Qualities of a Successful Recruiter

Here’s a truth: “anyone can work in the recruiting field, it’s not nuclear physics”. But – even if it is not nuclear physics – not everyone who starts out in this field manages to excel.

During our careers we have seen many recruiters and sourcers and, those who were successful in the field, shared similar characteristics.

Here are some qualities that a recruiter should not lack in order to make an impact in the company and be recognised for his or her efforts.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is the “petrol” that helps you spend hours solving a single problem when everyone else has thrown in the towel. And – you probably know this – this enthusiasm is really important, especially when you are looking for a passive candidate who is almost impossible to find.

There is an old saying of Confucius: “choose a job you love, and you will not have to work a single day in your life”. Without enthusiasm, this work turns into routine. If you want to be a successful recruiter, the first thing you need is enthusiasm.

When enthusiasm is lacking, this job simply becomes a way to pay the bills, a place where you go every day to earn money. But you will never experience the excitement of discovering some new trick or method that nobody else knows, or the feeling of when you finally manage to close an ‘impossible’ selection – or the pleasure of comparing yourself with another recruiter on LinkedIn talking about your job. Enthusiasm is the energy generated when you focus on the things that excite you the most.

Curiosity

Samuel Johnson described curiosity as “one of the surest and most certain characteristics of an active intellect”. The best recruiters are extremely curious. It is clear from the number of questions they ask when they find an interesting post on LinkedIn, whether from a recruiter or a candidate, or how they search for information online and in social networks to open a conversation via an InMail with an unknown candidate. They are recruiters who seem genuinely interested in candidates because they ask their (many) questions in an informal tone.

They want to understand how recruiting tools and tactics work, and how they can reduce them to their essentials to recompose them into simpler, more effective strategies.

The phrase “not possible” is not part of their vocabulary. They love challenges and are constantly looking for new strategies and approaches. They are always curious about new methods, new channels, new ways to find, intercept and engage candidates. They have a taste for experimentation and know how to test new variables.

Listening

It is said that “there is a reason why we have two ears and only one mouth: because we should listen more and talk less”. As cliché as this may sound, it is a principle that the best recruiters apply. It is not enough to be curious, you have to listen, and really listen.

One of the advantages of talking to candidates face to face or via a video tool is that you can listen to their non-verbal communication and observe their body language which creates a context around what the candidate is saying. It means, however, that the candidate also observes the same elements, so when you are interviewing it is always best to let go of any tension and focus completely on the candidate. Even during a simple phone call, you will listen better if you step away from your computer screen and focus completely. Also be sure to change your email and notifications for interviews where you really listen.

Un recruiter che ascolta è consapevole anche che uno dei momenti chiave per chiudere una posizione è la prima riunione con l’hiring manager. Una riunione dove testare sia le proprie abilità di ascoltatore attivo che quelle dell’hiring manager (che spesso non sono a loro agio nei colloqui e necessitano di supporto per sviluppare le loro competenze d’ascolto).

Creativity

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, once said that “Change is the only constant in life.” This quote is perfectly applicable in the field of Search and Selection. There are so many things that change every month, and they change at an incredible speed. One day you are using Facebook Jobs, and the next day it no longer works because Facebook has decided to stop the service in Europe. One day you find a way to find passive candidates without a LinkedIn recruiter’s licence, and the next month LinkedIn or Google change their algorithms – and it becomes impossible.

These are just two examples of how the scenario changes quickly. That is why flexibility and your ability to react creatively to these changes are two key qualities you should develop. The world of recruitment is changing fast, and we have to be flexible and ready to adapt.

Remember: a good recruiter should always look for and identify opportunities where others are not looking – in ways they cannot even imagine.

Technology Expert

The best recruiters and headhunters we know are also early adopters of new technology, and many of them are really passionate about it and know how to use it to best effect. After all, the world of recruiting and HR is full of technology and automation.

Without at least a basic understanding of how the main applications and software work and how to use them, it is easy to get lost. Not knowing how to get the most out of the tools you use can have a profound impact on your productivity.

And even if you have the best tools on the market, “a tool is only as effective as the person who controls it.”

With all the technology at your disposal, you must never forget to act like a person talking to other people. The human touch is crucial. Nobody wants to reply to an email from someone who writes like a robot. And beware: if you don’t personalise the automated communications that come out of your ATS, you really risk sounding like a robot.

The challenge for a recruiter is precisely to understand how to combine technology with the human touch.

Recruiters are the first people a candidate meets in the company. Being the first door through which a candidate passes, it is important for a recruiter to understand that he or she has the burden of influencing the expectation that candidates create for themselves about the company.

You also have to consider the group of people with whom you communicate. If the recruiter is not tech-savvy, they may indirectly communicate that the company is not a digital company, and as a result, this can make the company unattractive to millennials. And this can be a big problem for an organisation trying to attract young people into its workforce.

Determination and Persistence

When others say “There are no candidates with this skillset,” the best recruiters always try to find that hidden candidate. For a recruiter, being determined means that you need to keep trying, again and again. With each attempt, you will be an inch closer to the ideal candidate.

And this applies when you construct a Boolean string to search for the candidate in your ATS or on LinkedIn. Try it. Ask yourself why it doesn’t work. Try again. Change method. Try again.

Do the same with your job advertisements that you post on different portals. Don’t settle for the first candidates that come in. Change title, change job description. Test (in A/B testing mode) and improve your results.

In any case, we are not saying to repeat the exact same action, but to keep trying in ever slightly different ways. In the words of Bill Bradley: ‘Ambition is the road to success. Persistence is the means to get there’.

Good organisation

Dozens of emails every day, documents and CVs everywhere are the recruiter’s bread and butter. The best professionals, however, stand out because they find clever ways to put things in order and improve their efficiency. It is easy for things to become confusing if left to their own devices, but a good recruiter knows how to choose tools and apply principles to simplify his life, without going into burnout.

Some use the principle of replying to emails within 24 hours. Others choose to handle the most demanding task at the beginning of the day. Still others centralise all their processes with ATS such as Inrecruiting – so that they collaborate with their entire recruiting team in an orderly manner.

Whatever your method, it is always useful to start with awareness, and this is achieved by stopping – because in the fast flow of activities it is impossible to understand what works and what does not work in your recruiting.