What it takes to be a successful recruiter

There are patterns in recruiters who thrive and have successful careers. Recruiting can be a difficult job, but it can be rewarding and gratifying. If you’re considering career in recruiting, review our list of the crucial qualities, and put them in practice in order to be a successful recruiter.

• Resilience – A vital characteristic for a good recruiter is the ability to stand up and move forward from a disappointment or failure. It can be annoying spending time to bring a client and candidate together, and then not be able to do it in the end, but top recruiters need to deal with it and move on. You can have a lot of attributes but this one is very crucial in this business. You need to be resilient.

• Relationship Building – Recruiting is a relationship business. It’s crucial to have that desire and the skills to build relationships effectively. Your disposition needs to be turned towards connecting to people. A part of your success is based on the type of relationships you build, and how candidates feel about you. Job changes require candidates and clients to keep in constant contact with each other, sharing sometimes personal information, to make the placement process successful. But a candidate is much more comfortable, and willing to do that, when the recruiter has invested time in getting to know them.

• Honesty and integrity – Treat others as we’d like to be treated. Some companies in our industry can sometimes treat candidates in a dishonest manner, putting the financial gain as first priority. It’s impossible to achieve long-term success if we sacrifice for short-term financial gain. Nothing is more important than conducting business the right way: with only the highest degree of integrity and honesty, treating others as we like to be treated.

• Adaptability – The skill to adapt, change and be flexible is a key quality for recruiters. Adapt your communication style depending on your client’s or candidate’s needs. Shift your approach based on changes in the job world and be ready to learn about new technologies that affect the markets you serve. Try not to be rigid and shift your thinking, otherwise recruiting may be difficult for you.

• Listening Skills – The best recruiters listen twice as much as they speak. Active listening, complete with the ability to ask pointed and relevant questions, is a core quality of successful recruiters. Recruiters who genuinely listen, gain a deeper understanding of their clients’ and candidates’ needs and are always prepared to help them. Active listening will also encourage you to ask the right questions to understand what matters most.

• Communication Skills – Successful recruiters know how to effectively communicate a message across, and can adapt to various communication styles. And, because so much of our communication today is written, it is vital to have both good oral and written communication skills.

•  Professionally Persistent – The most successful recruiters know how to be persistent without crossing the line. We follow up in the appropriate time frame, with the right attitude and a clear message. Persistence pays off if you do it right. If you come across as aggressive, pushy or dishonest, you will lose credibility and trust.

A career in recruiting can be challenging, but if you have what it takes, the rewards are worth it. If you have the attitude and attributes to become a recruiter, we are currently looking for driven and target-oriented recruiters for one of our clients. Find out more here: RECRUITMENT JOB.