Personality Traits of Successful Recruiters

Oftentimes, we can lose sight of who we are and why we do something. It is always important to take time to figure out what you enjoy and what you feel like you excel at. For some they figure this out super quickly, while it can take others a whole lifetime. Knowing more about yourself can help you really tap into what you are good at -- and what you might not be so good at.

This could be everything from learning new skills, like playing the guitar or public speaking. It could even mean learning more about yourself through a personality assessment, such as Myers Briggs Personality test or something similar.

Once you get an idea of the personality type you have, you can start to figure out what traits are easily applicable for you. Finding out whether you’re more independent versus working with others is a good place to start - otherwise known as Introversion and extraversion.

For recruiting however, there are certain personality traits that directly cater to being a more efficient recruiter. Some prime examples include:

Grittiness

This term is really reserved for those who feel like they go through it all. This entails knowing it's okay to fail, being willing to fail, and really digging into the work that lay ahead. Sometimes things get really tough in work and life, but grit is the courage that comes with working through the obstacles before you.

For many in the hiring and recruiting industry, there are going to be many missed opportunities among the bunch of excellent ones. Just because one bad call happens, doesn’t mean the day is done! With each connection, new phone call or event, there is always a new opportunity awaiting. In knowing this, it can contribute to your grit as a recruiter.

Attentiveness

For candidates, there is no one size fits all. When it comes to connecting with clients and candidates alike, being successful means taking the time to pay attention to what they need. This all begins with conversation and communication. Adding personal touches to emails, making sure you’re attuned to the candidates needs and desires in a job search is key to being attentive.

As a recruiter, this is something that can be really easy yet powerful. In order to really make a successful placement, you need to know exactly what they need - otherwise, why would they make a move at all, right?

Empathy

Probably one of the most important traits recruiters could undertake is empathy. This can also be the hardest in some cases. This involves really putting yourself in the candidates shoes, knowing and feeling what their day to day life is like currently, where they’ve been and where they want to go.

Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in the day to day work of just making connections and planning calls from screening to placing. In this space though, applying some intention to the interactions you make can really make a difference. In order to really be empathetic, you really have to dig your heels in and learn about the candidate as if you were a mentor or a close friend.

Resourceful

Naturally, as a candidate moves through a hiring process or is transitioning to a different career path - they are going to have questions. Being a resource for them is really important for building trust and ultimately assisting them in their move to a new position. Sometimes it can be hard to be resourceful however, especially when work and life get busy.

Stay organized: A solid Applicant Tracking System can help you keep track of all the things going on, keep communication fluid and active, as well as keeping you on top of everything in your recruiting world.
Keep making connections: Oftentimes, the best resources can be other people! Utilizing tools such as LinkedIn can be a great way to make connections that can be resources for others to learn and grow.
Read: With the amount of content out there on the internet, from blogs to e-books, there are many resources for recruiters out there to pass along to candidates.

Reliable

Lastly, this trait can be detrimental to any of your recruiting processes. This really boils down to putting in the basic work of replying to candidates, setting up follow-up calls or messages and really establishing the groundwork for any recruiting process. This goes without saying, but being a reliable recruiter is always having the candidates back. Being relied on to assist someone's career change is a big responsibility, and candidates are going to rely heavily on your expertise in this process.

Doing the bare minimum, such as being communicative, being informed and giving feedback should be taken care of without thinking. Taking these up a notch and really connecting with candidates as mentioned through empathy and attentiveness will ensure that your candidate experience is ultimately that much better.