Recruitment 101: What Do Recruiters Actually Do?
There are tons of myths and misunderstandings about the role of a recruiter. Here’s what recruiters actually do (and how they can help your business).
Think you know everything involved in a recruiter’s role?
Think again.
While, in the most basic of terms, recruiters find candidates to fill job roles, the reality of their jobs is much more complex than that.
Here are just some of the tasks that a recruiter does and how they help job seekers and businesses alike to find the perfect match.
1. Establish client needs
Not sure exactly what you need from your next hire or how to find them? A recruiter will work with you to establish exactly what role to hire for and the skillset to look out for.
Before posting your job listing, a recruiter will take the time to get to know your workplace, its culture, and your requirements. The information you give the recruiter at this stage will guide their search for candidates.
If you work with the same recruiter over time, they’ll better understand the type of candidates you prefer and you’ll enjoy a more efficient recruitment process.
2. Post job listings
A recruiter uses the brief they receive from clients to put together and post eye-catching job listings. Recruiters are experts in crafting job descriptions that showcase workplaces to their full potential while also giving candidates realistic expectations of what the role entails.
Plenty of recruiters have access to specialist job boards as well as their company’s social media listings, so they can broaden the reach of your vacancy.
Plus, many recruiters already have candidates searching for roles on their books, so they might find the perfect fit for your role without even having to advertise it.
3. Find strong candidates
Recruiters will take a two-pronged approach to finding candidates - vetting people who apply for the job and actively contacting people who may be suitable for it.
They’ll take a look at CVs and contact those who match your criteria, giving them more information about your company and prepping them for a potential interview.
Where recruiters go one step further, though, is they’ll actively seek out candidates that are already on their books or have uploaded their CVs to job sites. Whereas companies have to take a reactive approach to applications, recruiters can be proactive, by reaching out to suitable candidates directly.
4. Interview suitable candidates
Have you ever worked your way through the hiring process only to wish that somebody could have screened the candidates beforehand to see who was worth your time?
Recruiters do just that.
If you’re using a recruiter to help find your next hire, they’ll vet candidates on your behalf before their CV even reaches their desk. No more wasting time sifting through CVs of candidates who don’t have the experience or skillset you need. Recruiters will only send the best of the best to you for an interview.
5. Negotiate between potential employers and candidates
When it comes to the offer-making part of the process, the recruiter acts as a third-party, negotiating terms between the employee and the employer.
The recruiter can help to keep both parties informed during the entire hiring process and will lay out expectations on both sides until an agreement is reached.
These are just a few examples of tasks recruiters carry out on a daily basis, alongside CV checking, employability support, and conducting industry research. Recruiters are essentially employment matchmakers - helping businesses find employees with the perfect skill set and helping candidates secure their dream roles.
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