What are the top characteristics of a successful recruiter?

Recruitment can be a competitive and target-driven environment. To make waves across the industry, you need to get yourself known for more than just your relationship building and sales acumen. PSR currently has an excellent team of recruitment consultants and we’re always looking to expand our team. But what makes a great recruiter? Whether placing candidates in their first role or helping those who want to progress up the career ladder, here are the top characteristics of a successful recruiter and that we believe are the most important. 

DILIGENCE

Diligence is what separates a good recruiter from a great recruiter. Consultants are not only there to help a candidate find their next job. It's important that they place the right candidate with the right client, and to do this, they need to take the time to understand the requirements on either end.

In a fast-paced industry like recruitment, diligence is all the more important, especially as the cost of a bad hire can amount to three times the salary being paid. Clients trust recruiters to know the brief inside out, understand their strategic priorities and have a good sense of their culture. Combining this with their industry knowledge and expertise, they're well-positioned to source the highest calibre candidates. Once sourced, a successful recruiter will expertly screen and vet them in line with industry standards.

At PSR, we refer to this as accuracy, and it's one of our core values that collectively guide our work every day.

AGILITY

The pandemic created a paradigm shift in company culture, with more than one in three people believing their organisation's culture has improved since the outbreak. As a result of this shift, certain employee characteristics have edged up the priority list, including agility.

Pre-pandemic, 66% of businesses listed agility as an important part of their future, and this crept up to 82% after Covid-19 swept in. Throughout the global health crisis, there's been an unmissable sense of uncertainty felt across all industries. Furloughing, company restructuring, remote working, and changing business needs have all put unpredictability within recruitment at an all-time high. Now more than ever, agencies are looking for recruiters who can meet this uncertainty with a problem-solving attitude. Recruiters who prove themselves to be adaptable will be the most valuable assets, helping agencies and their clients ride out the Covid-19 storm.

RESPECT

Relationship building all begins with respect. Longstanding relationships between a recruitment agency and its clients are built on the understanding that consultants will take care to understand the brief, value their time, and act in their best interest, always. The same can be said for candidates. No matter whether they're looking for a contract or permanent role, they expect recruiters to pay them the attention they deserve and ensure their next career move is dealt with sensitively and professionally.

You might be finding new clients, exercising your negotiation skills, or conducting an aftercare service. Whichever it is, the successful recruiter will stand out as the person who approaches it with respect for any person they're working with, colleagues included.

Respect is another PSR core value, and we view it as a responsibility to provide an equal, honest and inclusive service.

AMBITION

When helping a client find their next recruit, one trait that is sure to stand out among candidates is their drive. The same can be said when employers search for a consultant to join their recruitment team. Ambition to drive company performance and win new business will not be missed by hiring managers.

Similarly, ambition to climb the career ladder within a company will be recognised as a commitment to said company. LinkedIn's recent survey of learning and development professionals found that over one half agree that internal mobility is a larger priority post-pandemic. As companies increasingly notice the importance of retaining their top employees, rising the ranks will become a more achievable possibility for ambitious recruiters.

At PSR, we offer our people first-class people development opportunities, continued professional progression and encourage our motivated recruiters to strive for director-level roles.

BUILD YOUR CAREER WITH PSR

With over 120 members of staff with varying levels of experience working across the country, our collective knowledge of the construction industry is unrivalled. To continue meeting our projected growth strategy, we are now looking to add to our award-winning team.

To maintain our high level of repeat business from our clients and continued loyalty from our candidates, we're seeking people who will embody our core values and these top characteristics. These are essential to develop long term relationships and uphold our reputation for acting with honesty, integrity and professionalism.  

Find out more about working for us and what we offer at PSR.