Meet Intake Master Steve Levy
A lot of people in our industry refer to him as “Uncle Steve” because he’s the kind of guy that checks in when life is chaotic, gives you a call on a random Sunday morning to tell a joke, or messages you privately to send book recommendations. He’s the kind of person who shows up for those he cares. 💛
He’s also the kind of person who will always call it like it is – a trait that makes almost every meeting with him a learning experience.
These blunt tendencies translate to better recruiting outcomes, too. Steve believes in the importance of communication and it shows. Rather than lean on tools or boolean strings to talk about sourcing, Steve focuses on places where people can communicate better for the ultimate good of the candidate and the team. This was a guiding theme of our entire conversation.
“If you try to do culture fit, I will call BS!”
“I think culture fit for almost every company is likability and manageability – it’s not actually culture”
Instead Levy pushes hiring managers to know the outcomes they want to see. His advice for recruiters? “Ask better questions.”
For example, the first intake session is ground zero for the success – for you, the candidate, and the hiring manager. The success of that meeting starts with asking the right questions. Here are the questions he recommends:
- Take the job description, turn it over, and in your own words, describe the job as a deliverable.
- What will the person be doing here that they won’t be doing there?
- Why would the very best person in this title leave this company to come to you?
By taking a problem solving approach to intake, you’ll be on the same page.
“It’s all about targets. Don’t leave an intake strategy meeting without knowing about targets.”
After that, schedule 10-15 minutes every 1-2 weeks with that manager for a live update. They will start to see the method to your manage and the things you’re looking for. The time you spend researching – the hiring manager is going to see things and say, “oh, I read this, or hear this…” and your time spent researching will go down.
If that wasn’t enough, below you’ll hear Steve share more:
