Tips for being a Rockstar IT Recruiter in the IT Staffing Industry – Part 1
Nick Walter | Recruitment Lead | Ward Technology Talent | Twitter | LinkedIn
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series discussing the keys to being a great IT Recruiter. Part 2 can be found here.
7 Tips for Being a Rockstar in IT Staffing
1. First and foremost is Honesty – People value and appreciate honesty. If you are open and upfront with your candidates you will decrease the risk of drop-offs while also building a great foundation for a long term professional relationship with your candidate.
2. Meet with candidates and develop relationships – If you meet with candidates you will develop a stronger relationship with them. They will feel more connected to you, which in turn will result in them feeling more obliged to go with your contract offer if they happen to get another offer from somewhere else at the same time. Meeting people can be especially important as it gives you the opportunity to get a sense of their personality that you can’t get through a phone call. Also, when searching for candidates with rare skill sets like with #mobilestaffing it will give you an edge with candidates that are approached by numerous IT recruiters all the time if you meet with them.
3. Good eye for Resumes – The first point to finding good candidates is to know what to look for. First of all you have to be searching for the right skills and qualities, and then you have to be able to pick out the good resumes. Typically our clients prefer candidates who have either worked in consulting firms, big companies, or in the same industry. IT Recruiters who can sift through resumes and find this type of candidate will be much more successful. Part of this involves being able to search thoroughly and efficiently through job boards, Linkedin, etc.
4. Have a Sense of Urgency – Recruitment is an extremely fast-paced and competitive industry. The faster you are with your searches the more likely you are to beat other recruiters and agencies to the punch. You have to be persistent and continue to search even when you think there is no-one else out there, because there always is.
5. Follow up – There is a fine line between following up with candidates and flat-out annoying them. If a candidate tells you they will be available in 2 months then you should follow up with them in a month to check in. Typically, it is best to follow up with all potential candidates every month or so to see how their current contract is going, even if the contract is not through you. When they do become available, you will know before anyone else does, and the candidate will respect you for paying attention.
6. Resilience – Contracts fall through. Clients fill their roles internally. Candidates go with other offers. Sometimes it can be demoralizing when things go wrong. That’s why it is extremely important to be resilient. If a placement falls through, you have to believe that the odds will turn in your favour, and your next placement will go through without any issues.
7. Organization – Most recruitment agencies use some sort of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). As an IT recruiter, it is extremely important to know this ATS like the back of your hand. If you can navigate your ATS more quickly than competitors it will give you a great advantage. Keeping track of the availability of candidates is super important. You can also note what role they are looking for, whether they are looking for a contract or permanent role, what rate they will be targeting, and what source they are from. You can also make notes of past interviews so you can see if they would be a fit for a future position.
Part 2 will be coming in a couple of weeks. Any comments or feedback on this Blog are greatly appreciated. You can also follow me @WTT_Nick on twitter.
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