and I’m not going to bug them, but I’m just going to touch base with them. And it’s coming back around in three months and saying, hey, you know, we connected in May. I’d love to have an opportunity to just get to know you a little bit more if there’s opportunities at your company.

I’d love to be considered and then following up with those and then the biggest portion Mary I think that people forget about is when they have a network They don’t utilize those connections to leverage other opportunities, right? So Mary might be connected to Sue and Sue knows Mark and that’s how you say hey Mark I know Sue let me get you connected and going forward So it’s really making sure that you have that plan, you know put into place and have a strategy and then following up with those

strategies.

Mary (06:19.524)
Absolutely. It’s the first degree connection, the second degree connection, the third degree connection. You never know what might lead to that next opportunity. So for our listeners, let me start that over. How can our listeners really strategically target their network to connect them with the right people who might help them find that next opportunity?

Tonya Leadman (06:29.866)
Absolutely.

Tonya Leadman (06:46.186)
This is one that I go back and forth because I feel bad sometimes putting all my eggs in one basket, but LinkedIn is where I find 86 % of my placements. And I’m talking from manager to C -suite level, right? So LinkedIn is a tool of knowledge. There is so many tips and tricks. There is back end optimizations that I do within my company for career searchers and leveraging those to set up strategic. I like these.

10, 15 companies on my target list. And there is ways on LinkedIn that you can go and set up alerts, set up for jobs within certain areas. And then when you’re connecting, LinkedIn is really good about most of the time saying this is this person’s connect to this person. And then just reaching out and making warm connections. A lot of the time job seekers marry what they do. And they come to me and say, I reached out to 20 people last week. They sent a simple connect request, right? And then that’s it.

I mean, personalize it. You don’t know how many times I get people that say, hey, Tanya, I love what you’re putting out on LinkedIn. I’d love to be connected. We’re in the same space. They’re not selling anything. They’re not telling me that they have to buy something from it. It’s just a very warm connection. And I think that’s one of the most missed aspects of building those relationships.

Mary (08:07.3)
I totally agree. I think there’s a huge difference between just hitting that connection request and personalizing it too. And networking, you know, to me, it isn’t just about who you know, but it’s also about how you build those relationships. And that’s kind of the start of that relationship in a sense. So could you maybe give us some examples or some tips for creating those genuine connections?

Tonya Leadman (08:14.174)
Yes, yes.

Tonya Leadman (08:29.61)
Right.

Mary (08:37.028)
you know, with potential employers or other connections.

Tonya Leadman (08:42.314)
Yeah, I think this isn’t something that if we’re having not hearing about AI by now, I think we’re living under a rock, right? And that’s something that’s coming to the forefront of what everyone is doing. There is some AI tools. One, for instance, is called Humanic, Humanic AI. That will help literally just digest if I’m trying to reach out to Mary, I don’t know her.

It will literally digest saying based on your posts, based on comments, everything, what your personality is, how to approach that person. I use that a lot. I mean, I’m giving a tip away here, but I use that a lot because it’ll say, hey, Mary likes just warm introductions or, you know, Steve really likes that you are going right to the results, don’t waste his time. And it’s a really…

Mary (09:18.852)
Mm -hmm.

Tonya Leadman (09:30.186)
an awesome opportunity for you to leverage, you know, how you’re going to be making that impact by knowing that candidate or that hiring manager before they really know you.

Mary (09:42.756)
So let’s talk a little bit about networking events or online interactions even. You know, sometimes it seems to me that networking events can feel like small talk, right? So can you share some specific communication tips that go beyond what do you do, you know, and having that conversation that could really help our listeners build those genuine connections?

Tonya Leadman (09:47.626)
Mm.

Tonya Leadman (10:09.45)
Yeah, yeah, networking is often.

a question I get asked about, hey, should I go to these local events? And for me, I work national, so one in Lancaster here really isn’t gonna be as good as me going on a virtual online event or something of that nature. So the first thing I always suggest is do them. Get out of your comfort zone, go to them. Yes, before like, hi, I’m Tanya, I’m an executive recruiter. I talk a little bit about what I do, but you really have to craft that elevator pitch.

