5 Skills Recruiters Need to be Successful...Now!

The fundamentals of recruiting have not change in decades.

However, the climate in which we recruit and how we execute is constantly changing.? And as recruiters, we have to adapt.? How you recruit today is not how you recruited fifteen, ten, or even as recent as five years ago. In other words, what got you here won’t get you there.

Ah...evolution…isn’t it wonderful?

In today’s recruiting climate, recruiters need to focus on mastering five key skills.? Yes, there are other skills that come into play, but trust me when I say that these five are paramount. Think of them as the 5 C’s:

Canvasing (a.k.a. target recruiting)

Recruiting is a make it happen business and we are in a make it happen climate. Recruiters need to recruit. Proactively seek and hunt down talent.? Not post and pray with ads. Deliver talent your clients cannot and will not find themselves. Stop being lazy. Be intentional and specific as far as candidates you are recruiting. Go where the talent is and focus on what your clients need right now.

Communication

All mediums.? And, yes, that includes verbal. Do not rely on only one medium for communication. Most initial outreach today will be electronic. But, remember that our industry is one built on relationships, so eventually, you need to get on the phone and have a conversation if that is ever going to happen. Wisely incorporate AI for text and email communications but be sure to make it your own. AI is a great compliment for communication, but anything that comes from you needs to be authentically yours, so you will want to edit any AI-generated text and put your personal stamp on it.

Cultivating Relationships

Recruiting always has and always will be about relationships.? With both candidates and clients. Even in today’s age of advanced technology, data tells us that candidates and clients still want human interaction. Especially Gen Z who will comprise almost 30% of the workforce in 2025. Get to know candidates and clients as people, learning what is important to them and what they need. Do not simply treat them as transactions.

Curiosity

Recruiters need to be curious! In order to be successful, recruiters need to be asking a LOT of questions.? And typically, there are always questions behind the questions (thank you John G. Miller!) meaning you need to keep digging and digging and digging.? Recruiters should be asking ‘why’ a lot. The more curious a recruiter is, the better they will understand their candidates and clients. Don’t simply be an order taker. Keep diving into the information until you cannot dive any deeper.

Control

I have long said, “Control what you can control and try not to worry about the rest.” Easier said than done sometimes. We are recruiters.? We are (or should be) control freaks! But we cannot control everything. However, anything we ARE able to control, we should.? Things like your time.? Plan your work and work your plan.? You have control over how you spend your time.? And in that time, you have control over the questions you ask and the information you garner from those questions.? Recruiters need to be able to re-prioritize what they are working on throughout the day based on what is closest to the money. Yes, plan, but know that it is ok (and necessary) to adjust that plan based on shifting priorities. Spend your time wisely. Also, recruiters can control the expectations that are communicated with candidates and clients. Each party should clearly know what is expected of them and what the other expects from them. You can save yourself a lot of angst late in a placement cycle by simply establishing agreed upon expectations early on.

The blessing and the curse of recruiting is that there is no one way to do the business.? However, you will find that the most successful recruiters are all grounded in the same set of fundamentals and they have mastered these five skill areas.

John Ruffini is the Vice President of Professional Development for HealthTrust Workforce Solutions in Sunrise, Florida.?He is a 30-year recruiting veteran, trainer, and motivator and is the author of the Amazon Best Sellers “Money Makers:?Proven Ways to Increase Sales and Productivity in the World of Professional Recruiting” ? and “A Quest for Alex.”