How to become a good recruiter?

Recruitment is a field that requires both a broad knowledge of the labour market and a narrow knowledge of a particular business sector. The road to perfectionism in recruitment requires experience of managing complex recruitment projects. There are rules and work ethics that help produce excellent recruiter for any kind of recruitment project:

Take the easy ones as long as you can do them perfectly

This rule allows the recruiter to learn from mistakes that are not too costly. If there are gaps in the selection project for a particular professional staff member, one should not undertake a managerial search where the cost of error is even higher. If the usual recruitment projects are completed on time and a sufficient number of candidates are offered, then it is time to move on to higher level recruitment. It is important not to rush, as top-level executive searches can be very stressful for an inexperienced recruiter and require experience to manage.

Don’t be afraid to ask

Don’t be afraid to ask a question if the employer has given too little information about the position. If the job title needs to be revised, if the employer is unclear about the requirements for the candidate. Even a seemingly silly or straightforward question in the preparation phase of the recruitment process can make all the difference at the end of the selection process, which is why recruiters are often referred to as “question experts” for a reason.

Focus on your chosen recruitment area

Different searches require different competencies, so it is important to identify the area you want to develop early in your recruitment career. This could be IT recruitment, executive recruitment, financial recruitment, etc. A dedicated recruiter can offer added value in specialised recruitment projects, which is particularly appreciated by employers and candidates with a particular specialisation.

Make sure you and the hiring manager are on the same page

Managing the alignment of expectations is one of the biggest challenges in recruitment. As you gain experience as a recruiter, your assessment of candidates must increasingly match that of the hiring manager. If this is happening, then the right recruitment methods are being used and it is possible to continue successfully with the existing methods and improve them.

Plan and optimise your recruitment project management to perfection

A recruitment project has many components, so a good result depends not only on knowing each stage of the recruitment process (e.g. situational interviewing), but also on planning all the stages. The employer always expects the best result, but the time it takes to complete the recruitment project is also important. If the process is to be carried out to a high standard, it cannot take six months, so it is essential to plan and optimise all the stages of the recruitment process precisely.

When planning a career in recruitment, following these rules will help you to learn faster and, at the same time, not to jump up the ladder too quickly. Learning from mistakes is, as in every field, crucial. In recruitment the cost of a mistake is really high and can affect both the career of the wrong candidate and the employer’s direct costs of replacing the wrong candidate. All this can be avoided by objectively assessing your own achievements and taking on more challenging recruitment projects at the right time