5 Skills Every Recruiter Must Have

By Ash Rao - Career Coach /Corp Recruiter - Dallas

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In today’s competitive market, it is no surprise that new wanna-be recruiters find it challenging to make their mark and have to constantly strive to be the best in their job.
So if you aspire to be a rock star recruiter, Needle in the Haystack Finder, Sourcing Ninja, Unicorn Hunter or a Purple Squirrel Finder, it is time to master these 5 fundamental skills!

 
Prioritizing

As recruiters, we have crushing workloads for most part of the year. If you are in recruiting and staffing industry, you will probably agree when I say there is never enough time to do it all and do it well. If we do attempt to do everything at the same speed, it will only add to the stress and affect productivity. So always try to manage your workloads according to the degree of urgency instead of trying to handle all at once.


Ability to Listen

The motto “Listen first and talk second” has been a huge pay off. Whether it is taking a job order or interviewing a prospective applicant about their next career move, it always helps if you let the other party talk first. It is best to adopt a “consultative approach” in which you determine what they want first and accordingly offer solutions. Don’t hesitate to push back if needed. Be a trusted advisor to both your client/hiring manager as well as to your candidates.


Organization skills

Being organized is a crucial part of Recruiter’s success. Organize your inbox as well as your work desk and constantly make an effort to work in a clutter free environment. Huge pile of applicant resumes on the work desk and numerous post-its sticking on the monitor will only add to the stress which in turn negatively impacts your focus and productivity. So stay organized as much as possible.


Perseverance and Flexibility

Recruiting requires you to be patient and stay flexible to be able to adapt to changing situations. Sometimes, the job might take longer time than you think due to factors outside of recruiter’s control. During those times it is important to remain calm which will in turn help you in retaining your candidate’s prolonged interest in the position. As one of my good friend and a mentor points out “Be At It”! And results will follow sooner or later!


Ability to cultivate and maintain Relationships

Relationship Building is the core of successful Recruiting. Every time you speak to a client/Hiring Manager or a candidate, take time to understand what they really need, engage in meaningful conversation. Many a times, it is not just higher salary that the candidate seeks. If you dig deeper you will know their real motivation –commute, better boss/team, newer technology etc. Knowing these additional details in turn will help in presenting your company/opportunity in a much better way.

Similarly spending a few extra minutes to build rapport with the hiring manager not only to understand the job requirement, but also know the dynamics of the team, soft skills required for the position etc. can go a long way in hiring the right talent for the job.


With these essential skills, you will be on your way to find your next hire soon! Happy Hunting!


About the Author:

Ash Rao is an established Talent Acquisition specialist and a Certified Professional Career Coach. With a Master’s degree in Human Resources and over 10+ years of experience in  HR and recruiting/staffing, she is adept at  social media recruiting , career coaching for professionals and building effective job search strategies for career seekers.
Ash is working as a senior Global Talent Acquisition Specialist at Verizon Labs and also provides 1-on-1 Career Coaching to new college grads and mid-level executives during weekends and after business hours and specializes in resume writing, interview training, building effective LinkedIn presence, dress for success training.

 

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