If you’re like most recruiters, chances are you fell into the profession. Maybe it was the right advice at the right time or a shrewd sense of self-awareness, but once you found recruiting, you knew it was the right career for you. And now you can’t imagine doing anything else.
Sound familiar? Here are 6 signs you’re a natural-born recruiter:
1.) You’re meticulous
You were the kid who color coded their homework and after-school activities in their planner. Your room was always tidy and you never lost anything, not even a sock in the wash. You love Excel and Google Sheets and a job well done.
Recruiters have a lot on their plate at any given time. Managing job postings and descriptions, reviewing resumes, building recruitment sourcing strategies, interviewing candidates, creating a positive candidate experience, partnering with hiring managers – and setting realistic expectations with them, negotiating offers, ensuring a smooth onboarding, and not letting anything drop along the way is no easy task.
2.) You like to win
Friendly-competitive is how your friends would describe you. You like winning, but you’re not so consumed by it that you would steamroll an eight-year-old in a game of Monopoly. You’re more of a team player and like knowing that your contributions have helped other people get ahead.
Recruiting is a competitive field, no doubt. The war for top talent is fierce, which means having a healthy sense of competition is necessary to win it. Lucky for you, doing so means you also get to be part of other people’s successes.
3.) You’re self-motivated
No one needs to ask you twice to do something. Your parents never had to nag you to clean your room. You always take out the trash and do the dishes. That’s because you’re a self-starter and passionate about whatever you’re doing – all for the sake of personal accomplishment.
Being a recruiter is a little like being a sales rep. You need to have a wellspring of initiative if you want to land top talent for your open roles. Which is why, thanks to your self-motivation, you often come out on top when vying with the competition for the right candidate.
4.) You’re an excellent communicator
You’re not shy. If anything, you’re a self-proclaimed extrovert. You love meeting new people and striking up conversations with strangers. And you can talk to anyone about anything, thanks to an openness of manner that puts people at ease.
Recruiting is a people profession. After all, most of your day is spent talking to or learning about people. Which is a perk for you, since you thrive off of conversation. It’s all part of the process of determining whether a candidate has the right personality and skills to be a good fit.
5.) You’re a problem solver
Stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire and no cell reception? No problem. Fifteen people show up for a dinner party and you only cooked for 10? Easy peasy. No matter the challenge, you keep a cool head and quickly find a solution.
You love recruiting because you enjoy solving hiring manager’s business needs. There’s nothing more rewarding than finding the exact candidate for the job. And you know where to find them, too – thanks to your wide network of connections and an uncanny ability to find purple squirrels
6.) You’re adaptable
Whether it’s unexpected weather on vacation or a last-minute cancellation, you quickly adapt. Setbacks don’t cause you to lose momentum or second guess your decisions – you simply find a different way to move forward, full steam ahead.
This resilience serves you well as a recruiter. Since you can roll with the punches, losing your star candidate to another offer doesn’t phase you. You simply move on and look for your next win. Which means you always find them.
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