Recruiters are busier than ever as organizations struggle to find talented workers during the Great Resignation. The staffing and recruiting industry itself has not been immune to this phenomenon, and the demand for recruiters far exceeds the supply.
Recruitment and Staffing Agencies hard at work helping clients fill open positions are being challenged to successfully fill their own ranks. Openings for recruiters have exploded and competition is fierce. To keep up with client demands, agencies need to focus on their internal talent procurement strategies more than ever before. Here is how you can succeed in recruiting other recruiters for your agency.
The Staffing Challenge
Staffing and recruiting agencies that can’t keep up with demand are facing many of the same problems as their clients when recruiting to expand their team. There are not enough trained recruiters in the country to fill the openings. The world needs more recruiters.
One of the recruiting challenges staffing agencies face is the fact that there is no set career path that most recruiters follow. Many come to the field with vastly different educational backgrounds: from human resources and business administration, to English and computer science. There are no “recruiting” graduates, and although this lack of a well-defined talent pipeline can be difficult, it also means that great recruiters can be found nearly anywhere. The key to recruiting more recruiters is knowing where and what to look for.
Finding New Recruiters
Without enough recruiters to go around, organizations must get creative with their internal talent procurement. This can include making an opportunity out of the Great Resignation: many skilled professionals from other sectors are considering switching jobs. Agencies should consider workers new to recruiting but familiar with industries they would be recruiting for, be it finance, healthcare, or tech. Recruiters with technical industry knowledge may have an advantage in accurately evaluating candidate competencies. They can be a great asset even with no prior recruiting experience.
Candidates with strong backgrounds in HR and people management can also successfully transition into recruiting roles. They will bring client-side insight into the recruiting process to better serve the internal HR teams of your clients.
Looking for candidates with strong backgrounds in sales is another potential recruitment strategy. Successful salespeople are goal-oriented, can perform under stress, and are great with people—attributes that are shared by any successful recruiter.
Step 1: Define Your Requirements & Expectations
Before beginning your search, clearly outline what you need in a recruiter. Consider the following:
- Recruitment Type: Are you hiring for an in-house recruiter, agency recruiter, executive recruiter, or a specialist in a specific field (e.g., technical or healthcare recruiting)?
- Experience Level: Do you need an entry-level recruiter who can grow into the role, or are you looking for an experienced recruiter who can manage high-volume hiring?
- Skills & Competencies: Define must-have skills such as sourcing techniques, applicant tracking system (ATS) proficiency, and negotiation abilities.
- Cultural Fit: A recruiter represents your company to potential hires. Ensure they align with your company’s values and approach to hiring.
A well-defined job description will help attract the right candidates and streamline the selection process.
Step 2: Source Candidates Strategically
Finding high-quality recruiters requires a multi-channel sourcing strategy. Some effective ways to source top recruiting talent include:
- Networking & Referrals: Leverage industry connections, LinkedIn groups, and employee referrals to find strong candidates.
- Job Boards & Recruitment Platforms: Post on platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and niche HR job boards.
- Engage Passive Candidates: Experienced recruiters are often already employed. Use LinkedIn outreach, industry events, and recruiter communities to connect with passive candidates.
- Recruitment Agencies: If you’re hiring for a highly specialized role, consider using an executive search firm or recruitment agency to identify top-tier talent.
Step 3: Assess Recruitment Skills
Once you have a pool of potential candidates, evaluate them based on both hard and soft skills. Key areas to assess include:
- Sourcing & Networking Ability: Can they effectively find and engage top talent? Ask about past sourcing strategies and success rates.
- Communication & Relationship Building: Strong recruiters must excel at candidate engagement and employer representation. Assess their ability to pitch roles and negotiate offers.
- Problem-Solving & Adaptability: Recruiting often involves overcoming hiring challenges. Present a hiring scenario and ask how they would address it.
- Technology Proficiency: Test their familiarity with ATS, LinkedIn Recruiter, and AI-driven recruitment tools.
- Cultural Fit & Professionalism: Gauge whether their approach aligns with your company’s hiring philosophy and values.
By following these steps, you can identify and hire recruiters who will enhance your talent acquisition strategy and contribute to your company’s hiring success.
Types of recruiters
When recruiting recruiters, it’s important to understand the different types of recruiters and the unique skills they bring to the hiring process. Here are the key categories:
Executive Recruiters (Headhunters)
Executive recruiters specialize in filling senior-level and leadership positions. They often conduct extensive market research and directly approach passive candidates. Recruiting executive recruiters requires a focus on strategic thinking, negotiation skills, and experience with high-level talent acquisition.
Contract Recruiters
These recruiters work on a temporary or project basis to support a company’s hiring needs during peak times or major hiring initiatives. When hiring contract recruiters, look for flexibility, adaptability, and experience with high-volume hiring.
Technical Recruiters
Technical recruiters specialize in sourcing candidates for IT, engineering, and other technical roles. They need to understand specific industry terminology, programming languages, and software development methodologies. When recruiting technical recruiters, industry expertise and familiarity with ATS are key considerations.
