10 Traits of a Productive Recruiter

By Victoria Robertson on July 24, 2018

Despite popular belief, being a recruiter is hard work and it’s not always rewarding. In fact, more often than not, recruiters find themselves working towards a goal that’s seemingly unattainable, often becoming more disheartened than the individual seeking employment.

That all being said, it’s still possible to be a strong, productive recruiter so long as you have and utilize a set of traits that will differentiate yourself from the competition. While there are surely differing opinions on this subject, most recruiters will agree that the following ten traits are those of a productive recruiter.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

1. Persistence

The phrase “persistence is key” takes on a whole new meaning when thinking in terms of recruitment. Being a persistent recruiter means that you don’t give up on your candidate, and you continually seek new positions for them, no matter the time of day.

Most recruiters have to try several times before successfully placing one individual in a new position, so the more effort you’re willing to put in, the better off your recruitment efforts will be. That being said, don’t fall into the trap of working too long for one person that you aren’t going to be able to place. Know when to quit and know when not to give up, as there’s a big difference between the two.

2. Time Management Skills

I can’t stress enough how important time management is when thinking in terms of recruitment. Think about your day to day: you come in, grab some coffee, check your emails, all the while having several side conversations. Now think of where you are at the end of the day, either scrambling to finish in time or putting off what’s left for tomorrow.

A productive recruiter knows how to manage their time effectively, throughout the day, from the time they walk into the office to the time they leave to go home. Without managing your time, there’s not much work to be done. When you manage your time well, you can get more done in a day than most other recruiters, which already gives you an edge over the rest.

Recruiters that know how to manage their time often do the best financially, and that’s simply because they’re doing more in the day. Now imagine how that would look if you managed your time well and embodied all other characteristics on this list. Yeah, the financial incentive is endless.

3. Organized

Productive recruiters are more organized than most, by necessity. When working as a recruiter, you often have more than one individual you are working with at a time. For some, hundreds and for others thousands. Managing this large number of people at one time isn’t an easy task, and it’s nearly impossible if you don’t keep yourself organized.

In my personal experience as a recruiter, I kept a spreadsheet of all candidates that I worked with, marking down all important factors so I could quickly filter through the list when a new position opened up. For others, keeping paper documents, resumes and other distinguishing documents at their desk help them to keep track of which candidates are qualified for which jobs.

You also have to consider the number of times an applicant has applied to a job, as well as their other pending applications, interviews and potential offers. Staying on top of all of this information for one person is hard enough, but for thousands? Impossible without organizational skills.

Each recruiter will choose methods that work best for them, but it’s important that you choose something, otherwise the odds of you losing your candidates is more likely.

4. Personable

It’s no secret that recruiters will work with more people than they probably ever imagined. When recruiting, you will also work with many different types of people, all requiring a different level of engagement on your end.

When I was recruiting, I would work with individuals that needed daily check-ins, others that wanted to touch base once a week and others still that only wanted to hear from me once a month (or less) unless there was a position that would be of interest to them.

From here, the means of communication also varied. Some individuals wanted to speak on the phone, others just wanted to speak via email and some preferred texting (an option that’s been growing in popularity).

So yes, it’s safe to say that being personable will help you greatly in this role, as the more you’re able to appease your candidate’s needs, the more likely they are to return to you as a recruiter for assistance.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

5. Articulate

Along these same lines, it’s important that recruiters are articulate and can speak to people without hesitation. A large part of recruitment requires in-person or telephonic interviews that will not only help you determine whether or not an individual is worth working with, but it will also help that individual determine whether or not they want to work with you.

For this reason, the more articulate you are, the more likely you are to spark a candidate’s interest and to maintain their loyalty. Recruiters that can’t communicate well have problems retaining their candidates, as they are more likely to switch to a recruiter that’s better suited for their job search.

For this reason, always be sure to communicate openly and honestly with your candidates, and ensure you’re articulate in doing so, as this is truly the way in which you will retain all of your candidates.

6. Determined

As stated before, finding a person a job isn’t as easy as it sounds. Not only do you have to find a position that the individual is actually qualified for, but you also have to find a job that the individual is going to be interested in, interview well for and ultimately decide to take if offered.

And when that process can take weeks to months, it’s clear that these candidate relationships are long-term and that finding the individual a position is going to take a certain level of determination not common in most jobs.

