Becoming a recruiter can be an exciting and challenging journey. For me, that journey started just over a year ago. Coming from a HR Support background, I had some knowledge and experience with recruitment and knew it was a pathway I wanted to explore. The opportunity to run my own desk and earn based on performance appealed to me however, I went in somewhat blind as to what it’s truly like.
After moving past my one-year milestone and reflecting on everything I’ve learned, here are 5 pieces of advice for someone new to the industry
1. Surround Yourself with Experience.
One of the best ways to learn and grow as a novice recruiter is by surrounding yourself with experienced professionals in the field. Seek out mentors or colleagues who have a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Engage in conversations, ask questions, and actively listen to their insights and experiences. By learning from those who have been in the industry for longer, you can gain valuable insights, avoid common pitfalls, and accelerate your learning curve. Special thank you to everyone here at Connexus who have helped me develop and grow as a recruiter over the past 12 months.
One of the most important things that helped me was being in the office at least 3 days a week. You can learn through osmosis and listening to how the experienced recruiters work and speak helps you find what works for you. This simply won’t be possible if you are working from home 4/5 days a week.
2. Relationships are Key:
Recruitment is a people-centric profession, and building strong relationships is key. The most experienced and successful recruiters have strong relationships with both clients and candidates. Take the time to genuinely connect with candidates, hiring managers, and colleagues.
Act as a trusted advisor, understanding their needs and concerns. Effective communication, empathy, and responsiveness are essential qualities that can help you establish rapport and foster long-lasting relationships.
The stronger your network and relationships, the more opportunities will present themselves.
3. There Will Be Highs (Making a Positive Impact):
Recruiting can be an incredibly rewarding profession. You get the opportunity to help candidates find their dream jobs or at least take the next step towards it. You are helping both candidates and clients.
Celebrate your successes and be proud of the positive impact you have in the world and recognise that your work has the potential to change lives and contribute to the growth of organizations.
Remember this when times are tough and stay resilient. This brings me to my next point which is that there will be low points.
4. There Will Be Lows (Power of Resilience):
Recruitment also comes with its fair share of challenges and setbacks. Resilience is absolutely vital!
There will be times when candidates decline offers, clients change their requirements, or roles may be pulled at the last-minute leaving candidates disappointed.
Once you recognise that there will be lows and this is an unavoidable part of recruitment, you become more resilient and know to pick yourself up and move on to the next one.
5. You’re an Extension of the Client:
Finally, as a recruiter, it’s important to understand that you are an extension of your client’s brand and culture. They are trusting you with their brand and you are representing them the same way you are representing your own employer.
By taking the time to build an in-depth knowledge of your client, their brand and culture, you will be much better positioned to represent them and to communicate their employer value proposition with candidates.
This will lead to stronger relationships with clients and candidates and make you more credible, which in turn will lead to long-term partnerships.
Final Note:
I know it’s not groundbreaking, but these are a few things that I think would’ve benefited me to know starting out and helped me hit the ground running. I’m still early in my recruitment career and know that there is still a lot to learn.
Looking forward to embracing the rest of the journey.
