WHAT MAKES A RECRUITER SUCCESSFUL?

So, you’re considering a career in recruitment. Maybe you want a change of scenery from your current job???Or perhaps you’ve just graduated and you're looking to start a?brand new role??Whatever your reasons for looking into recruitment, there’s one thing you need to know – it’s a demanding but highly rewarding career.

Recruitment can offer a great array of rewards and incentives, along with quick, meritocratic career progression from a young age. Coupled with uncapped commission and high potential incomes for those who thrive in a work-hard-play-hard culture, there’s no wonder that it’s a popular choice. But how do you know if you're cut out for it?

The job of recruitment is all about marrying sales skills with psychological skills. That is to say, in order to be good at the job you need to have an innate ability (developed on with good training) to present things in a good light, the tenacity to keep going when you think something is of value, a genuine interest in people that really helps you understand them and the capacity to build strong, sustainable relationships. Sales and good service could be two key words to describe a great recruiter. Add to that a huge amount of hard work in speaking to candidates and clients and following a process to make placements, and you have the essence of recruitment.

It is clear great recruiters do need the power of persuasion and the capacity to give great service. What does it take to be a successful salesperson? Let’s take a look at the definition of sales. Many recruiters will be deterred immediately from the idea that they are in a sales role. Many others will not see it as debateable. Whichever group you fall into, let’s explore this concept for a moment. For many people sales is pushing people into things they do not want to do or buy. Some people sell like this. Sometimes it works. The capacity to work across global boundaries is also important, because 55 per cent of his business is now done overseas.

At? DIGGER , we specialise in taking on people with raw talent and giving them the training, knowledge,?and skills to excel. Because make no mistake, recruitment is not for the faint-hearted, and there are certain qualities you absolutely must have?in order?to succeed.

Here are 6 key qualities I look for in new Consultant:

1 - Drive

Recruitment is a very demanding career, and you need to search, use leads and find contacts to succeed. Trainee recruitment consultants may have to work long hours at a very intense level to hit their targets.?

How driven you are will greatly affect how successful a consultant you will be. Career progression can be quick in recruitment, but it’s all down to you – you need to have a clear set of achievements in mind, and have the desire to progress. If you possess this sort of self-motivation, then it’ll stand you in good stead.?It’s no coincidence that the recruiters who work hardest and smartest tend to earn the most money.

2 - Emotional Intelligence

Recruitment is a people-based business. You’ll be on the phone most of the day, whether that’s talking to people you’ve placed about their current work or introducing yourself to potential new candidates.

You should be able to understand and relate to others, put yourself in their shoes and understand what motivates them. Only through understanding their concerns and motivations can you demonstrate credibility and earn their trust, which is crucial to a recruitment career.

3 - Conscientiousness

A?consultant should be prepared to work hard and work efficiently. They should live by the motto ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’; always mindful of their choices, setting long-term goals and going about their work in a deliberate, measured fashion.

It cannot be overstated just how important it is to be thorough and organised. Recruiters have to take on multiple priorities every day, and it takes a certain type of person to not just keep on top of the ever-shifting workload, but to stay ahead of it and excel.

4 - Resilience

You take a lot of rejection as a recruitment consultant, and you’ll have to get used to that quickly.?Candidates will turn you down for better job offers, clients will stop answering calls at a critical time, or?you may?just be told?to go away.?Your work won’t always go to plan, and you’re going to have to deal with it.

A strong character is required, because maintaining optimism is a huge, yet often overlooked part of this business. The motivation to carry on even after multiple knocks back is an invaluable trait for a trainee recruitment consultant.

5 - Good Listening Skills

Effective communication is key.?As the old saying goes, you have two ears and only one mouth.?It’s all well and good if you think you can sell snow to the Eskimos, but the gift of the gab will only get you so far.

Knowing how to listen, rather than waiting for your turn to speak, means you can quickly identify problems and propose effective solutions. Again, this is a people-based business, and you need to be able to give advice that can help advance your candidates, not just yourself.

6 - Personality

A major part of the job is building up a rapport with people you’ve never met before, so great social skills are a must. If you spend the majority of your day talking, you need to be personable, friendly and empathetic.

Building authentic rapport with others is difficult, and does not come naturally to everyone. However, it should to a recruiter – recruitment is?very social and you’ll always be working with or talking to others, so you need to be the kind of person who thrives in that environment.

7 - Internal Locus of Control

A person with an internal locus of control believes that he or she can influence events and their outcomes, while someone with an external locus of control blames outside forces for everything. Someone that is self-analysing and always looking for ways to improve their process and language.

Recruiters - sales advice 101. And essential for any successful recruiter: Managing your sales funnel effectively is about combining the highest possible volume (of suitable candidates) with the best possible quality (conversion rate at each stage.) Not one or the other. You have to do both. So far, so obvious. The difficult part? Being able to identify the true root cause of blockages. Thats the bit that’s easy to get wrong. But also how you start to get really good.

These are just some of the essential qualities I look for in?consultants and they're fundamental for new recruits at DIGGER . If you think you have what it takes after reading this post, that's a great sign.??Why not take a look at our website to find out more about joining our team.

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