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Here's what to focus on to be
a successful recruiter:
I. Focus on relationship-building rather than
on resumes
In recruiting, who you know is as important as
what you know - and the more people who know,
like, trust, and respect you, the better the reputation
you'll build for yourself and your company. That
reputation will translate, down the road, into
more great candidates and successful hires. So
cultivate your candidates and your contacts, treat
them fairly and courteously, and do good turns
for them wherever you can. Base your relationships
on sincere good will and long-term cooperation,
rather than on short-term gains, and you'll establish
relationships that will benefit you for years
to come.
II. Establish a network of top-notch candidates
You won't find the people you need simply by depending
on job boards and resume banks. Instead, build
your own network of great candidates, and add
to it weekly. Your network will provide you with
three essentials: great employees to satisfy your
demanding hiring managers, referrals to other
stellar candidates, and valuable information when
you have questions.
III. Use technology in as many ways as you
can
To recruit effectively, one must embrace technology.
In today's recruitment scene the importance of
technology cannot be said enough. From drafting
JD's to posting jobs to sourcing, short listing
and arranging interviews to networking on the
internet we can see the use of technology at every
stage and sans technology it becomes rather difficult
to even imagine, considering the pace of recruitment
needs these days.
IV. Understand the need for speed at all levels
of the recruiting process
A successful recruiter posts open jobs quickly,
begins networking with contacts immediately, schedules
phone screens and interviews with top candidates
right away, and extends offers to winning candidates
without delay. Every day you shave off your hiring
process doubles or triples your chances of success.
V. Recruit all the time
There's no such thing as a 40-hour week in recruiting!
Instead, be willing to spend extra time and effort
to research where the talent is hiding, and then
go there to start building relationships. This
means talking to people everywhere - airplanes,
professional events, conferences, you name it.
It means hanging out at happy hours, attending
charity events, maybe even going to karaoke bars.
It also means joining recruiting groups, and using
recruiting forums where you can network with others
willing to share advice and offer help.
VI. Develop and in-depth understanding of
your company and the jobs you need to fill
When you know your stuff, your candidates will
see you as smart and savvy - and they'll get a
good impression of your company as well. Develop
an extensive knowledge of your company's (and
your competitors') products and customers, as
well as your (and their) strengths and weaknesses.
VII. Get everyone involved in the recruiting
process
A successful recruiter enlists hiring managers
and other employees in the effort to get jobs
filled. How? By encouraging every employee to
spread the word about how great the company is,
and by educating hiring managers on the current
job marketplace, the market value of certain skill
sets, and the need to move quickly to capture
good employees.
VIII. Measure your efforts
To refine your recruiting efforts; you need to
know what's working and what isn't. How many positions
did you fill last month? What was the time to
fill? How many interviews did you conduct? What
was your interview-to-hire ration? Use your results
to fine-tune your recruiting process and make
changes where they're needed.
IX. Develop strong, sales, marketing, and
communication skills
Huge part of recruiting involves marketing your
company and your job openings to your candidates,
and marketing your candidates to your hiring managers.
As such it is very important that one understand
the art of sales opening, negotiating and closing.
X. Use multiple recruiting resources
A successful recruiter doesn't rely on a single
source to find the best talent. By combining an
in-house database, employee referral programs,
outside recruiting agencies, advertising, campus
recruiting efforts, and online recruiting, you'll
maximize your recruiting power.
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