A recruiter by definition is a person who attracts, screens,
selects, and places qualified candidates in to jobs that match their
skills. The number of candidates that
receive job positions as a result of their placement measures their success. I would have to argue that part of what makes
a recruiter successful is their personality and how they interact with
people. Many recruiters generally don’t
intend on entering the Human Resources field; they tend to sway towards things
like sales, marketing, and communications.
For this blog post, I interviewed two recruiters that work
for different firms to gain some insight on what it means to be a recruiter and
how to succeed in the field. The first
recruiter that I interviewed is Adam C.
Adam is Vice President of the Birmingham Group in Birmingham, MI. The second recruiter that I interviewed is
Mike R. Mike is Director of Talent Acquisition and Recruitment at Five Brothers
Default Management Solutions. These two
men agree that there are specific qualifications that differentiate the good
recruiters from the great recruiters.
The hybrid of traits that are required to be a successful
salesperson, marketing professional, and communications professional have
proven to be great traits for success in Human Resource Recruiting. Recruiters
must genuinely love to be around people. Whether it is meeting new people,
interacting with people, or contacting on the phone, it’s a crucial factor in
what separates a good recruiter from a great recruiter. There are eight skills that are considered a
“must have” to be a great recruiter.
These skills include:
1.
Strong Sales Skills
2.
Ability to Cultivate and Build Relationships
3.
Hunter’s Mentality
4.
Big-Picture Thinking
5.
Strong Follow-Up Skills
6.
Listening
7.
Consultative in Nature
8.
Personable and Approachable
STRONG SALES SKILLS
Essentially recruiters are the salespeople of a
company. It is a necessary skill to
learn fast and become really good at even faster. Recruiters are the main point
of contact that ultimately persuades someone to embark on a new career. Recruiters sell on the phone upon inquiry,
sell the company in an interview, and sell them on why your company is better
that the rest. Mike R. recommends that it is important to recognize the
difference between a hard and easy sell.
“If you find yourself ‘overselling’ and pushing an opportunity, I say
back off, because you could be setting yourself up for failure!” (Mike R.) This
does one of two things:
1.
It assures that your candidate wants the job
when they continue to contact you.
2.
It could distance the applicant because they
really weren’t that interested and that it was your selling ability that was
controlling the process.
ABILITY TO CULTIVATE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are the key to success in any industry. With better relationships comes more
success. From my interviews with Mike R.
and Adam C. I’ve learned that in recruiting, trust is everything. Gaining the trust of a client sets a
recruiter up for success. It proves to the potential candidate that you are
acting in the best interest of their personal and professional lives. Mike R. says that “the more time you take to
fully understand the candidate; the better you are at facilitating the needs of
both the candidate and their potential employer. You need to be personable and approachable
because you are an extension of the recruiting effort!” (Mike R.) “By creating a more open, friendly, and
communicative relationship with candidates, the candidate experience will
increase, making the recruiter and company stand out professionally and as an
employer of choice” (Hoogvelt, 2012).
HUNTER’S MENTALITY
At first glance, this seems like a silly saying, but it’s
detrimental to successful recruitment.
Mike R. says that it’s important to have the ambition and motivation to
do self-checks from time to time. This
enables recruiters to determine whether of not they’re doing everything they
can to be successful, because if you don’t find the perfect candidate, someone
else will. This is where the “hunter’s mentality” comes in. “Recruiting is a numbers game- the more
contacts you make, the more yes’ you will hear.” (Mike R.)
BIG-PICTURE THINKING
Recruiters know from a resume if a candidate has the
qualifications to succeed in a position. Big Picture Thinking is individual to
each recruiter. Mike R. has a couple of
questions that come to mind when it comes to Big Picture Thinking.
1.
Are you acting in the best interest of all
parties involved?
2.
Have you considered wants vs. needs?
3.
Does the company culture/vision/pay align with
what the potential candidate wants?
4.
Is this a fit for the now or long term?
5.
And after every recruiting effort he asks, “Is
there something I could have done differently to have been more successful?
This is such an important question
to ask yourself throughout the recruiting process. Recruiters should strive for continuous
improvement.
STRONG FOLLOW-UP SKILLS
Another word for strong follow up skills is
organization. Regardless of being in
corporate recruiting or staffing, a well thought out plan and strategy is key
for recruiting organization. Mike R.
urges recruiters to schedule the time to take notes and use necessary tools and
technology to aid your efforts. You can use
excel spreadsheets or the best HRIS in the game- something is better than nothing. Clients have invested a lot of time into the
recruiting effort too, so it is important to reciprocate.
LISTENING
Listening is key for a recruiter because there is only so
much you can learn about a client from a resume. The key is asking open- ended questions in
order to learn more about the candidate.
Listening to their responses to your questions allows for you to develop
a new set of strategic questions to ask and learn more. Using the STAR method of interviewing is a
great way to learn about experiences because it forces the candidate to really
discuss details about their experience and skills.
CONSULTATIVE IN NATURE
This goes back to the issue of trust. Again, it is so important for a recruiter to
establish a trustworthy relationship with their clients. This allows for more
open communication and ability to figure out where the best fit might be. “A good recruiter will act as a trusted
advisor for their clients, and in return, clients will respect and act on given
advice” (Hoogvelt, 2012).
PERSONABLE AND APPROACHABLE
Adam C. believes that every one of these skills is very important
qualities needed to be a successful recruiter.
If he were to rank them in order of importance they would be as follows:
1. Hunter’s Mentality
2. Consultative in Nature
3. Big Picture Thinking
4. Ability to Cultivate and Build Relationships
5. Listening
6. Personable and Approachable
7. Strong Follow Up Skills
8. Strong Sales Skills
He would also add some important skills of being self- motivated,
persistence, aggressive, and having the strong ability to execute a plan.
Works Cited:
Works Cited:
Higgins, C. A., & Judge, T. A. (2004). The effect of
applicant
influence tactics on recruiter
perceptions of fit and hiring recommendations: A field study. Journal
of Applied Psychology, 89(4), 622-632. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.4.622
Hoogvelt,
M. (2012.). 8 skills recruiters should have. Retrieved
from http://www.ere.net/2012/07/26/8-skills-recruiters-should-have/
Michael Rea, Director of Talent Acquisition and Recruitment at Five Brothers Default Management Solutions
Adam Cohen, Vice President at The Birmingham Group
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