It’s important in sales and whether you think so or not, you are selling yourself, right? So you need that pitch and you know, just talking through a little bit about what you’re doing, but the focus should always be on them. So I love to make sure I can have a connection with someone and say, you know, you know, my, my, my son or my daughter. And I go, my gosh, I have a two year old, like, you know, tell me what stage you’re in. And then that’s how they’re starting to remember you. Right? So it’s finding those nuances.

and those.

opportunities to get to know someone on a personal level. At the end of the day, you know, people hate that I say this, but everyone has an expiration date at a job, right? I mean, that’s just the essence of what it’s the truth. It’s a harsh reality. But at the end of the day, you want to make that connection by who knows you and what did you they remember to call you or send you a text on your birthday because you met them three months ago and they told you that your birthday is coming up soon. So it’s just really making sure that you can find that personalized.

Tonya Leadman (11:43.052)
touch that they can remember you by.

Mary (11:47.044)
That’s great advice. You know, and I think networking can be super intimidating and I am a super introverted person and I think that a lot of people probably feel the same way. You know, so traditional networking events for me are very intimidating. So I mean, are there any alternative ways that we can really build relationships and get noticed outside of those types of networking events?

Tonya Leadman (12:13.098)
Yeah, I mean the the biggest thing too with this I mentioned before but this post -COVID world has opened up opportunities for us to truly connect over not just the phone but video, right? So I talk about this a lot on LinkedIn as well that I have a link on my LinkedIn that says book a time a 15 -minute slot to get to know me. How can I help you? What can I do to support you? And that’s a great way for candidates that are saying, hey,

I just would love 10 to 15 minutes of your time. Could we do a quick connection and get to know a little bit more about your position in the company and why it’s such a fun fit for you or why you would want someone to…

brand awareness, right, to go to your company and want to work at that place. And so for me, I always suggest, like, you know, you don’t have to do the video. There’s a call set up too, you know, but really making that effort to get to know someone face to face or over the phone if you’re able to, and just really make sure that you can have that FaceTime connection.

Mary (13:20.068)
So pivoting to the candidate experience, it can really make or break an organization’s reputation, it seems. So what are some steps that companies could take to really ensure that positive and super engaging experience, really from the initial contact through the final decision?

Tonya Leadman (13:29.61)
Absolutely. Yes.

Tonya Leadman (13:42.858)
that.

This is really passionate about networking and candidate experience, if you can’t tell, but to have a positive candidate experience, it hinges on three things. So it’s gonna be communication, transparency, and respect. That goes both ways, and oftentimes, I think, not subconsciously, not consciously, but subconsciously, clients will say, well, I need this from the candidate, but you have to remember that if they’re respecting your time, you have to respect theirs too, right? So I think it’s about keeping the candidates informed.

Mary (13:48.26)
Okay.

Tonya Leadman (14:13.5)
throughout the process. Communication, I’m maybe sometimes an over communicator to the point of I’d rather not have someone sit and not think I forgot about them. But being clear about what they can expect through the process. One thing, Mary, I’m very adamant about with my clients, whether it’s a new search or it’s a reoccurring client that I have, is when I start that intake call that, hey, they have a director role, and I go into that call to learn more about it, it is an intense hour.

conversation, I want to know every detail because I can’t be successful unless I’m an extension of your company, right? So the biggest thing that’s often overlooked in my opinion in the executive space is that I want to know, and I kind of make it a mandatory point that needs to be done, is I want to know about the candidate’s process and timeline.

I want you to talk about it before we get into this. I want to tell a candidate on my first interaction, hey listen, there’s four steps. The first is a phone call, a video, final is the on -site, and then there’s one after for a follow -up or a test or assessment or whatever that nature is. So respecting that I can tell them, you know, this is hopefully looking like it’s going to be about a five -week process, a two -month process, gives the clients and candidates that space and time to appreciate that this is what

what you’re investing in in the long term. So it really boosts our reputation as recruiters, but it’s helping that brand awareness for your company saying they have their stuff together, right? They know what they’re doing before we even start.

