Characteristics of a good recruiter today: 4 key factors

The world of personnel recruitment is in constant change. The best strategies and channels to find candidates are not the same as 5 years ago, and you can be sure these will change in the next 5 years. For that reason, it’s always necessary to adapt to the current context and add new skills to our profile. Do you know what are the characteristics of a good recruiter today? 

You should think of your professional skills as tools in a box which you always must keep ready and with the most modern implements. At T2W we have many years of experience in the world of personnel planning and recruiting, so we can help you to keep updated. In his article we will show you what are the most important skills of recruiters.  

1. They have communication skills 

Communication has always been one of the best talent acquisition skills. After all, this is job requires contacting people you don’t know and for that purpose you need a functioning set of communication skills. However, in recent years this has gained more relevance. Why is that? 

Well, today is very important offering a good candidate experience. This requires having frequent and close communication with applicants. This can happen through phone calls, messaging apps or emails. Regardless of the channel you choose, all recruiters must actively contact other people. 

What communication skills needs a recruiter exactly? While it’s important being good at all the communication skills there are, you must focus mainly in two of them. First, clarity while delivering your messages in order to avoid misunderstandings. Therefore, depending on the channels you choose to communicate with applicants, you will have to refine your verbal skills or your writing skills. 

On the other hand, you cannot forget about the empathy. In a context that requires active communication between recruiter and candidate, it is necessary to put yourself in the shoes of the people waiting to hear about their status in the recruitment process. Among all the communication skills, empathy will allow you to have better processes and happier applicants. 

2. They are technology-driven 

Today technology has a strong influence over every single step of the recruitment process. Modern recruiters have many tools to make a quicker and more effective work. These tools go from Applicant Tracking Systems to Chrome extensions that show you the contact information of people in social media. 

A modern recruiter shouldn’t live oblivious to the platforms of the digital world. One of the characteristics of a successful recruiter is the eagerness to embrace new technology. That has to move recruiters to look for new tools available to make a better job. After all, the digital world rapidly renew itself. 

3. The have research skills 

As we previously mentioned, today’s professional world is enhanced by technology. The internet offers a wide landscape where professionals from different fields gather to talk about subjects relevant for them and find new job opportunities. This is the part recruiters could leverage. For that reason, another of the skills of a recruiter are research capabilities. 

Recruiters shouldn’t focus only on social media. That is important, but it’s just a part of the digital world. What digital spaces are we talking about? Recruiters have to look for different forums, groups and niche platforms specific candidates are using. This opens a new world of possibilities, especially when it comes to looking for specific profiles such as IT professionals. 

4. They are organized and systematic 

A modern recruiter has to handle many different tasks at the same time, some of which require attention to detail. This is why being organized and methodic is really useful for these professionals. The most efficient recruiters usually build talent pools, which is perfect to have a database of qualified talent always at hand. 

That is really useful, but it requires organizing candidates and classifying them based on field and suitability for certain positions. That can take some time, which in recruitment time is a very valuable resource. Likewise, a modern recruiter has to check hundreds of candidates in a short time. 

How can we avoid wasting valuable working hours? First, being organized helps you finishing complex tasks without omitting details or skipping steps. Then, being systematic allows you to repeat in a quick and methodic way the processes learned so that they gradually take less time. 

These are some of the main characteristics of a great recruiter. Do you already have some of them? Going back to the initial analogy of the toolbox, remember that is not only important to have all the tools, but also you have to give them the necessary maintenance. In other words, keep working on the qualities of good recruiter you already have. That is the best way to be a great professional. 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.