There is no doubt that recruitment is a really challenging industry. It takes a certain kind of person to become really good at it. Even with the core skills of great relationship building, communication, sales and tenacity, great recruiters are always finding ways of improving themselves and their game. So let’s look at some of the most common barriers.
1. Failure knocks you down
If you are one of those people who feels instantly demotivated when failure gets in the way, recruitment may not be for you. Some of the time, the recruitment process will not run to plan, so you have to be resilient and able to pick yourself straight back up when things go wrong. Great recruiters have a Plan B and view a ‘no’ as an opportunity for a different strategy. This leads us on to no.2…
2. You lack persistence
Tenacity and persistence are key skills in this game, and the chances are they will be a core part of your personality if you exhibit them. Great recruiters never give up. They don’t hassle or ‘bug’ clients when they aren’t getting their way, but they do have clever back-up plans and always bounce back.
3. You’re rubbish at getting back to people
Recruiters are always on the phone, on the email and meeting clients and candidates in person. They are constantly networking and organising, so that conversations are flowing and progress is being made. Great recruiters also know to strike when the iron is hot in order to win and retain business. If you aren’t organised and don’t get back to people quickly, you will rapidly lose business and see your book diminish. Clients need to feel that you are there for them when they need you. And candidates need to be caught quickly before they get poached.
4. You struggle to develop relationships
It’s good to get straight to the point when the situation requires it, but you still need to have first class relationship building skills when you speak to clients and candidates. The better your relationships, the ‘stickier’ you will find your business. It is far harder to go elsewhere when you feel engaged and tied in with a good recruiter. Speak to your clients about the things that you know are important to them, and that they enjoy. Find out what they have been up to, make notes about it, and refer to it later on. You will demonstrate that you listen, are interested, and that you put your heart and soul into your business relationships.
5. You don’t enjoy it
This is perhaps the most important factor that will drive all of your experiences and behaviours in the role. To succeed in recruitment, you need to love it. Not only do you have to be motivated by sales and commissions, but you need to love building strong relationships, really delivering for your clients and candidates in striving to be the best recruiter in the industry. You will be passionate about matching the right talent to the right employer and really believe in your client and their offer too, demonstrating how you add measurable value to their business in the process.
