Negotiation: The Thread That Ties It All Together
Insights from LinkedIn's 2024 The Future of Recruiting Report...
The Weekly Walkaway highlights negotiation in its ‘good’, ‘bad’ and sometimes ‘downright ugly’ forms. Issue No. 96 (29th November)
Negotiation: The Thread That Ties It All Together
I was reading with interest the LinkedIn "Future of Recruiting 2024" report earlier this week and its well worth the time if you can afford it. The report makes 6 predictions:
AI Will Supercharge Recruiting: Generative AI will streamline repetitive tasks, allowing recruiters to focus on strategic, high-value activities.
Building a Skills-Based Workforce: Skills-based hiring will widen talent pools and reduce reliance on traditional credentials.
Quality of Hire Takes Priority: Metrics like performance, cultural fit, and retention will dominate how recruitment success is measured.
Agility Becomes Essential: Recruiters must quickly pivot to meet changing market and organisational needs.
Flex Work Policies Shape Recruitment: Flexible work options will significantly impact talent attraction and employer branding.
Advancing DEI Through Recruitment: Recruiters will lead diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by building inclusive talent pipelines.
Top soft skills recruiters will need
One of the many areas covered are the top soft skills recruiters will need in the future, which were ranked as follows, along with the percentage of recruiting professionals identifying these skills as essential:
Communication: 77%
Relationship-building: 72%
Adaptability: 63%
Problem-solving: 62%
Critical thinking: 61%
In an era where automation and AI are increasingly handling many of the technical and repetitive tasks, the ability to connect, collaborate, and adapt will define the role of ‘human’ recruiters in creating high-touch, personalised candidate/client experiences.
Lets be honest though, in client facing roles, these soft skills have never just been nice-to-haves; however in today’s tough labour market, more than ever, they are crucial. And not surprisingly at the heart of all of these skills lies our favoured topic of negotiation.
What is more fascinating though, is that after a quick search, the word ‘negotiation’ wasn’t called out once, in the entire report! Which is surprising considering how it underpins every soft skill highlighted.
And we all know that a well trained negotiator consistently achieves a x10 return of investment don’t we?
So whats up with that!?
Seeing as the survey was completed by professionals within the global Recruitment industry, it suggests, in my mind, one of a few things a) Negotiation as a term is either mis-understood or b) just not valued in the same way, which seems strange or perhaps more likely c)Negotiation might be seen as a "micro" skill (niche) within the broader "macro" frameworks of these skill trends.
I’m keen to hear what you think? why do you think this is…?
Lets break it down…
I thought i’d take a moment to go through these top soft skills and i’m wondering (out loud) sorry i have a habit of doing this, whether i’m answering my own question!
1. Communication (77%)
If i had a penny for every time I said;
You could change the word ‘Negotiation’ for ‘communication’ and it would mean the same thing.
I would be writing this from my private island in the Caribbean.
Negotiation is nothing without clear, compelling communication. Your ability to:
Convey value: communication shapes how proposals are framed and received.
Listen actively: The best tune into what both parties want—spoken and unspoken.
Adapt tone and delivery: Adjusting your style to suit a candidate’s hesitation or a client’s urgency is key to closing the deal.
Without strong communication, negotiation falters. After all, how can you reach an agreement if no one understands the terms?
2. Relationship-Building (72%)
Trust is the currency of negotiation, and it’s earned through meaningful relationships.
“The best recruiters must be great at building relationships and creating high-touch candidate experiences that will help them rise above the bots.”
– John Vlastelica
Credibility wins deals: Clients need to believe you’re on their side. That trust makes them more willing to compromise.
Longevity matters: Successful negotiations strengthen bonds. Today’s closed deal could lead to tomorrow’s referral or repeat business.
Setting realistic expectations: When relationships are built on honesty, tough conversations—like budget constraints or counteroffers—are easier to navigate.
In the world of MSPs and professional services, where multiple stakeholders are at the table, relationship-building isn’t just important; it’s a non-negotiable.
3. Adaptability (63%)
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that no negotiation goes exactly as planned. And the need for agility in a volatile market, is highlighted in Prediction 4 of the report.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
Mike Tyson
Adaptability keeps the conversation moving, it stops you from reaching deadlock:
Pivoting strategies: Your client changes the brief, adaptable recruiters stay on their feet.
Repackaging and customising proposals: keep the proposals coming, and you achieve this through solid pre-planning
Staying composed under pressure: Negotiation can be high-stakes, and adaptability ensures you respond to surprises with calm confidence.
In a job market that’s anything but static, adaptability keeps those wheels moving.
4. Problem-Solving (62%)
Negotiation is, at its core, the art of solving problems collaboratively, albeit sometimes in a cold hard, tough approach.
Finding common ground: Your job is to bridge the gap between what your stakeholders need and what a client can offer, the Z.O.P.A (Zone of potential agreement!)
Thinking outside the box: Can’t meet a salary demand? Propose an accelerated career path. Reluctance to relocate? Suggest phased transitions. Problem-solving makes the impossible feel possible.
Simplifying complexity: Negotiation often involves juggling multiple variables—benefits, timelines, budgets. Problem-solving means breaking down complex issues into manageable parts to ensure clarity and consensus.
When negotiation is viewed as problem-solving, every “no” becomes a pathway to “yes.”
5. Critical Thinking (61%)
The report states the need for recruiters to start evaluating talent gaps and anticipating challenges.
Great negotiators think strategically. Critical thinking drives smart decisions that lead to better outcomes;
Evaluating trade-offs: When should you push for a higher salary? When do you settle for the current budget? Critical thinking ensures you know the difference.
Anticipating roadblocks: Strategic preparation—like foreseeing objections or understanding market dynamics—gives negotiators an edge.
Tailoring approaches: Different people, different priorities. Critical thinking helps you zero in on what will resonate most.
In negotiation, the ability to think several steps ahead is what separates a well trained negotiator from those that are are winging it.
Why this all matters?
As AI transforms recruitment and soft skills take centre stage, investing in negotiation training is no longer optional—it’s the competitive edge recruiters need to stay relevant and thrive.
Negotiation may not feel like a distinct skill but rather a natural outcome of applying other soft skills. Which is perhaps why the report doesn’t call it out.
Negotiation isn’t just a skill; it’s the application of all these soft skills in action. And tying them all together, is what transforms good recruiters into great ones.
Communication shapes the conversation, relationships build trust, adaptability keeps things on track, problem-solving finds solutions, and critical thinking ensures smart decisions.
But in a tough labour market, where the world of recruitment is increasingly about nuance and added value, being trained how to negotiate isn’t just one of many skills—it’s the one that makes the others shine.
Redefining “quality of hire”
On a side note and probably a post in its own right, I was pleased to see this quote from the report, in the section speaking to the changing priorities in how talent Acquisition teams are measured
For years, TA has been focused on metrics like time-to-fill and acceptance rates. But today, leadership is asking us about the quality of our hires and how we are measuring that.”
Amy Schultz
Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Canva
Quality of hire becoming a top priority for TA teams reflects a comment made by Neil Carberry at the last REC conference earlier this year when he said :
“International leaders looking at the UK often ask me why our market is so transactional. But these are the learned behaviours of a different labour market – one that has gone forever. We need to educate both our clients and our candidates on what comes next.”
Neil Carberry
A market where the recruiter needs to increasingly move up the value chain becoming strategic partners in the workforce instead of mere one off transactions.
Either way, this makes for interesting times!
Have a great weekend
Over n out.