Why We Are Big on Booked Candidate Calls

Why We Are Big on Booked Candidate Calls

At We Are Revolution, we are big believers in booked candidate calls.

Every recruiter in our business has a Calendly account.

In fact, a huge amount of our success comes from booked candidate conversations.

Most of our placements start with a scheduled call.

Most of our strongest candidate relationships start with a scheduled call.

Most of our best opportunities begin with a scheduled call.

Because of that, we have built a large part of our recruitment process around generating them.

The Truth About Booked Calls

If I'm being completely honest, there are parts of booked calls that I dislike.

Imagine identifying a fantastic candidate.

You know they are highly placeable.

You know there is demand for their skillset.

You know they could potentially be hired by multiple clients.

And then the call is booked three days from now.

For the next three days, there is every chance another recruiter is calling them.

Another recruiter is messaging them.

Another recruiter is building a relationship before you get the opportunity.

That can be frustrating.

Any recruiter who has worked in a competitive market will understand exactly what I mean.

Sometimes you just want to speak to the candidate immediately.

Why We Still Love Them

Despite that frustration, booked calls work.

The data is very clear.

Many of our placements come directly from candidate conversations that were booked in advance.

The quality of those conversations is often higher.

The candidate has committed time.

They are expecting the conversation.

They are prepared for the discussion.

And as a result, recruiters are often able to have deeper and more meaningful conversations.

Rather than rushing through a five-minute call, they can spend time understanding:

• Career goals

• Motivations

• Market position

• Compensation expectations

• Preferred opportunities

• Long-term plans

That information is incredibly valuable.

Creating Structure

One of the biggest advantages of booked calls is the structure they create.

Recruitment can be chaotic.

Candidates are busy.

Clients are busy.

Recruiters are busy.

Without structure, important conversations can easily be delayed or forgotten.

Calendly allows us to create certainty.

A time is agreed.

The meeting is scheduled.

The recruiter prepares.

The candidate prepares.

The conversation happens.

That sounds simple, but consistency is often built on simple things done well.

Measuring What Matters

We target our recruiters on booked candidate calls.

Specifically, we aim for 20 booked candidate calls per recruiter per week.

Importantly, we have a strict definition.

A booked call is not:

• A verbal agreement

• A WhatsApp message

• An email saying "let's speak next week"

A booked call is a meeting that has actually been scheduled and appears in Calendly.

We do this because clarity matters.

If something is worth measuring, it should be measured consistently.

Recruitment Is Still a Calling Business

Of course, booked calls are only part of the picture.

We remain incredibly proactive.

Every day includes dedicated calling sessions.

Recruiters spend significant amounts of time speaking directly to candidates.

We track call activity.

We monitor phone time.

We encourage proactive outreach.

Technology is useful.

Automation is useful.

Messaging is useful.

But recruitment remains a people business.

And conversations still matter.

The Common Pattern We See

Over time, one trend appears again and again.

Our best recruiters are usually the recruiters making the most calls.

Not always.

But usually.

They speak to more people.

They create more opportunities.

They build more relationships.

They uncover more information.

And ultimately, they generate more placements.

There is no magic formula.

The best recruiters tend to combine high activity with high quality.

Booked calls help create quality.

Calling activity helps create volume.

Together, they become incredibly powerful.

Final Thoughts

Booked candidate calls are not the only metric that matters in recruitment.

But they are one of the most important.

They create structure.

They create accountability.

They create meaningful conversations.

And meaningful conversations create placements.

While I will probably always dislike waiting three days to speak to a brilliant candidate, the reality is simple:

Booked calls work.

Most of our placements start with one.

That is why every recruiter in our business has Calendly.

That is why we target booked calls.

And that is why they remain such an important part of how we operate at We Are Revolution.