The best recruiters understand their habits and skills are just as important as postsecondary degrees and a professional network. Take an informal poll of the top recruiters and you’ll find the cream of the crop has a comprehensive skill set and carefully honed ways that are essential to success in this competitive industry. Here’s a quick look at how to be a good recruiter.

1. Using Data for Decisions

The days of relying on gut instinct or intuition to make a hiring decision are long gone. Nowadays, the value is in the data. However, most hiring managers and recruiters don’t have the time necessary to crunch the numbers, analyze the avalanche of information and make prudent decisions rooted in facts and figures. 

PandoLogic’s tech solutions amass and analyze the data on your behalf, arming you with the information necessary to make a well-informed hiring decision that is fair, effective, and in full compliance with the law. Make hiring decisions based on accurate information including recruiting metrics, key performance indicators, and other data and you’ll find the process is highly efficient, ultimately proving mutually beneficial to both parties.

2. Preparation Makes Perfect

It is often said that practice makes perfect. However, practice will only take recruiters so far in the context of professional employment. You can expedite and improve the hiring process with the implementation of optimal screening processes. Speed up the review and vetting of candidates with accurate role descriptions and the stage will be set to attract highly qualified candidates, one or several of whom will likely excel in the open role. The quantitative and qualitative capabilities and analysis provided by PandoLogic facilitate recruiting true “rainmaker” employees.

3. Prioritize People

The most successful recruiters and other professionals focus on people as opposed to advanced college degrees and material possessions. The real value in life lies in human beings, especially those with a meaningful relevance to your industry. Narrow your focus on professional relationships, establish a rapport with fellow recruiters, hiring managers, and others of relevance to human resources, and proactively keep those individuals in the fold as your career develops.

Listening is the most important aspect of relationship-building. Listen closely as you interact with others, make it clear that you understand their sentiments and they’ll be that much more likely to reciprocate the favor. When in doubt, err on the side of understanding and reciprocity when interacting with colleagues as well as candidates for open positions. Continue to connect with people and your network will gradually expand to the point that you enjoy ongoing access to power players in your industry as well as candidates looking for new roles.

4. Focus on Body Language

Soft skills are just as important as technical skills, especially in the people-dominated HR industry. When analyzing the challenge of how to be a good recruiter, zero in on candidates’ body language as well as your own nonverbal cues. Pay close attention to eye movement, hand gestures, and posture. When in doubt, choose the candidate whose body language demonstrates honesty and sincerity as opposed to one whose body language connotes manipulation and deception.

5. Set Realistic Goals

It is often said that if you aim for the moon and still land among the stars, you’ll be considered a success. Though such lofty goals certainly serve as inspiration for yourself, they are inapplicable to those placed in new positions. Recognize that there are inherent limitations to what you can do to help candidates reach their potential in their new positions and proceed accordingly. Above all, don’t obsess about whether those you place at new positions exceed expectations in their new roles. 

It is in your interest to shift your attention away from recently placed job-seekers to those you intend to place at new positions and continue to pivot in such a manner thereafter. In short, you can’t satisfy everyone. Set realistic expectations for yourself as well as candidates, level with employers about those expectations and you’ll feel as though an unbearable weight has been lifted off of your shoulders. 

When in doubt, balance your career goals with the industry’s benchmarks as well as the financial limitations of your recruiting budget such as the average amount of time to hire candidates in accordance with industry/niche, and proceed accordingly.

6. Adapt to Change

Change is the only constant in human resources and also in life. Tech continues to rapidly evolve with each passing day. Furthermore, society is rapidly changing as a result of tech progress and evolving social norms. Fail to adapt accordingly and you’ll fall behind. Remain intellectually flexible, adapt to overarching changes with the assistance of the industry’s top tech tools, and your willingness to quickly pivot will pay massive dividends down the line. 

7. Be a Lifelong Learner

The industry’s top recruiters never stop learning. Put better, the industry’s leading recruiters embrace the opportunity to learn more about this ever-evolving niche and implement those new skills into their work. 

Tap into the knowledge, expertise, and tech tools provided by PandoLogic’s proven team of recruiting specialists, enroll in online courses and view yourself as an evolving work in progress. Even something as seemingly simple as a brief learning module covering the development of emotional intelligence will make it that much easier to analyze candidates during interviews.

Recap

• The best recruiters develop highly specific skills and habits for success
• The skills necessary to succeed as a recruiter are different than those necessary to excel in other niches
• Develop the right habits in the months/years ahead and the stage will be set for a rewarding career arc
• PandoLogic’s tech tools and guidance propels recruiters and HR managers to new heights

PandoLogic Makes Recruiting Easier

Instead of searching the web for “how to be a good recruiter” and reading through page after page of results, reach out to PandoLogic for assistance. We help recruiters streamline hiring processes, boosting the number of qualified candidates and making it easier to nab the top talent without delay. Sign up for a demo of our software and you’ll find working as a hiring manager or recruiter is easier in every sense.