Mary (15:49.508)
I love this. And that’s an underlying theme that I’ve uncovered from a lot of recruiters that I’ve spoken with lately, the importance of transparency and communication. And I love that you’ve added that extra layer of respect to, and also mentioning that it goes both ways too. It’s not just you, you know, from the employer side, it’s also the candidate making sure that they’re communicating effectively as well. You know, spoken. Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (16:16.426)
Yeah, so I was just going to add, you know, a big thing of that is that…

when they’re hiring a recruiter and I’m an extension of their company, I’m also, I’m an consultant, right? I mean, at the end of the day, that’s what we are. Recruiters are consultants and a good consultant, a good recruiter challenges respectfully and may have to challenge that client or that candidate and say, hey, wait a minute. But oftentimes I’ve had to go to my clients and say, listen, this is what you said and you’re prolonging this three weeks. These are the things that are going to happen from this. Are you okay with that or can we pivot? So it’s having,

that recruiter and interaction to not only say I know what the candidate needs and I know what you need but this is how to be successful in this and this is what I need in this process.

Mary (17:04.324)
It’s kind of a fine line that you’re toeing, advocating both on the behalf of the client and on behalf of what is your, the employer that you’re working with, or the candidate and the employer, I should say.

Tonya Leadman (17:16.874)
Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (17:20.394)
Right, right, yeah, absolutely.

Mary (17:23.556)
You know, and I’ve spoken with a lot of people who really had an awful experience at, you know, any, you know, XYZ particular company. And I mean, honestly, it typically seems to start with onboarding and training. So could you help our listeners understand specifically, you know, what they should look out for either as a red flag or even potentially a green flag as they move through both the interviewing and the onboarding process?

Tonya Leadman (17:50.73)
Yeah, so a lot of the times, you know, if you’re not working with an external agency, if they didn’t hire, they’re going to have an internal team. And again, I know both sides of this, so I feel like I have an advantage there. You know, a big red flag is ghosting. I mean, a good recruiter, whether they’re an inside internal or an outside agency recruiter, should not be ghosting you. If you’re ghosting that candidate or as a candidate, you have not heard back, you’re following up.

I mean, honestly, that should be a number one red flag to like, this is not the company or the process that I want to work with because unfortunately, I’ll spill some tea here sometimes as the internal recruiter and I may get some hate for this, but you know, they’re, you’re a number.

You know, we have hundreds of people that are going through the process. And if we talk to you once and we don’t hear from you again, maybe we’re trying to put you on hold. And I really hate to say that that happens, but it does. And if you’re not hearing back after that, sometimes with a, with an internal site, it does take a week or two to hear back. I don’t love it. I’m not advocating for that, but it does happen. But as long as you’re getting that communication. So red flag is move on from there. I mean, if you’ve had an initial.

conversation you’re not hearing back, don’t stop your search and don’t stop what you’re doing because you really like that company and you want to wait for them. I will tell people all the time. I know my internal…

agency boss probably didn’t love that I said this to candidates, but even internally they say, hey Tanya, should I take that call? Like I’m in first steps or second steps with a company, but someone else reached out to me and I say, yeah, absolutely. I would tell you Mary to do it. I would tell my boss to do it. You know, you need to be, that knows your market value. That helps to say, hey, this is, I’m in demand and I have other things that are.

Tonya Leadman (19:44.81)
you know, going for me. So I would say, yeah, the red flag ghosting, if you’re having other people reach out, green flag, you keep going and you step through that process.

Mary (19:55.78)
Yeah. And it’s, I think it’s interesting, you know, that you mentioned as an internal recruiter, sometimes it just seems like these candidates are a number and, you know, it’s hard not to, especially in today’s market where, you know, there may be 500 people applying to one position, one job. So, I mean, how can companies improve that communication with candidates throughout the entire process, even, you know, if ultimately they aren’t selected for the role?

Tonya Leadman (20:13.514)
Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (20:25.834)
You know, ATS or applicant tracking system, so when a candidate’s applying to a job, that’s usually nine times out of 10 what they’re going into. And listen, it’s technology, right? And we all fail sometimes. And to your .500, I had…

I posted a job when I was an internal and I think in three days I had 900 people apply to that job. So I mean, that’s really a lot of that’s on the company. I hear all the time from job seekers like how can I stand out? I applied and I’m waiting. Your resume is A, big important, I know that you do this as well. Your resume should be in a good format that is highlighting your quantifiable data, your accomplishments, why someone chooses to be with you.

