One of the best assets that a recruiter can have is experience. The more people you meet and the more candidates you place, the more effectively you can deliver results to your client or employer.
But when you’re just getting started, you may be ambitious, and you may have strong leadership potential, but you’re still starting out at ground zero.
Here’s an idea for a shortcut. Instead of starting from scratch, take a lesson from recruiting industry leaders who have been exactly where you are now. Here are 5 things that experienced recruiters want new recruiters to know:
1. Stay optimistic about your end goals — the job is full of natural ups and downs
“Recruiters’ jobs are often filled with ups and downs, and your success is often dependent on other people. That’s why I think it’s important for new recruiters to know that persistence is key. Don’t let one bad week get you down. Keep working hard — that activity will have a positive boomerang effect. It may feel like it’s taking forever for something good to happen, but your hard work will eventually pay off.”
- Tracey Russell, national recruiter for Naviga Business Services
2. Be data driven so that you can self-direct your formula for success
“Keep a record and monitor your key numbers. These include the number of candidates you meet, the number of resumes you send to clients, the number of first candidate and client meetings as well as placements. This data will become your formula for success. If you know the key numbers needed for placement success you can replicate your methodology over and over again. It takes the stress out of your year if you know what output you need to achieve for success.”
- Tyron Giuliani, executive recruiter and partner at Optia Partners KK
3. Don’t let uncomfortable questions intimidate you
“Recruiters often need to dig deep into situations in order to determine if a candidate is a proper fit with the client's company, and vice versa. This means you may need to ask tough questions to both the client and the candidate - which can require you to leave your comfort zone. A few examples include: asking about a black mark or gap in work history, inquiring about personal values to determine culture fit, and facilitating salary discussions with candidates and hiring managers.”
- Tony Sorenson, CEO of Versique Search and Consulting
4. Never stop learning
“You must be curious, you must be motivated to learn everything you can about your niche and you must be motivated to seek out and participate in the best training available. As with any other profession, your ongoing training is essential to your success. Why? Your competence will be your one way to stand out in the overwhelming sea of mediocre recruiters. Your clients and candidates will want to refer you to their friends, making your job easier, more lucrative and fulfilling.”
- Connie Dorigan, founder at Dorigan & Associates
5. Reposition setbacks and challenges as opportunities
“In late summer 2013, our Silicon Valley clients began to feel a crunch from the shortage of engineering talent. They were in a lot of trouble in terms of reqs for the next 3, 6, and 9 months. Instead of giving up, we listened to our clients closely. As a result, in just two months, we conceptualized and launched an entirely new business unit for short-term tech talent, which is still operational and thriving a year later. This business unit supports our long-term hiring process and brings us closer to our customers.”
- Jennifer Loftus, founder at Swing Talent
* image by Jill G
Topics: Recruiting tips
Related articles