Working as a recruiter isn’t easy but when you do it great - the stakes and rewards are high. Seeing your dedicated work help your client’s business to scale up, and hearing the excitement in your candidate’s voice when you give them the job offer news, make you tick as a recruiter and motivate you to work harder.
It’s your job to get the best talent through the door for your clients. However, when you’re recruiting the best of the best, you also need to be the best of the best.
Of course, becoming a great recruiter takes skill, a lot of practice, and great initiative. But there are a number of habits and traits that you can adopt to help you climb the ladder of success. Which of the following can you put a health tick by, and which need a bit of work?
Keep On Top Of Your Calendar When it comes to recruiting - ORGANISATION is key. When managing several open positions at once you need to be able to multi-task to keep all positions, details, candidates, and clients organised. A good tip is to make daily to-do lists on your calendar and tick off tasks as you complete them. Is this part of your daily activity or do you fly by the seat of your pants and react?
LISTEN This one is simple but effective. Every recruiter should take note of all the details of the position as this will lead you to the best-matched candidate. A successful recruiter needs to also listen to the candidate and their needs when prospecting. Listening to all the finer details will ultimately lead you to make the best match for the role possible. Have you got your listening ears on at all times, or do you zone out when your candidates or clients start talking?
Compelling Customer Service A successful recruiter understands exactly what customer service means and the importance of it in the industry. Strong customer service skills incorporate various qualities - good communication, being detail- orientated, timely feedback, honesty, and all the other points listed in this blog. At the end of the day you are providing a service to your candidate and clients, the better your qualities, the more success it will bring you. Are you a customer service superstar?
Keep Track Of Your Key Metrics Identifying the results of your efforts each day is the best way for you to improve your way of working. By reviewing even just top-level metrics, you can break down which recruiting tactics are working for you and which not so well. Then you can readjust your strategy to help maximise your performance. The first step is to know what you are measuring before you undertake how to measure it. How does your inner statistician measure up?
Get Yourself On Different Social Channels Social media is a great way to build a brand and attract talent from a wider pool of people. Remember having a strong brand is key in an age where you are up against many different agencies. Your brand wants to be a consistent voice for your clients and candidates to rely on and go to for relevant and educational information. On the other hand, it also allows recruiters to extend the reach of their job vacancies and proactively source candidates of suitability. Have you witnessed social media examples of good and bad practice?
Continue To Prospect New Talent This is a must for any successful recruiter. If you are not prospecting, you are not finding new talent. You should always be working on building your candidate database as this will ultimately give you more success when finding that perfect candidate for a job role. Tactics to swell your candidate-base are wide and varied, keep an eye on industry blogs and hone your skills.
Turn those notifications OFF The dreaded ‘buzz’ of an email notification is a constant reminder for recruiters of how busy they are, but if this is causing distractions to your other daily tasks turn them off. With candidates emailing or messaging you with questions and updates, it can be difficult to get anything done. To stay productive - create a schedule where you check your notifications at specific times each day; giving you the chance to complete tasks fully. Don’t let your tech frazzle your mind by controlling you, share your thoughts below if you have any proven techniques to share.
To conclude, there is a difference between being a ‘good’ or a ‘great’ recruiter.
A good recruiter is able to find a qualified candidate to place in a job role. Versus, a great recruiter who goes that extra mile to approach, and find the best talent, understand their client’s exact needs, and manage their time effectively. Which are you?
Many Thanks, Accord