But that’s only the first I only look at that and I only see that through a resume, right? So I would advocate for candidates that know that they meet that criteria. Man, I’m excited. I love this company. Find that recruiter most of the times. Most of the times it’s on there guys. You search for it and I would send a personalized message saying, hey, I know that you probably got a whole bunch of candidates that applied, but my name is Bob Smith. I’m very interested in this role and I applied with these three things A, B, and C about why I’m

my fit, but I will tell you nine times out of the 10, I do not get even internally, I do not get candidates that follow up with me. They just assume that they’re in their ATS system and you’re going to get overlooked. So I would take that extra step. I’m not going to guarantee Mary that everyone is going to reply to that. I try really hard. I mean, I white glove it. That’s what a boutique firm does. Like I try really hard to get back to candidates, whether they’re a fit or not, but you will stand out more if you do it.

you

Mary (22:10.084)
Absolutely. You know, and I think, I think that’s great. And I wish that more recruiters were able to do that, but I think, you know, it’s the unfortunate reality is that they have hundreds of emails and LinkedIn messages and they just aren’t able to get to every single one. You know, many job seekers, I think that they get so frustrated because they spent

Tonya Leadman (22:26.858)
I do.

Mary (22:37.412)
hours on their application materials, right? Writing their resume, writing a cover letter. They go through maybe one or two rounds of really strenuous interviews and then they’re not selected. And, you know, sometimes they’re not even given a reason why. And so for listeners and so for our listeners in this situation, I’m curious, what are some ways that they could approach that employer or that recruiter and ask for feedback?

Tonya Leadman (22:53.162)
Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (23:06.314)
That’s it.

That starts with the recruiter first off. I mean that recruiter like should be setting up with the client and saying this is what I expect from you if you’re hiring me, you know, the candidate. I get a lot of questions. I’m sure a lot of people know this, but for those who don’t or are new to the recruiting aspect, you know, you as a candidate don’t pay us, right? I mean it’s the client that pays us. So if they’re paying us and they’re spending good money to do so, you know, I should have that expectation as a recruiter set up front and say I want feedback within 24 hours. Do we always get it?

same as you said no, but I believe that candidates, if they’re working with a recruiter, should be nudging them to say, could you please get me any constructive criticism, constructive feedback that helps me move forward, and then follow up with a hiring manager. It’s a 50 -50 for me. Some clients will be very upfront about the candidates having their email and sending a follow -up thank you. So people do that, right? It’s often overlooked. They don’t do thanks.

Thank you. Why not? After a month.

How about you guys follow up and say, hey Kate, I really enjoyed at ABC Company. I hope that you found your person. If not, I would always love to entertain another opportunity within your company. But not a lot of times do people follow up after. You don’t know if they fell through. If someone didn’t accept that role, if it was a relocation and they couldn’t move, you are missing out on opportunities. And that goes back to what we talk about with networking and making sure that you have processes in place to follow up properly.

Mary (24:39.588)
Thank you note is the least that you should be doing as a job speaker. It’s the least, you know, and I’ve actually seen recruiters post on LinkedIn where they recommend, maybe you could even give them a little gift, you know, or do something to go out of your way. And that’ll really help you stand out. I mean, and it doesn’t, it’s not like, you know, you need to spend a hundred dollars on giving them a gift, but maybe you get them a $5 gift card for coffee.

Tonya Leadman (24:41.738)
At least. Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (25:05.802)
Yeah.

Mary (25:06.66)
and they’ll be way more likely to remember you and be willing to go out of their way, you know, to help you in the future as well.

Tonya Leadman (25:15.018)
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.

Mary (25:17.7)
So going back to LinkedIn just a little bit, I mean, from the employer side, how can recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to connect with potential candidates?

Tonya Leadman (25:22.73)
Thank you.

Tonya Leadman (25:28.842)
Yeah.

This is a fun one because a lot of the times, you know, I see candidates on there all the time, right? I have no problem getting a hold of candidates. I have a problem sometimes, and I’m sure other recruiters feel this too, about getting in touch with those hiring managers. And so how do you get them in touch? And again, that goes back to being active. You know, LinkedIn is a social media platform, right? I mean, at the end of the day, whether you like social media, and I don’t typically, but I’m on it all the time with LinkedIn. That’s probably the one that I use, but it’s algorithm -based.

