So you want to be a great recruiter? What exactly does that mean?

At Protis Global, we have learned that the best recruiters all have a few things in common. So when we’re hiring, we look for five specific traits:

1.   COMMUNICATION

Your ability to communicate effectively with clients and candidates will be the difference between success and failure. Understanding the level of communication people need, how they like to receive it, and even listening for unsaid things takes patience and skill. Communicating expectations, experience, and goal posts will ensure everyone knows exactly what’s going on. Sometimes it even means having the confidence to pick up the phone and have a difficult conversation to ensure no room for error.

2.   EMPATHY

One of the most important attributes a person can have in modern business is recruitment. Having the ability to understand a client’s pain points, as well as a candidate’s concerns, will mean you’re always in a position to look at the bigger picture. As a recruiter, you’re changing lives and dealing in human capital, and that’s a huge responsibility. It is not to be taken lightly, and therefore you must understand the emotions behind every human interaction… Or at least do so through empathy.

3.   URGENCY

As a recruiter, this world never stops. It’s fast-paced, and things can change in a heartbeat. Can you run at walls and scale mountains when you need to? Do you have the ability to pivot as necessary and make things happen quickly and effectively? At least five other lives are affected by every human interaction in recruitment. Whether that’s a successful hire, which changes the workload for everyone in a team, or someone who’s just relocated and brought their family with them, as recruiters, we can change lives as quickly as we are willing to. And in this market, it needs to be more so than usual.

4.   CONFIDENCE

Where does your confidence come from? Is it from decades of experience in a specific industry? Does it stem from learning from past failures and building upon those? Generally speaking, confidence doesn’t mean you need to be the loudest person in the room. However, it can come in many forms, and you must advocate for both candidates and clients effectively by instilling your expertise through conversations. Or maybe it has the confidence to be courageous with the resumes you send or the solutions you offer clients.

5.   CURIOSITY

Question everything. Be curious about clients’ businesses and goals. Be curious about what candidates need and want. Peel back the superficial layers and see what sits beneath the skin of the daily people you talk to. Question traditional ways of doing things, suggest better ways of operating, be curious about why things are done a certain way, and always look to understand the bigger picture. Clients and candidates (and even your team) will thank you for it later.

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? We are currently expanding our team and looking for a new Search Consultant (Recruiter) to join us! Please email your resume to our Director of People and Development, Juan Saavedra, or reach out to him via LinkedIn to learn more.