Recruitment can be an exciting and extremely satisfying job, with success opening the door to a financially rewarding career. But like any worthwhile profession, recruitment requires focus, drive, determination and resilience. Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or a trainee just starting out, it’s vital to keep the basics in check. That’s why we’re breaking down 5 essential skills to maximise your recruitment career.
1. Build lasting relationships
Recruitment is about building and maintaining long-term relationships. Your job is two-fold: you need to become a source of expertise and useful connections for your candidates, and a trusted partner for your clients.
Your client needs to trust that you understand their hiring needs and you can do this by learning everything you can about their company and the people they want in their teams. They need to feel like you’re more than a recruiter – you’re an extension of their business. A trusted partner.
For candidates, using a recruiter is a smaller commitment but to become instrumental to their future career, you must show that you care. Active listening is key to building relationships with candidates.
At Navartis, our consultants work alongside white-collar professionals in the rail, civils, power and construction industries across the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia. When you’re dealing with someone who has worked in their very niche field for decades it’s impossible to match their knowledge and insight.
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question,” they say. It’s true. One of the best ways to build relationships with candidates is to ask questions about their role and take a real interest. This shows that you care about who they are, what they do and, most importantly, you care about finding them their next position.
2. Take a sales point of view
Sales is one of the most important recruitment skills. We’re not talking about selling a role to a candidate or a candidate to a client (although these are both important), but we’re stressing the importance of selling yourself.
As we talked about above, you need to build relationships. Why should someone choose you as opposed to the hundred other recruiters who are knocking on their door? What do you have that no-one else has? It might be your industry knowledge, your successful track record, your connections.
Don’t assume that just because your job is to recruit that everyone will assume you’re good at it. In order to excel in recruitment, you have to sell yourself to candidates and clients alike.
3. Prioritise honesty
We’ve talked about selling roles, selling candidates and selling yourself. But throughout all of this, honesty is the top priority.
No-one likes to feel short-changed in a negotiation and it’s natural for candidates to assume you’ll throw them into any old role just to earn a commission. You can overcome this by always being honest with your candidates – if you don’t think a company or role is for them, be honest about that. Don’t simply say “I haven’t found anything yet”, but instead tell them that you haven’t found the right role. Honesty with clients is just as important for the same reasons.
Honesty is what makes you a trustworthy and reputable partner for candidates and clients alike. Don’t sell out to get ahead. Stay honest.
4. Stay organised
It’s a fact – some jobs are busier and more stressful than others. Wherever you are, organisation and time management are going to be key. In recruitment, both clients and candidates expect (and deserve) your time and attention.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re as organised as you can be throughout your day/week/month/quarter. Don’t let those important emails slide or forget to return a career-changing phone call. Whether it’s with pen and paper, a calendar, or an online to-do list, stay organised.
At Navartis we have a tried and tested recruitment process so that every consultant has visibility on where each client and candidate is at any given time. This allows the consultants to focus on doing what they do best, rather than wasting time trying to remember whether a role is at CV, interview or offer stage. With so many plates to spin, why make work for yourself?
5. Be confident in your skills
Confidence is a tricky one. It’s easy to be confident when you’re being successful, but in recruitment there will always be ebbs and flows. The key to remaining confident in the face of a dry spell is to remind yourself of your previous success. How did that come about? It was down to your skills.
Looking for a new job in recruitment?
We are always looking for great people to join the Navartis family. If you are keen to find out more about life at Navartis then visit our join us page.