So the same thing if we’re doing it reverse wise, you know, and I do this for my career services and revamping, you know, resume or excuse me, I revamped candidates, LinkedIn’s to open up algorithms, to open up opportunities for them. The same thing goes for the hiring manager. If you’re not, are you okay? I think I lost you.

Mary (26:19.68)
I’m here now. Yep. Sorry. My just connected to my husband’s headphones upstairs. Okay, we’re back in the game. I was like, no. Yeah.

Tonya Leadman (26:28.234)
just you a lot. You’re good.

I was like, I think I lost her, because I don’t. Man, hold on. Where did I pick back up at? Let’s start it. Yeah, so I’ll start here. So yeah, for the LinkedIn, it goes both ways, right? So same for candidates doing that and networking. The client side has to as well. There is opportunities with corporate LinkedIn recruiting. What’s the word I want?

Shoot Mary, the LinkedIn you pay for it, subscription, wolf. License, that’s it, license. Don’t put that on the podcast, okay.

Mary (27:06.5)
the recruiter, the, yeah.

Mary (27:13.156)
it’s gone.

Tonya Leadman (27:16.618)
So it’s the same for, you know, a lot of the time for corporate, they’ll have corporate licenses that are very expensive that candidates aren’t going to have. So that opens up that pool for them and they’re able to not do as much of the networking from a married Atanya, but from a married to a Ledman and associates kind of thing. So they have those opportunities there to have those licenses open that up and almost all.

corporate positions I’ve ever worked with have those licenses and they’ll open up different pools for the candidate side. But again, the candidate needs to be active, right? So that’s where I’m going to go back to being active on LinkedIn and networking.

Mary (27:57.316)
Candidate ghosting can be super frustrating and we already briefly talked about this, but you know, what are some strategies to ensure that candidates remain engaged throughout the entire interview process even if they haven’t received a final offer yet?

Tonya Leadman (28:15.082)
And you’re saying from a recruiting side, right? Like what can we do for them? Yeah.

Mary (28:18.34)
from a recruiting side. Yep.

Tonya Leadman (28:20.842)
That’s going back to those three pillars of making sure the communication is the top pick there. So, you know, for a good recruiter, and there are a lot of bad ones that give us some bad names, and I’m so sorry for those of you who’ve kind of exonate us thinking, I can’t work with another recruiter, but there are good ones out there, guys. There really are. And a big portion of that is making sure the communication and aspect of those open lines are there. You know, we walk a very fine line as recruiters, right? We know information.

from the client, we know information from the candidate, and we have to be sensitive human resource HR wise on how we’re doing that, but the communication aspect, I won’t lie.

I won’t, I’ll be very upfront and honest about, you know, this is the process or this is what I heard. This is what I’m gathering from either end of it without making sure I don’t spill any sensitive information. But that communication of saying, hey, I’m gonna touch base with you in two weeks. And then I still set a reminder as a recruiter. And if it’s a week before I said, I reach out to…

Anastasia and say hey Anastasia it’s still one more week. Nothing has changed. I just wanted to keep you in the loop I mean taking that extra step as recruiters you have put yourself in the position of those candidates I mean we’ve all been without a job right. I mean it sucks. It’s not a fun position You are scared you are maybe have a family to support you’re worried about how you’re gonna feed your your family You know, so you need to be easing these candidates whether it’s an

Mary (29:40.58)
Thank you.

Tonya Leadman (29:53.418)
position all the way up to C -suite and the communication has to be your number one form of that honesty and respect.

Mary (30:02.212)
I love that. Empathy goes a long way. If you put yourself in their shoes, you can understand what they’re going through. That’s… Yeah, we’ve all been there. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Tonya Leadman (30:04.874)
No way.

Tonya Leadman (30:10.026)
And we’ve all been there at some time, I’m sorry, but there’s no way. We may not have been let go from a job, but we’ve been in between jobs. Most people have had multiple jobs at least, so we can put ourselves into that situation for sure.

Mary (30:24.324)
Time for a few rapid fire questions. How many emails do you get per day?

Tonya Leadman (30:25.29)
boy, all right.

Tonya Leadman (30:32.17)
25, 30, 40.

