What makes a successful recruitment consultant

On this page 1. Build good relationships 2. Embrace technology 3. Have self confidence 4. Be able to negotiate 5. Think about your career development. View all recruitment and HR jobs. With the sector continuing to grow, now's a great time to consider a recruitment career - here's how to ensure you get off to the best possible start 'Working within the recruitment industry provides the perfect opportunity to learn and develop a fantastic array of skills and business attributes,' explains Justin Gettings, director of Leggwork, a construction recruitment company.

Build good relationships Building and maintaining long lasting relationships is a huge part of a recruiter's day-to-day role. Embrace technology Over the last ten years technology has changed the way that most industries operate and recruitment is no different.

Have self confidence It's important to your success as a recruitment consultant to demonstrate the right level of self-confidence. Be able to negotiate Negotiation is a critical part of a recruitment consultant's role.

Think about your career development In order to succeed in recruitment you need to know where your career is heading and how you can progress and move forward. Find out more Read all about the recruitment and HR sector. How would you rate this page? So now the demeanor of a modern recruiter includes empathy, quality, service-ethic, humanity, trust and humility. Many of these skills are as old as our industry itself, but so many recruiters lack even the basics.

I am talking about the ability to finesse outcomes. To influence decision-making. To manage the process. To get a clients to see a candidate who is brilliant in real life, but patchy on paper. To manage a counter-offer. To keep a temp in a role for the full commitment. To negotiate fees and margins. This is where relationships are key. The modern recruiter is a superb candidate manager, a career coach and a part-time psychologist. They have the intellect to engage, negotiate, close and influence.

They have deep industry sector knowledge and so build real trust. And you cannot fake that. The modern recruiter is a skilled networker, in real life and online. Proclinical is proud to boast a number of highly successful life science recruitment consultants, allowing us to place exceptional talent in important life science roles.

At Proclinical, our consultants have the opportunity to vote for their Employee of the Month, in support of the merits and achievements of their colleagues. By studying their daily activities and witnessing many client and candidate interactions, we have been able to compile a list of the key indicators of an outstanding recruitment consultant:.

Our recruitment consultants spend a lot of time speaking on the phone and meeting with people face-to-face each day. Recruitment consultants act as a liaison between employer and prospective employee, trying to negotiate a mutually-beneficial agreement for all parties. As candidates and HR personnel have busy professional and social lives, this can sometimes be challenging and frustrating for recruiters, but it is important for many reasons, including:.

Keeping in regular contact with candidate and client networks after a placement is also good practice for all involved. This is helpful to contractors who are regularly looking for new postings, and for candidates in a time of need i.

Similarly, keeping up a rapport with clients will keep recruitment consultants in tune with their hiring needs, allowing them to continuously meet their requirements and deliver results quickly. The best of our recruitment consultants have exceptional questioning skills. This does not mean interrogating the candidate or client on the other end of the phone. Rather it is about asking the right questions that will enable the recruiter to fully understand their needs and motivations.

This is crucial as without the right information, candidates will be placed in unsuitable roles. If they do not believe that the recruiter is concerned with their best interests or willing to fulfil their needs, the relationship will suffer.

Asking the right questions will help to ensure a technical and cultural fit. A high percentage of employers value candidates who will complement the existing workforce over the best technical skillset. Similarly, candidates are more committed and motivated when they identify with their company. For example, at Proclinical, our consultants ask candidates questions about their ideal company culture, pay and benefits, preferred location and willingness to relocate to ensure that the company will meet their personal needs.

Not knowing these important details from the outset can cause difficulties and delays further down the recruitment process.

The process of gathering information is also very useful for when recruiters are trying to manage expectations. Recruitment consultants cannot hope to locate, connect with and place suitable candidates if they do not possess a strong understanding of the market and industry that they are working within.

Candidates and clients alike will only trust their recruiting partner if they believe that they also fully understand the technical requirements of the role, and how it fits into the company and wider industry. For example, Proclinical operates within the life sciences industry and primarily employs specialist consultants who have a life science degree or industry experience. This means that they will have an in-depth understanding of the roles that they are filling.

For those who do not have this background, Proclinical offers complete training to ensure that they are fully equipped with the knowledge and expertise needed. Understanding what motivates candidates within their industry is also key to being a well-informed recruitment consultant. A lot of this can be achieved by asking questions, as discussed above, but can also be gathered through research. This is particularly useful when trying to engage with passive talent or very senior candidates.

It is also good practice for recruiters to keep track of changes and look out for emerging trends within the industry, so that they can stay one step ahead. In the life sciences industry, these can include regulation changes, redundancies or remediation projects that may call for staffing solutions.

This will put them in a better position to prepare for the changing needs of candidates and clients. A truly pioneering recruitment consultant will always have in mind professional growth. This is not only limited to their own career development, but also the growth of their company, as this in turn will benefit them.

Truly successful recruiters will look to the future, building a strong pipeline, utilising new technology to maximise their productivity and setting aside time each week for business development. You should never be tempted to just send your client loads of CVs in the hope that one will stick.

To be a successful Recruitment Consultant, you need a strong understanding of the market and industry that you are working in. Most recruiters work in specific industries and even some only place candidates in a particular type of position.