How do I open a cold call as a recruiter?

You have ten seconds to earn a prospect's attention. Say three things in those ten seconds: who you are, why you call, and an open question. Then stop talking.

The structure

Who you are (two seconds). First name, last name, company. Done.

Why you call (five seconds). A relevant trigger. Not what you do, but why it matters to them right now. "I see you have two senior developer roles that have been open for eight weeks."

Open question (three seconds). "How are you handling that now?" Stop. Silence.

A long story gives the prospect time to say no. A short, relevant opener gives them a reason to say yes. The open question shifts the conversation to their side. They talk, you listen. That is the start of the real conversation.

Worked example

You call the engineering manager of a SaaS company in Eindhoven that raised a Series A in June. Two medior developer roles have been open for nine weeks. The opener: "Hi Sander, this is Lisa de Vries from Bureau Noord. I saw you raised funding this summer and that two developer roles have been open for nine weeks. How are you tackling that?" Nine seconds. Sander answers with the actual bottleneck: their own job posts pull juniors, not mediors. You are in a conversation, not a pitch. Book the follow-up before you hang up.

What not to do

• "Is this a good time?" You hand them an exit.
• Starting with a generic description of your agency. That is not a trigger, that is a pitch.
• Asking a closed question. "Do you have open roles?" gives yes or no, not a conversation.
• Talking more than 15 seconds before your first question. You lose their attention.