Mary (30:34.788)
What about LinkedIn messages?

Tonya Leadman (30:37.77)
like salesy people that we talk about that we don’t want to be linked in messages I will probably get you’ll be surprised that it’s probably it’s less I usually get maybe 15 to 20 I don’t I don’t get as much people don’t reach out

Mary (30:40.26)
yeah.

Mary (30:55.428)
What stands out to you during a five second resume scan?

Tonya Leadman (31:00.298)
my five second scan is I’m going to look at what company by what position that they have and if they have multiple like you’ve been promoted a lot of the times candidates will take that off and make it smaller on their resume right just so they can fit it in no no no if I see three different times that you’ve been promoted that’s going to get my attention I love that

Mary (31:22.244)
best interview tips.

Tonya Leadman (31:24.938)
It’s be authentic, be yourself. At the end of the day, don’t pretend to be more than you are, less than you are. If this is the right position for you and you want to stay there long -term, it’s gonna come to you if you are showcasing who they are hiring and who you’re gonna work for.

Mary (31:43.364)
most rewarding placement.

Tonya Leadman (31:47.242)
I would say that it was a VP that I had made a relationship with three years prior. And when I started my own company, my very first placement was a VP role. And I, you know, leaving that company, I don’t have any of my notes, right? You can’t take that with you. But I remember that genuine relationship that I built with her. And I reached out to her two years later and I said, hey, I remember that you wanted A and B in our next role. I think I had.

and she goes, Tonya, I can’t believe that you remembered that. And I said, I don’t even know how I remembered it, but you came to my head and she was my placement. Yeah.

Mary (32:25.572)
amazing. One industry secret or something that we probably don’t know about recruiters.

Tonya Leadman (32:32.906)
Ooh, an industry secret that we do not know about recruiters. Maybe this is just for me. I…

I wouldn’t say I wake up every day and I go, yes, I get to recruit today. I think sometimes people go, man, you have to love what you’re doing, but this is sales and sales can be hard. And I honestly don’t wake up and go, yes, today I get to recruit, but I do get to be like, my gosh, I get to find this person their dream job. And that’s what keeps me going, but it’s not something I wake up and I’m very, very excited to get on the phones all day.

Mary (33:09.412)
Last question, what is success like for you as a recruiter?

Tonya Leadman (33:16.33)
I think success for me as a recruiter is really going to be coming down.

to the relationships. I mean, I know that sounds so cliche that you say, you know, what’s gonna happen is gonna happen for you, or I believe that things happen for a reason, but I truly do. You know, for me, I have a faith in God that I know that something’s gonna work out whether I’m gonna place that person or not. You know, I pray and go, man, I hope you bring me the right people to the right positions. And those relationships that I build, I will say, Mary, that I…

I don’t want to be that recruiter and people have told me this. I had someone when I started my company say, you’re going to fail. And he said it right to my face. And I just started this. You’re going to fail if you don’t make a hundred cold calls a day. And, and, and as someone who just started a company and I’m the breadwinner of my family, you know, I go, that’s not what I wanted to hear. But for me, the relationships, if it’s a slow,

inclined to success because I’m building relationships and I’m not incessantly bugging a hiring manager. I saw you posted this, can we connect? And I’d rather go a slower route. I’m okay with that knowing that that’s the reason I’m going to be building those successful placements and successful opportunities with clients.

Mary (34:40.1)
I love that. Tanya, what’s next for you and where can we find you on social media?

Tonya Leadman (34:45.642)
Yeah.

Next for me is, you know, I’m just continuing to build brand and build my business up. You know, boutique firms are, there’s pros and cons. I’m not going to be for everyone, right? You know, some people want a team with 15, 20 recruiters, but you know, what’s next for me is continuing to build that up and build those relationships. And then you can find me LinkedIn. I’m very active. Mary will see that all over the place. I preach, you know, I do what I preach. And so LinkedIn, I have a company page there as well. I’m on Facebook and Instagram.

they’re not my go -to’s and then you can always find me on my company website as well, ledmanandassociates .com.

Mary (35:24.068)
Thanks for coming on.

Tonya Leadman (35:25.674)
Thanks so much for your time, Mary. I appreciate it. Good luck to you.