9 Qualities of An Effective Recruiter

9 Qualities of An Effective Recruiter

Over the course of the last decade, the way we hire has significantly changed. Job tenure has shortened, with professionals becoming increasingly more selective. Today’s top-tier candidates are more particular about where they want to work.

An effective recruiter is effectively a talent scout. They not only invest in the client’s company, but also in the talent itself. In this article, we look at nine tactics that effective recruiters employ in order to engage and retain top-tier talent.

1. Listen to candidates

An effective recruiter will take an active interest in their candidates. They will ask questions in order to ascertain where candidates want to take their careers and will take a genuine interest in the answers.

Skilled recruiters do not talk over candidates, or cut them off mid-sentence. They do their homework and find out all they can about candidates on professional platforms such as LinkedIn, rather than generate a list of generic questions.

2. Advocate for candidates

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If a candidate is qualified and experienced, then a good recruiter will not to try to convince them to lower their expectations. Talented professionals know their worth, so a good recruiter will advocate for their candidates and will aim to help them to secure a position that aligns with their expectations.

3. Maintain effective communication

Keeping candidates up to speed demonstrates that the recruiter is invested in both the individuals and their success. Recruitment is a highly competitive industry. For every recruiter who fails to keep their candidates in the loop—even with just a weekly email—many more are eager to take their place and to invest their time and resources in top talent.

Solid communication skills are critical to success in people-oriented sectors, particularly in recruitment. Effective recruitment consultants should always follow up on job applications.

4. Pay attention to detail

In the world of recruitment, attention to detail is vital, particularly in terms of identifying a candidate’s particular niche. Some positions are incredibly specialized. When dealing with a small talent pool of highly skilled individuals, it is vital to pay heed to even the smallest details.

5. Demonstrate honesty and integrity

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Good recruiters will speak up when they believe that a job is not the right fit for a candidate. It is not only job seekers who need coaching for interviews. Often, client companies need to be educated, too. It is vital to keep expectations in check on both sides.

A software developer with a decade of experience is unlikely to accept a low salary. Conversely, a market savvy company is unlikely to want to overpay someone who is just starting out in their career.

While recruiters sometimes face awkward conversations, this is all part and parcel of the job. It is the recruiter’s role to help balance expectations with reality and to connect employers with the right person for the role.

6. Support candidates throughout the recruitment process

Job candidates must receive relevant information in order to help them to effectively prepare for the candidate selection process. Job seekers need to know what type of interview they will be attending, in particular whether it will be one-on-one or in front of a panel, and whether it will be a final interview or one in a series.

Many organizations invest considerable resources in the recruitment process, implementing case study and skill tests as well as psychometric assessments. It is vital that candidates know what to expect.

An effective recruiter will provide them with all the information they need in order to prepare them for success.

7. Focus on long-term relationships

Good recruiters treat candidates and companies as valuable commodities. They think in regards to the long-term and concentrate on optimal outcomes.

Effective recruiters concentrate on long-term gains. They set out to establish lifelong relationships and to achieve favorable outcomes for everyone concerned.

8. Provide feedback

Following the interview process, it is vital to give feedback to both sides.

Effective recruiters implement the same thoughtful listening process that made the candidate trust them at the outset, providing feedback after every interview.

9. Keep an open mind

Good recruiters do not judge a book by its cover. Nevertheless, unconscious bias can easily creep in and cost companies, candidates, and recruiters precious time and money.

Censia is a computerized talent intelligence platform that implements revolutionary AI software. Censia’s intuitive algorithm identifies optimal candidates from its base of more than 500 million talented professionals to fill open roles, matching vacancies to top-tier talent and completely eliminating unconscious bias.

About the Author

Joanna RileyJoanna (Jo) Riley is an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate in technology, and is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Censia. Jo has a highly experienced background in building and scaling companies, which she attributes to her deep passion for people and building technologies that allow people to be their best selves. She brings her wide knowledge of the industry to better transform the way enterprise companies hire talent. You can connect with Joanna Riley at @joannakiddriley on Twitter or on Linkedin. Read her full bio here.