8 Ways to Get your Recruiting Career Off to the Right Start

 Decided to become a recruiter? Congratulations on choosing a career path that promises to be exciting, fulfilling, and, if you’re successful, highly lucrative. If you’re like most recruiters, you didn’t plan on entering the field. Perhaps you had a positive experience as a job seeker and wondered what it would be like to be on the other side of the phone. Or maybe one of your friends is a recruiter and thought you would excel in the role. Whatever drew you to the field, there are proven activities and approaches that can help you get off to a fast start.

1. Jump in

The best way to gain experience is to jump right in. Within your first two weeks, start calling potential clients. Start with smaller clients to get your feet wet. They’ll be easier to reach and will give you an opportunity for more conversations. You may not have the polish and expertise that will eventually come with experience, but you’d be surprised how far passion – and a dose of naiveté – will get you. The more calls you make early on, the more comfortable you will feel. A common mistake new recruiters make is waiting too long before making calls; as time passes, the pressure often builds. Jump in and make the calls.

2. Tell everyone

The minute you start your new gig, get the word out. For many recruiters, their immediate network of friends and contacts will provide their initial pool of candidates. Ask your contacts to connect you with people they know who are high performers in your area of specialty. Post a message about your new position on your social media accounts. Within 2-3 weeks you should have a solid list of potential candidates in your database.

3. Skip lunch

You need to eat and everyone needs a break from their desk, but consider using your lunch hour to get ahead. Bring your lunch to work 2-3 days per week, and instead of taking your full lunch break on those days, put in the extra time making cold calls, researching candidates, and reading up on industry news and blogs. Clients are paying for your expertise – being a knowledgeable resource is the quickest way to earn their trust. What do you do with the remaining 2-3 lunches per week? Get out of the office and meet clients and candidates for lunch meetings. As the saying goes, “never eat alone.”

4. Build your hot list

As you meet with candidates, start building a database of your most marketable prospects. Note their motivations and what they’re looking for in their next opportunity. Every candidate is different. Spend time getting to know each person so you can present opportunities that mesh well with his or her goals. Don’t make the rookie mistake of trying to remember the details of your conversations. Rather, log them in your applicant tracking system as soon as you can. It won’t be long before you’ve had hundreds of conversations that start blending together. Without detailed notes, you’ll be lost.

5. Meet face-to-face

In this business, you’ll soon notice that many clients and candidates are more likely to email you back than they are to call. While communicating in your clients’ preferred method makes sense, don’t fall into the trap of forsaking face-to-face meetings. There is no substitute for in-person interactions when it comes to understanding the nuances of the position your client is hiring for or the true motivations of a candidate. In-person connections are vital for building long-term relationships in the recruiting business.

6. Ask strong questions

Remember, it is your job to facilitate a strong match, not to convince a candidate to take a job. Asking the right questions will help you dig deeper into a candidate’s motivations. Questions we like to ask are:

• What is most important to you in your next role?

• Thinking about your past roles, when were you the happiest?

• What companies do you admire? Why?

• What challenges are you looking for in a role?

• If you could describe the perfect role, what would it be?

For each of the questions, keep digging past the candidate’s initial answers to get to his/her true motivations. Only by understanding what makes your candidate tick can you really understand where the person will best fit.

7. Listen more than you speak

The best recruiters are great listeners. If you’re spending more time talking than you are listening to your clients and candidates, you’re more than likely missing valuable information. Ask the questions and then listen carefully.

8. Return phone calls

In the early days, expect to feel like you are working 24 hours a day. That is okay. You are learning, and the more information and experience you soak up, the better. One final, but important tip: Always return emails and phone calls from clients and candidates. It’s amazing how few recruiters are responsive. Just doing this one simple thing can separate you from most of your competition.

Note: a big thank you to Melissa Campbell, Casey Landers, and Lisa Durham at Murray Resources for sharing their wisdom for this article.