How to Hire a Recruiter
Just as the gear changes the rate and energy into motion, the great recruiter starts a positive talent motion in an organization. Great recruiters have to be found, too.
If you have previously worked with an in-house recruiter, then you already have an idea of what KPIs they should fulfill and what qualities they need to possess, but if you’re a young company, then you probably still have more questions than answers.
Tip 1: The first thing to do, just like when looking for any employee, is to formulate clear requirements for the result that you want from a recruiter, otherwise you will not be able to find a person who will meet your expectations.
This list of requirements will form the basis of a good job description and will serve as a clear guideline for you when considering candidates.
You have already determined what results the recruiter should demonstrate, now create their portrait.
Tip 2: Make a full description: include things like type of temperament, what their past work experience should look like, preferred location, what knowledge and skills they should have, etc.
After the list is ready, rate the importance of each item from 1 to 10 (1 — unimportant, 10 — super important). This will create a portrait of an ideal candidate for the position.
Yes, all these procedures take time. But once you have completed these requirements you no longer have to spend time reviewing a bunch of resumes, conducting time-consuming interviews, and wondering if an employee is a good fit or not. You will already have a clear answer to the question: who do you need?
Tip 3: Finding great talent is a two-way street — sell your company to the candidates. Many startup founders falsely assume that candidates will want to join their companies because their product is the best, but candidates don’t know that yet! Add details to the good job description, share facts about the company, team, culture, values, and so on. If you’re trying to find someone who will represent your company in the future, make sure they understand what they’re representing.
Tip 4: Don’t look for the perfect candidate. Look for someone with potential.
In the modern workforce the candidate’s potential, passion, and desire to learn have become more important than education or sometimes even experience. In the era of active technological processes and globalization, the past experience becomes less important, hard skills are obtainable. Take a closer look at the soft skills, evaluate how quickly they adapt to new environments, whether they are willing to get out of their comfort zone and how quickly they absorb new knowledge. Treat your recruiter not as a hired employee, but as an essential part of the company, and give them a chance to develop personally and professionally with the company’s growth.
Tip 5: Gather References About the Candidate
Now you already know what past results the candidate should have achieved. It’s time to find out if the applicant can actually reproduce those results. The best way to do this is to collect references.
Make the phone calls, personal recommendations are best and they are more valuable and more truthful than written ones. Ask to provide contacts of former employers, colleagues, and subordinates (if any). Among general questions, ask how they worked with challenges and unexpected changes, especially if you run a startup.
Tip 6. Testing & Personal Brand
During the interview, the applicant may embellish reality and their capabilities, so there should be testing interviewing part to see the person in action. You can ask the candidate to describe their thinking and decision-making processes and test them on skills related to the job description. Check not only how fast they can find candidates, but how they match your description and ask, how would the recruiter build a cold conversation with them.
A personal brand is a crucial part of the full-cycle recruiter. If the recruiter wants to hire A-players, they need to build the relationships first. Check the recruiter’s Linkedin network, ask for the previous companies or clients and top placed candidates, are they still in touch?
Tip 7. The great recruiter has a price
By listing the requirements for an applicant and the results of their work, you will understand what level of specialist you need. You should realistically assess how much such an applicant will ask for and whether you are ready to pay them such compensation (Plus benefits and stock options).
Sometimes it is necessary to reduce requirements if your salary funds are limited, to do you can hire a remote specialist, distributed work is a new normal.
Tip 8. Apply to your network, do they know good recruiters?
Finding a great recruiter can be a challenge. Personal connections provide the highest quality recruitment channel. By giving a personal recommendation, someone puts their reputation on the line, so they usually think twice about who they recommend.
Professional communities can also come to the rescue. The advantage of appeals in such communities is that specialists in a narrow circle know each other well and can give honest feedback. Facebook, LinkedIn, Slack, and Discord communities can help you find good specialists, you just need to find an entry point to these closed groups.
Tip 9. Are they curious and ready to grow?
Recruitment can seem to have an easy entry-level, but as in any profession, the person has to grow to become a specialist. A good recruiter strives to be in the flow of events, undergoes additional training (courses), attends professional events (training and seminars), and has great networking skills. Working with tech or any other industry, they have to understand it and always stay with up-to-date news and changes.
The ideal recruiter maintains good relationships with people from past jobs, quickly gets in touch with new people, inspires confidence, finds common ground with everyone, and has the skill of persuasion.
Tip 10. Look for a person with an occupational deformity.
Professional deformation is an indicator of the growth of a specialist, no matter how strange it may sound. Recruiters with professional deformations are obsessed with work. Meeting new people at a conference, being at an alumni party, attending meetings of the residents of the house — they consider everyone as potential candidates. When a person like their work, they focus on results.
If you’re looking for the best recruitment match, ask Equally Talent, we are happy to talk!
