I popped a question on my instagram stories last week asking for topics to write about, and I got a few suggestions back which was rad! (PS - go follow my insta for a real time glimpse into my funny mess of a life AND ... career tips 😘).
One of the topics/suggestions that came up was to write about what it takes to be a good recruiter, and what "good" looks like. There's a million articles like this out there - but I thought why the hell not write another one about it ayyyye? So I did. WHEEEEEE!
It's an interesting (potentially controversial) topic, because ... it's totally subjective, right?! What someone finds useful in a recruiter might be really annoying to the next person ... but I thought I'd pop some thoughts in here about what are 3 universal ways a recruiter can be "good" ...
1. They communicate consistently and often - PARTICULARLY now during the pandemic.
I've seen lots of articles, posts and comments over the past few months talking about the power and importance of communication with candidates. Recruiters - please communicate with people that apply for a job you've posted - if you're using an ATS it's not hard. It's actually so easy ... you're a dick if you don't contact candidates when they're unsuccessful or there's been a hold up in the process. Select all the candidates in your ATS requisition, then send a bulk email to them with an update. Just do it!
I think the reason I've seen this as one of the main topics of discussion recently is because now, more than ever, communication is so important. How awful to be jobless, or job hunting during a pandemic. If you're in Melbourne - add the anxiety of only being allowed outside for 1 hour once a day, not being able to smile or receive smiles from strangers due to masks, not having your usual support network at arm's length anymore, and then being ghosted by potential employers. Fuck that - communicate!!!
EASY ACTION ITEM #1: Pop a cheeky recurring Friday afternoon reminder in your calendar to contact all active candidates you're working with. I've got one in mine. I do it with a wine in my hand to make it more fun.
2. They don't sugar coat things or tell white lies.
Don't fucking lie. This advice is as much for me as everyone else - I've been caught out doing this before, where I lied about where a process was up to or why a candidate was unsuccessful because I didn't want to hurt their feelings ... and each time I learned the hard way to JUST TELL THE TRUTH! I've also been on the receiving end of a lie from a recruiter.
People can tell if you're lying. White lies to protect someone's feelings (or to get out of having a difficult conversation) do more harm than good, trust me ...
A pet peeve of mine is sugar coating unsuccessful feedback, or providing really high level "someone was just better" feedback to someone that has taken the time to meet you for an interview. If the hiring decision was fair, equitable and above board then you shouldn't feel guilty about providing someone with some useful and constructive action items that they can work on in preparation for their next interview. Whether they take this feedback onboard or not is nothing to do with you - your job as a recruiter is to give them the info and facts on how their interview outcome was decided.
EASY ACTION ITEM #2: If a candidate was unsuccessful due to something concerning they said in the interview with you, the way they presented or maybe the examples they provided didn't hit the mark - tell them that! I also recommend (if feasible) providing feedback a day or two after providing someone with an unsuccessful outcome. That way they can process the "no", and be in a better frame of mind to really listen to the feedback when you give it.
I've cried before when told I was unsuccessful, so it definitely wouldn't have been the best time to jump straight into giving me feedback or telling me where I went wrong. I ended the conversation as quickly as I could so the recruiter couldn't hear my sobs and sniffles.
At the start of the feedback conversation, outline how you will structure the feedback and then provide it! "Thanks for taking 10 minutes to run through some feedback with me today - I'm going to start with the areas you did well in, and then go through the areas you could improve for next time."
Don't ignore people's requests for feedback either - that's just mean. It takes guts for someone to tackle the rejection head on and request feedback, don't dismiss it. Give them the time of day - 5 minutes is all it takes. If you don't provide them with feedback, I promise you that they will go away and start trying to guess why they were unsuccessful (we've all been there). Why not put them out of their misery with a quick 5-10 minute convo 😊
3. They know their values, and what is right and wrong.
We've all been there - a hiring manager or client asks you to do something that doesn't sit right and makes you feel sick in the stomach. They make a comment that you think is disrespectful or makes you angry. They break the magical recruitment "rules" because they want someone quickly, they want to hire a friend, they only want to hire a specific gender or culture of person etc.
In my eyes, a good recruiter acts as an advisory service and owes it to their client or hiring manager to advise them on best practice. Hypothetical - if you hired a financial planner, you'd expect them to advise you against spending $500 on makeup at Mecca every pay day! You might ignore the advice and spend the money anyway (like me), but you'd expect your financial planner to at least advise you against this.
It's the same for recruiters - you need to provide your hiring manager with all the information they need to make the right choice, and if needed ... you can advise them on the ramifications of a bad choice as well. If they then decide to go against your advice then at least you tried (make sure you document somewhere or let someone know what is happening - in case you get thrown under the bus when things go pear shaped).
Of course, if they go and do something downright illegal (blatant discrimination etc) and you have tried your best to warn them away from this ... then my suggestion would be to withdraw yourself from that process altogether and report it up the line ... but I digress.
EASY ACTION ITEM #3: Don't be afraid to stick up for yourself and what is right! Your clients/hiring managers will respect you more for it (you're their recruitment version of a financial manager, don't forget). If you feel in your gut that something isn't right, then talk to someone about it! I'm always here for you if you need to spitball some ways out of a sticky situation. Chances are I've experienced something similar myself. Hit me up!
If you're reading this I'm keen to know your thoughts on what makes a "good" recruiter, or good recruiters you've had experiences with in the past?
Comments