10 Attributes of Top Recruiters
1. Top Recruiters Respond Well to Ongoing Change & Rejection
Although recruitment can be extremely rewarding, at times it can be difficult. You might fill ten roles then get ten more; you could identify five top quality canadidates to find the client puts the role on hold; you think you have identified that elusive perfect candidate and the client changes the specifications. All recruiters can relate to these scenarios. Many believe these are catastrophic tragedies. Top Recruiters recognise this is justs a part of the job and cope well with these situations. They are the consumate professional, when these situations happen they just move on to the next role.
2. Top Recruiters are Resourceful
Top Recruiters don't need a big budget, expensive sourcing tools, or technology gadgets to get the job done. They consider these added benefits however don't rely on them to produce results. Many of the world's top recruiters, some who bill in excess of $1m per year, do not have big budgets or sourcing tools. They don't use a Black Berry or personal laptop, but still out produce their peers while maintaining the highest customer satisfaction ratings; They operate outside the square, they are innovative and get the job done regardless. They also religiously ensure every conversation, client or candidate contact is entered into their database (CRM) every day. They do not work hard, however they definitely work smartly!
3. Top Recruiters are Savvy Investigators
While technology has provided us with the ability to access millions of applicants quickly, it often leads us into a false sence of security, lulling us into thinking that candidate on our database are actually top quality candidates! Recruiters who have grown up in this new technology age often do not possess the investigative (or networking) skills necessary to generate new candidate leads from unqualified candidates. Every resume is a great opportunity for a new lead regardless of whether it is through the candidate or through the referee. If the applicant isn't right, the goal should be to extract out names (or at least clues) that would lead you to the right person or a new contact. Even if not right for this role, the candidate may be perfect for your next opportunity. Top Recruiters excel at this! They are savvy investigators. They know what questions to ask to generate leads to fill a position, and when to ask them.
4. Top Recruiters are Competitive & Act with Urgency
Most people who can handle change and rejection are also competitive. They play the game to win. And when you play the game to win, you often lose. In recruiting, as we all know, you are either the hero or the goat. Unfortunately often their is only one role and one person to fill it. In our industry there are often many agencies and consultants competing for the one role. Top Recruiters know they must be proactive and act with a sense of urgency. They understand timing can be everything. Competitive people rise to the occasion, they don't sweat the small stuff, they play to win!
5. Top Recruiters Have the Discipline & Resiliance to Try New Things
How many times have you sat in a meeting to brainstorm new ways to find candidates or new ideas to improve the hiring process? Top Recruiters actually leave those meetings with the discipline to IMPLEMENT the ideas discussed. Since they are competitive and handle rejection well, they don't consider it a tragedy if the new ideas don't work. They just move on to the next. They do however give them a go and often reap the benefits.
6. Top Recruiters are Likable Within the Circles They Recruit For
This doesn't mean they were voted the "most popular" in school, or were the homecoming queen, or the life of the party. All it means is that they have an excellent rapport with their clients (candidates, hiring managers, employees, etc). This attribute is tough to explain, but it is easy to spot. A "likeable" Recruiter gets gifts from candidates and employees, gets a ton of quality referrals without asking, and often gets employee lists from former employers. They will often be the ones who are approached by their clients to become their exclusive recruitment partner, without even asking, where others are chasing their clients rarely gaining any preferred status. People like Top Recruiters, their likability is a key to their success.
7. Top Recruiters are Proud to be Recruiters
Unfortunately, many recruiters view recruiting as a "stepping stone" to bigger and better things. If you work for an Recruitment Agency, your goal is to get into sales or into your own accounts. If you work within a corporation, your goal is to get your HR Certification and become a HR Director. While there are many Recruiters who think this way, the majority of Top Achieving Recruiters are proud to call Recruitment their chosen profession. They are often as mentioned earlier earning more than most of their peers and colleagues. They have it all, a rewarding job, lifestyle balance and a great nest egg. Often they won't boast about what they have achieved, however they would never consider their role as a stepping stone. Why would they?
8. Work and Life are Seamless for Top Recruiters
Get in a room full of top achieving recruiters and start talking "shop," and you'll see that they have a seamless work/life balance. This doesn't mean they work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. On the contrary, they are efficient, productive, and work the hours necessary to get the job done. Although they may be out the door as soon as the clock chimes 5pm, they think nothing of doing a phone screen in the evening, contacting a candidate on the weekend before they start their new job, responding to emails when the kids go to bed, or sourcing candidtes off the internet at 6am to beat their competition to the quality candidates. Top Recruiters recognise that recruiting is not a nine-to-five job. They measure themselves by results - quickly filling positions with quality people - not hours worked.
9. Top Recruiters are Self-Motivated & Enjoy the Recruiting Game
For some people, recruiting becomes a laborious, repetitive job. To Top Recruiters, it's always about playing and winning the game. They see the challenge in filling an orientation session with 20 new customer service reps (not 18). They see the challenge in coming up with candidates for a senior vice president position. They love those roles others complain they simply can't fill. Day in and day out, they view this laborious, repetiive job as one big game - and in a sick, twisted way, they enjoy every moment of it! They are self-motivated and need minimal direction or supervision because they are focused on winning the game.
10. Top Recruiters Believe They Provide a Valuable Service & Provide People with Better Opportunities
Why don't many recruiters cold call passive candidates? Walk up to a group of people to talk about their job opportunities? Recruit at family events? They don't do these things either because they think they are bugging other people or because they fear being rejected - and they fear they will be refjected bacause they think they are bugging people. Top Recruiters see things in a whole different light. They believe recruiting is the best sales job in the world. Unlike a traditional sales position, recruiters are not selling anything, they are offering something - potentially a better position than the one a candidate is currently. They are selling opportunites.... what better job would you want to be in.
Soured from Electronic Recruitment Daily by David Szary
