Recruiting the Perfect Recruiter

According to The Recruitment & Employment Confederation, the Recruitment Industry typically represents circa £35.1 billion on the UK’s economy per year.

Recruitment is all around us, and at some stage in your life, you will likely be part of the recruitment cycle by way of applying for a new role, going to an interview, changing roles, or maybe you’re the recruiter who goes through the process on a daily basis. But what makes the perfect recruiter?

In the May 2017 publication of Recruitment International, an article written by Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo, highlights the battle that recruitment companies face for finding the best and brightest talent for their business. According to APSCo’s research, UK recruitment will need at least another 15,000 recruiters this year – so it is not surprising there is a struggling to find fresh talent!

Recruitment Guru, Greg Savage’s tip of the month for hiring talent states ‘We must hire DRINCKAEs’. In simpler terms, recruiters should look to be:

• DIGITAL enthusiasts who are competent and comfortable with social media and up-to-date with the ever-changing tech world.
• Individuals who have a good REACH and a real insight into knowing who the best people are to speak with, and how to get hold of them.
• INTELLIGENCE is a big part, both in an emotional and intellectual manner.
• ‘NOT a bad fit for the company’ this is all about your company culture and finding someone who gels well with the values of the company.
• CONTENT, individuals who have a real flair for writing content is always beneficial and it’s a great way to engage and captivate your audience.
• KNOWLEDGE is an important aspect, especially for those recruiters who work in a niche or specialist sector.
• ATTITUDE is always a valuable aspect to look for; the right attitude will always play a part in your success as a recruiter.
• EMPATHY – nobody wants to deal with the pushy, in your face recruiter. It’s all about finding common ground and understanding what the candidate and client want and being able to collaborate with it.

When it comes to recruiting for Foundation Recruitment, it can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack. We go through a rigorous personality profiling and interview process and it’s not always easy to find that real talent that suits our culture. For us, culture and attitude are extremely important. We provide in-depth training to equip new employees with the knowledge and skills to be successful –providing they have the right attitude.

Recruitment is a growing sector, 2,926 new recruitment agencies launched in 2016 so, it is fair to say there are a lot of recruiters out there. However, to be a successful recruiter, we find, takes certain characteristics, especially in our sector, for example, real drive and dominance is always a tick for us. If an individual is motivated, knows what they want and are determined to get it – they stand good stead for a successful future in recruitment. The natural sales flair isn’t a basic characteristic for everyone, but when it comes to recruiting, you need to be personable, influential and professional.

We hire individuals with certain personality characteristics, and since doing so it has enabled us to reach an average vacancy fill rate of over 50%. This means, for every 2 jobs we receive from clients, we will fill at least 1 – which in the recruitment industry, is extremely impressive.

If you’ve recently graduated and are thinking about recruitment, or are considering a career change to recruitment, we find it’s always beneficial that you understand exactly why you want to do it (and not just for the monetary benefits). Think about the real career aspects and try to understand the market you want to get into – recruitment is a thriving and exciting industry to work in, if you are resilient, and have a strong worth ethic it could be the career path for you!

We are hiring! If you think recruitment is for you, check out our ‘work for us’ document to learn more, or contact Jenna Sakim on 0161 694 9719 or  send your CV to jenna.sakim@foundationrecruitment.com

Jenna Sakim, Operations Executive, Foundation Recruitment