Recruiters are very busy people. With so many things to do in a day, it can be easy to find yourself in a cluttered and confusing maze. Successful recruiters all have a few things in common. Quite simply, they boil down to a thirst for knowledge, excellent people skills, and great work habits. If you want to be a successful recruiter, do what others before you have done.
Get to Know People
People are much different on paper from how they are in real life. Evaluating a candidate based on a resume or a whole company based on a mission statement leaves too many things to the imagination. Get to know everyone you work with. Their quirks and hidden talents can probably be put to good use, but you won’t know what that use is unless you’ve spent enough time talking with them.
Make a Big Deal About Small Details
Recruiters are supposed to catch all the little things someone else might have missed. The best recruiters go over everything with a fine toothed comb. Little things that are easy to overlook might make all the difference in the world. Companies may have the wrong idea of what they’re looking for, and your experience and discerning eye might be able to help them make better decisions. They may be too quick to write off the perfect candidate because they have a flawed idea of what they need. Don’t be pushy, but offer your informed point of view based on your thorough assessment of the details.
Stick to Sources That Work
Building strong relationships with sources is just as important as building strong relationships with people. Even if your sources are professional social networks, you need to work hard to maintain your presence. Figuring out the best recruiting sources as early as possible will save you a lot of trouble down the road. You’ll never scramble, feeling like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack, when you already have easy access to everything you need.
Utilize Great Practices
Organization and security are two of the most important things a recruiter should pay attention to. You need an efficient file system, easy access to your records, and a safe way to store information. Make sure you don’t have little pieces of information scattered all over the place – create a complete folder for each and every candidate or project you’re working on.
Keep the things you’ve collected secure – especially if you’re transmitting information online. Most people use VPNs for simple things, like bypassing Netflix region restrictions. While that’s a fantastic perk, it’s hardly the most important thing VPNs are used for. VPNs create a secure, untraceable traffic tunnel that will keep a candidate’s information safe when you’re sending it to a company. This significantly reduces liability and the potential for a data disaster.
Keep in Constant Contact
Even if you don’t have an immediate use for a candidate, you should still keep in contact with talented people. Three months down the road, you might be kicking yourself for falling out of contact with that person when you have an opportunity they’re perfectly matched for.
Frequent contact will also prevent you from becoming irrelevant. If you’re constantly posting, commenting, emailing, and connecting, people won’t forget about you and wind up working with another recruiter. If they know they’re on your mind, you’ll be on their minds.
Never Stop Learning
Recruiters can never learn too much. Reading industry blogs and thoroughly researching qualifications and positions can help you make better matches and connections. You don’t need to be able to do all of the jobs you’re helping to hire for, but you need to understand them to the fullest extent. This is what separates successful recruiters from subpar recruiters.
It might take you a while to find level ground, but if you keep up with great practices and commit yourself to the work, you’ll find that your ability to succeed as a recruiter will only increase with time. No one is an overnight success – just persevere and stay focused.
About the Author
Sarah Kearns is a hard working mother of three daughters. She is a Senior Communications Manager for BizDb, an online resource with information about businesses in the UK. She loves cooking, reading history books and writing about green living.