Staffing Recruiters
Staffing recruiters focus on placing temporary or contract workers in short-term roles. They often work for staffing agencies and must be skilled in managing high-volume placements and quick turnarounds. Hiring staffing recruiters requires an emphasis on speed, organizational skills, and knowledge of employment laws.
By understanding the different types of recruiters, you can tailor your hiring strategy to attract the right talent for your recruitment needs. Whether you’re hiring in-house, agency, or specialized recruiters, ensuring they have the right skills and industry knowledge is crucial for long-term success.
Skills and qualifications to look for in a recruiter:
Recruiting for recruiters from other sectors means identifying the transferable skills that will serve agency needs. Look for candidates with past experience in roles that require high emotional intelligence, strong networking skills, and the ability to manage stress and tight deadlines.
What will set recruiters apart in the COVID era of recruiting is their ability to combine people skills and digital savvy. These days, it is not uncommon for recruiters and hiring managers to bring on new employees without ever having met in person. The best potential recruiters can connect comfortably, pick up on nonverbal communication, and create genuine interactions with candidates in fully remote interview processes. If you are looking to recruit outside of the staffing industry, candidates with strong digital skills and experience as part of a distributed workforce may have better success taking on the new demands of recruiting.
When recruiting recruiters, it’s essential to understand their core tasks and responsibilities. A skilled recruiter goes beyond just filling positions—they act as strategic talent advisors, ensuring the right fit for both candidates and employers. Below are the key responsibilities of a recruiter:
1. Understanding Hiring Needs
Recruiters work closely with hiring managers to assess workforce needs, define job roles, and determine the best recruitment strategies. This involves:
- Identifying skill gaps and job requirements.
- Advising on job descriptions and salary benchmarks.
- Aligning hiring efforts with company goals.
2. Sourcing and Attracting Candidates
A major part of a recruiter’s role is proactively finding qualified candidates through multiple channels, including:
- Posting job listings on job boards and company websites.
- Searching databases, professional networks, and social media.
- Engaging passive candidates through targeted outreach.
3. Screening and Shortlisting Applicants
Recruiters must evaluate potential candidates to ensure they meet job requirements. This involves:
- Reviewing resumes and applications.
- Conducting phone screenings and initial interviews.
- Assessing candidates’ skills, experience, and cultural fit.
4. Coordinating the Interview Process
Once candidates are shortlisted, recruiters manage the interview process by:
- Scheduling interviews with hiring managers.
- Preparing candidates with relevant job and company insights.
- Gathering and relaying feedback between candidates and hiring teams.
5. Negotiating Job Offers
Recruiters play a crucial role in closing the hiring process by:
- Extending job offers and negotiating salary and benefits.
- Addressing candidate concerns and counteroffers.
- Ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for new hires.
6. Building and Maintaining Talent Pipelines
A great recruiter doesn’t just fill immediate roles—they create pipelines for future hiring needs by:
- Maintaining relationships with potential candidates.
- Engaging with past applicants for future opportunities.
- Staying updated on industry hiring trends.
7. Employer Branding and Candidate Experience
Recruiters contribute to a company’s reputation by ensuring a positive candidate experience. They:
- Communicate transparently and promptly with applicants.
- Provide constructive feedback, even for rejected candidates.
- Represent the employer brand professionally in the job market.
8. Utilizing Recruitment Technology and Data
Modern recruiters rely on technology to streamline hiring processes. Key responsibilities include:
- Using ATS to manage candidates.
- Leveraging AI and data analytics for smarter hiring decisions.
- Optimizing recruitment strategies based on performance metrics.
By understanding these tasks and responsibilities, companies can better assess the skills required when hiring recruiters. Whether recruiting in-house talent or agency professionals, finding individuals who can effectively manage these responsibilities ensures long-term hiring success.
Revisit Your Value Proposition
As a staffing and recruiting agency, you can use the insights gained from recruiting for your clients to inform what you can do to attract new talent internally. By knowing what employees increasingly seek, you can revisit whether or not your value proposition as an employer matches the current expectations of candidates. Some key aspects of your employer value proposition that may be worth reconsidering include:
- Flexibility: Does your firm offer remote or hybrid work situations for employees? What are your current policies on work hours? Do candidates feel empowered to structure their work in a way that works well for them?
- Benefits: In a highly competitive labor market, attractive benefits packages matter more than ever. For example, the lack of childcare benefits has been cited as a top reason for employees leaving their jobs during the Great Resignation. If you are challenged in filling recruiting positions, it may be worth reassessing employee benefits and perks.
- Professional Development: Educational and professional growth opportunities are highly valued by candidates. They will help you grow and cultivate talent, and are essential especially when hiring new recruiters from other industries. Well-structured training programs and cultivating opportunities for advancement will help you retain your best workers for many years to come.
