The modern-day recruiter is part-marketer, part-project planner, part-business developer, part-relationship builder… But what does this all mean for a trainee recruitment consultant?
This article outlines the key traits of the very best recruiters in the game, transferable skills, and soft skills that trainee recruiters need to get started in this business. Everyone has to start somewhere - and starting with the right attitude is the key to unlocking the world of recruitment!
The very best recruitment consultants are achievers, and achievers don’t need managing!
Always being prepared, being on the phone constantly, maintaining focus throughout the day, and ultimately creating their success! Having the initiative to do things before being asked, and getting to those clients before they even know they need your services!
Opportunity isn’t just going to hand itself to you, you have to go out and grab it for yourself! Creating opportunities is a key part of being a recruitment consultant - finding and learning clever ways to extract information from both client and candidate conversations. Reacting in the right way, getting something from every call, never missing an opportunity!
Recruiters are salespeople… but better! There’s being good at selling, and then there’s… being a successful recruiter! Learning to sell something is only the first step in your ‘masters’ journey. You have to practice, practice, practice every day, and have the drive to always be better. Never stop learning! There are always new things to learn about your industry.
Having an exceptional work ethic is extremely important when working in recruitment. The top performers in recruitment work hard and put in that extra effort (consistently), but also achieve the best results - obviously! Working harder than you necessarily NEED to, and being efficient is a big part of it - but that has to be combined with a strong work ethic.
First impressions last… but how can you present yourself in the best way? And how can you read a situation to the best of your ability? That’s where emotional intelligence comes in. Top recruiters constantly read the room, assessing situations and charming clients, candidates, and colleagues! Awareness, politeness, respect and great listening skills.
Planning and general organisation skills are key to a successful recruitment career and a great mindset to start off a career in. Having a daily plan, prepared the day before at least, is essential for a smooth day and general work system. Development plans, recruiting plans, meeting schedules, marketing plans are… all-important to follow every day! Avoid chaos!
These traits should be embedded in every recruiter, but we do hire based on potential. Lack of experience doesn’t necessarily mean that skills can’t be learned. Openness to personal and professional development is key!
Most job roles have links to the skills needed to be a recruiter.
Examples of transferable skills for recruitment
The top degrees that people have going into recruitment are:
… relevant to you? Great! If not, don’t worry! Recruitment is one of the only career paths with uncapped potential, yet no qualification requirement. It is what you make it!
Creating an impressive LinkedIn profile is important, and learning to sell yourself at the same time! Despite your lack of experience, building a profile is easier than you think - accumulate all of your key transferable skills and bulk them up. What could be useful for recruitment? What makes you stand out? Personality is the main thing!
Being proactive in your career is a great move. Connect with recruiters, HR contacts, industry-relevant people… start building your network before you even apply for the job! The more people that can see your potential, the better. And when it comes to landing a role - you already have a great network of relevant contacts!
Ultimately...
Can you be a recruiter? Yes, you can! If you do all of these things, you're on the route to a successful career in recruitment!
