4 Traits and Skills that Predict a Successful Recruiting Career

Let’s face it—we’re all happy none of us will have to relive 2020. 

Few years have presented as much disruption to all aspects of life, especially professional life. By now, most of us have experienced directly or know someone in our immediate social circles who has experienced a layoff. 

Fortunately, though some industries like retail and many service industries still struggle, many industries have recovered in meaningful ways since our world flipped upside down and backward in March. The staffing and recruiting industry is one of the lucky ones. 

A study from Bullhorn showed that over half of staffing and recruiting professionals believe the economy will rebound by the end of the year. A stunning 30% reported that their business is doing just as good or better than it was at this time last year. And with so much turnover across the board and professionals looking to transition to more stable industries, now may be the perfect time to consider a rewarding career as a recruiter. 

Below, we’ll cover a few of the major skills that predict a successful recruiting career. 

Sales Skills

At its core, recruiting is sales. 

Whether it’s selling your firm’s expertise and track record to clients, or convincing a candidate that the role you just sent their way is the right career move for them, a recruiter has to be able to sell. 

If you loved and excelled at a previous sales job, or you’re that person in your friend group that always hears “you should get into sales,” this is a telltale sign you have the intangibles required to make it as a recruiter. 

Again, recruiting is sales—it just comes with the added benefit of making a real difference in people’s lives. 

Interpersonal Skills

This goes hand-in-hand with sales skills and is perhaps the foundation of all successful recruiting careers. 

So much of what you’ll achieve will depend upon your ability to communicate and develop relationships. You act as the conduit between where a candidate is now and where they’ve always wanted to be. Career choices are never taken lightly, and to be the voice that helps people make that choice, you better be able to foster an incredible amount of trust. 

Luckily, you probably already know if you score high in interpersonal skills. Even if you already do, there is an incredible amount of resources available to improve them even more. 

Time Management

Organizations hire recruiters to help them fill open positions (sorry if this is too obvious). They do this for two main reasons. One, they want a higher caliber candidate than they can find on their own. Two, they need that high caliber hire to be made faster than they can make it on their own. 

In order to fulfill both of these desires, recruiters have to be masters at managing their time. Not only can your clients not afford to make a bad hire, but they also can’t wait months for you to help them make a great hire. 

Every hour of your day has to be spent meaningfully for you to create your shortlist of superb candidates and to present them to your client on a timeline that works for them. Thankfully, the modern recruiter has many more tools available to help them spend their time more efficiently. It’s up to you to use them. 

Teamwork

Even though recruiting is sales like in nature, you can’t achieve everything on your own. It’s critical for good recruiters to be great team players. Not only are you acting as an extension of your client’s internal hiring department, but you also will need to leverage your coworker’s networks and experience as you work to build your own. 

In recruiting, collaboration is king. If you’ve been a part of teams in your past or worked in environments that required a collective effort, the skills you learned along the way will help you immensely. As you start your recruiting career, be receptive to advice and opinions, even if they differ from your own. More importantly, keep an eye open for opportunities to help others. 

RHM Staffing Solutions

Are you looking to step into a new career where you can thrive, grow, and find success from day one? At RHM, we have a world-class training program that will polish your existing skillset and prepare you to hit the ground running. The perfect time is now. Contact RHM today.