Over the last decade, the recruitment industry has changed a lot so if you’re an ambitious recruiter, looking to get promoted these days, then you’ve really got to adapt with the times.
Here are the four skills that will prove you’re an A+ recruiter and earn you a promotion in today’s market…1. Be an awesome marketer
To me, recruitment has always been about storytelling – it’s our job to tell our candidates a compelling story about exactly what a role can do for them. At its core, this is marketing!
These days, being a top-billing recruiter goes hand in hand with being a savvy marketer. Being able to market yourself and your jobs is the key to reaching more candidates and making a name for yourself in this industry.
Something as simple as learning how to write better job ads can help you move away from writing generic ads that sound like every other out there. Instead, you’ll have targeted, relevant and compelling ads that attract and convert the candidates your competitors can't reach.
Similarly, if you want to get ahead, you need to get noticed across all your channels. Have you ever thought about implementing a social media strategy or building up your own personal brand? Add these marketing tactics to your toolkit, and you’ll be on your way to becoming an influencer in your niche. The more valuable you are across all your channels, the sooner clients and candidates will see you as a recruiter worth knowing.
Read:How to Develop a Social Media Strategy for Recruitment
2. Be tech-savvy
Not long ago, you could get away with working from an unorganised CRM or worse...a spreadsheet. But if you want to get promoted in today’s industry, it’s best to leave the outdated tech for the recruitment dinosaurs. Technology is constantly changing the way we recruit, so if you want to stay ahead, you need to embrace new tech.
Think of it this way, if you avoid a new piece of technology that will speed up your recruitment process (even by 30 minutes) but your competitors start to use it... then they’re already 30 minutes ahead of you. Do this with more tech, and they'll be hours ahead!
The beauty of tech is that it’s there to do the hard work for you. Once you know your way around a new sourcing tool or CRM feature like bulk archive/delete, you’ll be reaping the long-term benefits of faster and more effective processes that will ultimately make you a better recruiter.
3. Think outside the box
Too many times I’ve heard people say, “we do it this way because it works for us”.In my opinion, if you think you’ve cracked the case and your processes are bulletproof, nine times out of ten you're wrong.
The job market changes rapidly, so relying on the same old tactics time after time won’t get you the results you need to be recognised as an A+ recruiter.
The recruiters that continuously think outside the box are the ones disrupting the industry and paving the way for the future of recruitment. So if you want to reach the top (and stay there) you need to constantly innovate your processes and push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Make it your goal to operate on a different level from everybody else. Think about what value your competitors aren’t bringing to the industry and focus on filling that gap. If you show your clients how valuable and influential you are, they’ll be more likely to buy in on you as a recruiter. Reach this sweet spot and you can start talking up your fees and pitching for more retained contracts.
4. Be data-driven
Top-billing recruiters have always been good at using data and personal KPIs to drive their strategy, and right now, we have access to more data than ever before.
If you look at your recruitment data, analyse it and reflect on your outputs, it can help drive your strategies to success. The data in your CRM is full of information that can help you understand the recruitment industry, candidate behaviours and your own strengths and weaknesses.
Dive into your CRM regularly and look at the data surrounding your recruitment tactics that month. Are candidates ghosting you at a certain point in the recruitment process? Knowing this, you can tighten up your processes. Or maybe the data shows you that you’re filling roles in one industry the most right now that you can laser-focus on and own as your niche
The point is, if you become a data-driven recruiter, you’ll build your strategies around facts, not assumptions! This can help you focus on the areas that truly bring you revenue – the key to upping your game and becoming the best recruiter you can be.
Download the eBook below for tips on how to set personal KPIs that will accelerate your strategies and help you become a top-billing recruiter.