Some recruiters will tell you they worked with individuals for years as they changed jobs, hoping to find that one position where they planned to stay forever. Others will tell you they reuse the same candidates for multiple short-term jobs and maintain their relationship that way.

Whichever method of recruitment works best for you and your candidate, the amount of determination you have to find them a job is what’s going to set you apart from the rest. So a productive recruiter is always determined and, for the most part, that determination pays off in the end.

Infographic via Canva

7. Realistic

Conversely, a realistic recruiter is a productive recruiter. There will be times that you’ve worked with a candidate for so long to no avail that you have to make a decision: whether or not you should continue working with that individual.

In my personal experience, I worked with a candidate that had a strong resume, was personable and responsive, all traits I looked for in a candidate. However, she lived in an area in which I didn’t see many positions come through, so the pool of companies was limited. I was able to place her in a short-term position, still looking meanwhile for another opening. She received an interview with another company and was ultimately offered the job, but the company rescinded their offer due to a prior manager’s comments regarding her work ethic. As I had no other alternatives for her, I had to not only tell her she wasn’t getting that job, but I also had to tell her that I could no longer be of assistance to her.

Conversations like that are not easy, but they are necessary as sometimes you will find it’s a waste of everyone’s time to continue working with someone that you know you can’t place. Therefore, a productive recruiter always knows when to say enough is enough and think realistically about whether or not someone is worth the time and energy a recruiter puts into finding them a job.

8. Persuasive

A productive recruiter is also persuasive. While you can’t tell someone whether or not they should take a job, a recruiter will often find themselves persuading a candidate one way or another, without directly stating what they think the candidate should do.

When I was a recruiter, I had a candidate that was currently working, but seeking other opportunities. This individual was making a lot of money, but wasn’t happy with the company culture. I found him a new position, got him an interview and he was ultimately offered the position. However, the salary was significantly lower. In a conversation with this candidate, he asked what I would do.

Per my company’s policy, I couldn’t give him an answer one way or the other. That being said, I could explain the situation as I saw it. I told him he was making more money where he’s at, so moving would require a pay cut, so I asked him if that’s something that’s even an option financially. He said that it was, so I explained the next step. The company he’s currently at has a culture he’s unhappy with, but based on his interview feedback, this new company sounds like it’s much better suited for his personality, which he agreed with. So ultimately, I told him it came down to what’s more important.

If he was happy in his current role with his current salary, he should stay. However, if he thought he would be happier in this new role and could financially handle a pay cut, he should take the new position.

There are times in which persuasion can be used, though it requires a much more subtle approach in terms of recruitment.

9. Energetic

Perhaps obvious based on the job itself, a recruiter needs to appear energetic and excited about a candidate’s opportunities at all times. It sounds childish, but it’s rather exhausting, so it’s important to know this ahead of time.

Candidates will get defeated after a few failed interviews or great interviews that didn’t end in an offer. It’s then your job to step in and build them back up so they’re ready and prepared for the next round of interviews/applications.

Again, it seems like that’s a rather generic trait, but it’s absolutely essential when considering how long you may work with a given candidate and exactly what those efforts are going to require on your end.

10. Dedicated

A productive recruiter is also dedicated to their candidate. They will put in a large amount of time and energy into finding a candidate a job, and it’s tiring, sometimes thankless, work.

Each candidate you work with will require a certain level of dedication on your end, which can become a lot more involved than you may have initially thought. I worked with recruiters that spent their evenings searching job boards for candidates they’d been working with for months. Those recruiters typically ended up placing the most candidates in positions.

On my end, I made sure to touch base with every candidate I worked with at least once a month, if not more. If there was a new position, I reached out to each candidate immediately. That being said, recruitment requires communication on both ends, so you have to be willing to reach out to your candidates multiple times about the same position just to get an answer.

A dedicated recruiter is a strong recruiter, there’s no doubt about it, and they will undoubtedly be a productive recruiter as well.

Being a productive recruiter isn’t an easy task. It takes hard work and requires a certain level of self-motivation that most other positions don’t. For this reason, it’s easy to fall into a trap in which you feel stuck and allow that feeling to consume you.

Instead, envision these ten traits and use them to define your recruitment method and reimagine the steps you aren’t doing correctly. Then, you’ll without a doubt become a more productive recruiter.

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