Top 5 Tips for Picking a Recruiter,
and Hiring Top Talent
Choosing a recruiter is like choosing a life-partner. You want someone who understands you, someone who is excited about your focus, who can communicate effectively with you on your terms, and who knows just what you want! So what are the top qualities to look for when choosing a recruiter?
1. Pick a recruiter who is in your niche.
There are a lot of big names out there. Picking the recruiter who works the roles and sectors you do is the only way to go. The big box staffing firms handle soup to nuts so they can get you anyone from a receptionist to a senior architect to a sales executive, but do they spend the time to on a daily basis understanding what makes the very best Cloud User Interface Lead or the very best Targeted Data Technology Business Development Director? Do they have the expertise to hone in on specialty growth roles in the fast-moving tech sectors? Can they really connect with the cutting-edge talent that is motivated by more than salary? If you have special needs, find your match in the recruiting world and form a partnership.
2. Choose a recruiter who is psyched to be working with you.
Typically a recruiter who is not psyched to be doing what they’re doing, will burn out and fade away quickly. That said, there are a number of folks who just don’t have the fire. Pick someone who is excited about your industry and your business in particular. Work with someone who feels personally invested in the growth and success of you and your team.
3. Pick a recruiter who is motivated to find your best talent options.
Urgency is important. Find someone who understands your timeline and is motivated to meet and exceed your expectations. Use a professional to screen and vet all potential candidates, quickly and efficiently and boil it down to why you want one of these three candidates. Contingency recruiters are usually the most agile, being motivated by the end goal. Specialized recruiters live and die by their reputation, and it is a personal mission to find you only the very best talent that will fit your budget and culture.
4. Select a recruiter whose communication style meshes with yours.
No business relationship is going to work without good communication. Pick a recruiter whose communication style is copacetic with your own. If you are a texter, don’t choose someone who wants to have a detailed telephone discussion for every de-brief. If you desire more processing time, make sure that your recruiter partner is in synch with your needs. Communicate your needs clearly and then go! Let the recruiter get after it. Check in with feedback loop when necessary to calibrate the search where necessary. And enjoy the time, build some rapport; hunting for talent and all the possibilities is a fun odyssey.
5. Pick a recruiter who is proactive and solutions-oriented.
A strong recruiter is going to initiate action, understand the motivations and needs of the entire team as well as the candidates, and coordinate everyone to maximize talent matching and hiring process efficiency. Is your ideal candidate hard to find, choose the proactive candidate who will figure out how to access the right profile, and motivate them, whether the candidate was looking to make a career change or not. The best recruiter is going to be able to advise you in your negotiations, give you the true low down on the talent pool you are looking at, and insights into concluding a successful employment arrangement – considerably smoothing out the entire process.
There are a lot of recruiting choices out there, choose a recruiter who will maximize your talent acquisition success. Even if it isn’t for life, the recruiter partnership is a relationship. Make sure you are in it with someone who adds to your success and whom you trust and enjoy.
About Redfish Technology:
Redfish recruiters are specialists in IT staffing and talent acquisition. With a passion for high tech and cleantech, especially growing segments like SaaS, cutting-edge apps, digital media, cloud security, and disruptive technologies, Redfish recruiters are agile and effective. Contact Redfish Technology today to hire top talent!