If you’re looking to hire new talent, or if you are currently in a position of hiring people, then it’s a no-brainer that your recruitment skills need improvement! The good news is that there are lots of ways to improve your recruitment skills. How much do security guards make at hospitals? If you’re not sure where to start, here is a list of things that might help:
1. Join a discussion board.
There are lots of places where people go to discuss their job search strategies, or to give and get advice on job search.
This list includes groups like LinkedIn, Reddit, various social media groups (Facebook, etc.), AdoptaHire, and so on. There are also more general boards on Reddit (like /r/jobs), Dice , and even Craigslist . Join some of these groups so that you can be a part of discussions around recruiting.
2. Watch other people work.
Some recruiters like to watch their peers work in order to get ideas for their own strategies. You could download a zoom recorder and follow a colleague’s job search. Some companies (especially large, not-for-profit ones) post their recruitment process online in an effort to increase transparency, but this is still something you can learn from.
3. Read interesting books about hiring.
If you want to know the kind of things that the “best” recruiters do, then spend some time reading other people’s stories about how they were hired or fired. There are tons of great books out there with advice from recruiters at Facebook, Microsoft, Google and more.
4. Get into strategy mode
In some ways, recruiting is like chess. You’ve got a bunch of different pieces (people) that you are moving around on the board (the job market) to try and make your team better. You’re trying to win – which means you need to be thinking about where you want to go, what kind of people will help you get there, and how you are going to make it happen. Strategize over your job search, and plan every move carefully.
5. Practice makes perfect!
Like anything else, recruiting is something that you get better at with practice. The more people that you meet, the more situations that you find yourself in, the better your solutions will become over time. Take the time to practice your favorite strategies, and that way you’ll be able to quickly pick up on new ones.
6. Upgrade your blog
Writing is a great way to improve your writing skills and get feedback from others on what you’re doing right and what you could do better. In fact, one of the best ways to improve at recruiting is through blogging! Write regularly, and be sure to link back to all the things that are helping you get better (books, blogs, videos, etc.).
7. Be a better interviewer
Interviews are another important part of recruiting – it’s important for candidates to feel comfortable during the interview process in order for them to perform well in their interviews. This means that you need to do a good job at asking questions and listening carefully to the answers. If you’re not doing a good job of either (and if you’re in the position of hiring new people), then consider hiring someone who can help you do a better job – some recruiters offer their services as interviewers, and this is a great way to get help!
8. Connect with other people in your industry on social media
Nowadays, it’s easy for recruiters to connect with one another on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media sites. There are groups for almost every industry, so join one or more of these groups to stay up-to-date about the latest developments in your industry. You can also get help from other recruiters by asking questions about the industry, or even by hiring someone to help you. Recruiters love to help each other; after all, we’re in the same boat together!
9. Give back to your community
If you’re a recruiter at heart, then it’s important that you make a difference in the lives of others. One of the best things that you can do for yourself and for others is to connect people with jobs that are a good fit for them. If you have great connections, then this could be a terrific way to give back to your community. And, if you’re doing well at recruiting, then it’s likely that you’ll be on a good trajectory for your own career!
10. Do what works for you
There are plenty of other ways to improve recruitment skills. The point here is not so much that these are the only ways. It’s more important that your focus on getting better by spending time doing things that will make you better in the future. Whatever you do, make sure that you are always improving your skills.
11. Go pro
There are lots of ways to go pro in recruiting; some of them involve going to college or getting a graduate degree in recruitment. The good news is: there is no one right way to get better at recruiting! You can take courses at a local college or online, for example. There are also books out there about new techniques for recruiting . And, of course, you’ll be able to find recruiters with lots of different levels of experience organizing events and processes (think: in-person conference calls).