Getting Started as a Recruiter
Becoming a recruiter can be a rewarding career path for those who excel in communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving. Whether entering the field from a related profession or starting fresh, understanding the qualifications, essential skills, and career growth opportunities is key to long-term success.
Recruiter Qualifications
While there is no single educational path to becoming a recruiter, most professionals enter the field with the following qualifications:
Education: A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, psychology, or a related field is commonly preferred but not always required.
Certifications (Optional but Beneficial):
Certified Professional Recruiter (CPR)
Professional in Human Resources (PHR)
LinkedIn Certified Recruiter
AIRS Certified Recruiter
Experience: Many recruiters start in HR, sales, or customer service roles before transitioning into recruitment. Others enter through internships or entry-level talent acquisition positions.
Skills Needed to Become a Recruiter
Successful recruiters rely on a mix of soft and technical skills to source, evaluate, and place candidates effectively. Key skills include:
Communication & Negotiation: The ability to engage with candidates, present job opportunities persuasively, and negotiate offers.
Relationship Management: Building long-term relationships with candidates and hiring managers to ensure ongoing success.
Time Management: Handling multiple job openings, screening candidates, and coordinating interviews efficiently.
Networking & Sourcing: Using job boards, LinkedIn, and personal networks to attract top talent.
Analytical Thinking: Assessing resumes, identifying talent gaps, and using hiring data to refine strategies.
Tech Proficiency: Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (ATS), AI-driven recruiting tools, and recruitment marketing platforms.
Recruiter Career Path
Recruitment offers a variety of career advancement opportunities, allowing professionals to specialize or move into leadership roles. Here’s a typical career trajectory:
Entry-Level Recruiter / Recruiting Coordinator – Assists with job postings, scheduling interviews, and supporting senior recruiters.
Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Specialist – Manages full-cycle recruiting, from sourcing candidates to final hiring.
Senior Recruiter – Takes on more complex hiring projects, mentors junior recruiters, and builds talent pipelines.
Recruiting Manager – Oversees a recruitment team, sets hiring strategies, and collaborates with HR leadership.
Director of Talent Acquisition – Develops and implements recruitment strategies at an organizational level.
Vice President (VP) of Talent Acquisition / Chief HR Officer (CHRO) – Leads hiring and retention strategies company-wide.
Recruitment also allows for specialization in areas such as executive search, technical recruiting, or employer branding.
Starting as a recruiter can open doors to various HR and talent management roles, offering long-term career stability and professional growth.
How to Hire a Job Recruiter: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should I look for when hiring a recruiter?
When hiring a recruiter, look for a strong track record in sourcing, networking, and relationship management. Key qualifications include experience in talent acquisition, proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), and strong communication skills. Industry-specific knowledge can also be valuable if you’re hiring for a specialized sector.
2. Where can I find good job recruiters to hire?
You can source recruiters through:
LinkedIn (search for recruiters with relevant experience and certifications)
Industry-specific job boards (such as HR.com or SHRM)
Employee referrals
Recruiter networking events and conferences
Recruitment agencies specializing in placing recruiters
3. How do I evaluate a recruiter’s skills?
Assess a recruiter’s ability to source and place candidates by reviewing:
Their past hiring metrics (time-to-fill, quality of hire)
Experience with sourcing tools and ATS software
Their approach to candidate engagement and negotiation
Problem-solving skills in challenging hiring situations
You can also conduct a mock scenario where they must find a candidate for a hypothetical role.
4. What questions should I ask when interviewing a recruiter?
Some key interview questions include:
Can you describe a time when you filled a difficult position?
What sourcing methods do you use to find top talent?
How do you assess whether a candidate is the right fit?
How do you handle hiring manager expectations and feedback?
What ATS platforms and recruitment technologies are you proficient in?
5. How long does it take to hire a recruiter?
The hiring timeline depends on the role and urgency. On average:
Entry-level recruiters can be hired within 2–4 weeks.
Experienced recruiters may take 4–8 weeks to find and onboard.
Executive recruiters (for leadership roles) can take 8+ weeks due to extensive vetting.
6. Should I hire a recruiter with industry-specific experience?
If you’re in a niche industry (e.g., tech, healthcare, or finance), hiring a recruiter with sector expertise can be beneficial. They will have a deeper understanding of the talent landscape, salary benchmarks, and industry jargon, making them more effective in sourcing top candidates.
7. How do I ensure a recruiter aligns with my company’s culture?
During interviews, assess their communication style, problem-solving approach, and adaptability. You can also:
Include hiring managers in the interview process.
Give them a hypothetical hiring challenge to see how they approach it.
Check references to understand their past work style and team interactions.
8. What are the biggest mistakes to avoid when hiring a recruiter?
Common mistakes include:
Focusing only on experience: A recruiter’s adaptability and problem-solving skills can be more important than years of experience.
Overlooking cultural fit: A recruiter represents your company—ensure they align with your hiring philosophy.
Ignoring technology skills: Modern recruiters must be tech-savvy to source and manage candidates efficiently.
Not checking references: Verify their track record with past employers or clients before making a final decision.
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