Top 5 Recruitment Consultant Skills

By GSR2R Admin | 28th September 2021

By hook or by crook.

The recruitment industry has been dragged into the modern way of working with Covid heralding the working from home phenomenon that many other industries have enjoyed.

And guess what. Recruitment businesses have thrived. The pandemic brought around a new historic change to recruitment, with recruitment consultants required to work from home. With any change, comes challenges. There might have been situations where you felt overwhelmed, or your living situation was not conducive to working from home.

At the same time, you might have also learned to handle these challenges admirably, gaining new skills. And the good news is those skills are what will help you and your recruitment organisation’s long-term growth.

5 soft skills for recruitment consultants.

With the rolling in of double doses of vaccines and lifting of lockdowns, businesses are gearing up to re-open again with their traditional setups. The post-pandemic recruitment statistics in 2021 have hit a new record, with the highest number of job vacancies since their last assessment.

That means you can now apply those recruitment skills in your new hiring environment to accelerate your growth and advance your hiring strategies.

Here are the top five recruitment consultant skills you need to succeed in the ‘new typical’.

1. Adaptability

Situations are constantly changing, and so must you.

• Lack of adaptability will stagnate in your recruitment career. When you are adaptable, you prove your capability by going beyond your job description. You must not only adapt to rapid changes in the recruitment market but also your client and candidate’s expectations.
• A good recruiter is continuously updating their skills and experiences to meet the changing demands of their role. Be optimistic about the challenges. Be open-minded and take calculated risks head-on. 

2. Creativity

The pandemic has accelerated innovation in almost everything.

• That includes the recruitment process. Whether it’s demand, requirements, sourcing approaches or engagement, the past two years has provided the opportunity to consider how you recruit and look into new approaches that could yield better results.
• Remote working has not only enabled recruitment consultants to look for fresh talents via different channels, but also enhance their candidate’s customer experience. Virtual hiring, video interviews, more use of AI and the latest technology, has opened new channels for growth. So, you must constantly look at ways to improve your customer experience to improve your bottom line.

3. Personal branding

More and more people are using online platforms especially after the pandemic.

• The digital world has become more transparent, where everyone is a self-promoter. Not being visible online as a recruiter means that the best candidates don’t come to you first. It’s not everyone’s comfort zone. But there are ways to enhance your recruiter profile without being a marketer.
• Everything from LinkedIn social selling index, business network profile, ratings on review sites, social network and online community plays a crucial role in building your personal brand.
• Clients and candidates who research on you are willing to find reputable and authoritative information about you. Make your ambition reaching out to your audience, maximising your exposure. See our top tips to do exactly that.

4. Patience and understanding

Everyone has had their own challenges and experiences that have tested their resolve.

• But now, recruitment jobs are bountiful, and there is pressure to recruit top talent. Make sure you think rationally and have patience. Yes, we are talking about emotional intelligence here.
• Previously simple tasks might now take longer or require more patience to coordinate. From setting up interviews to sourcing and securing in-demand talent.
• Recruitment is no longer just about placements but about the process itself. Building a rapport, showing empathy and engaging with candidates and clients to retain their loyalty. It’s a masterclass in patience and understanding. 

5. Problem solving

As a recruiter, you are the lynchpin between the hiring organisation and your candidate.

• A lot of pressure, and expectations from both candidate and client, rests on your shoulders. As the facilitator, there is an expectation of quick and positive result to secure the best talent for your hiring organisation’s success.
• With speed and efficiency, a top priority, you need to flex your problem-solving muscles. That means real attention to detail, increased communication, and transparency.
• This includes anticipating problems before they arise and have resolutions in your arsenal that work for all parties.
• Consider creating a ‘cheat sheet’ of ‘fixes’ as you go, to reference in the future for similar situations you encounter.

The final word.

Recruiting can be challenging. You know that. It can also be rewarding and lucrative. By developing these soft skills, you’ll be well on your way to face and overcome future challenges. We’ve got some incredible opportunities for you to thrive with organisations that value and reward. Here’s just some of our recruitment jobs to get you thinking.

We regularly share the best tips & practices  just like this one, to help recruiters continue to advance in their career.

Until next time,

Cheryl