Even though technology will never replace recruitment, it is radically changing the process and the speed with which potential job candidates are being sourced.
This is an inside look at a career in online recruiting and the specialized skills you will need to keep ahead of the competition.
The recruiting industry will continue to become more and more crowed as as would-be recruiters view sourcing candidates online as the simple act of using high speed internet and a Recruiter account on LinkedIn.
Yes, technology is here to stay and yes, it will become increasingly more integral in the candidate sourcing process. However, only those recruiters who have honed the skills needed to build exceptional relationships, and only those recruiters who have the ability to expertly manage that process, while delivering superior results, will be able to pull in the big bucks.
Here are just a few of the basics you need to make it in the world of online recruiting.
1. Know how to quickly source and read resumes, for what they really are.
You will be deluged with data, more than you ever believed possible. After viewing many thousands of online resumes, you learn to intuitively discern when a candidate is embellishing their resumes. Intuitive being the key word. A skilled recruiter reads between the lines of a resume to uncover what is real, what is not, what has been glossed over, and what is clear and simple fact.
2. Ability to spot the Un-Truths.
Just like you can spot lies in a resume, you need to be able to detect when someone is making false claims when communicating online. Many applicants will lie considerably in their online resumes and during email and social media conversations with recruiters. Why? Because they know that in many cases, too many in fact, online recruiters will be transaction instead of relationship driven.
These online recruiters are managed by an industry that measures a recruiter’s performance by number of calls, job orders, candidate send-outs, and placements they make, all which only makes recruiters more concerned with outcome than process. And, truth be told, employers too want to ‘close the deal’ and often don’t bother to do the work necessary to verify candidates’ claims.
3. Know your social media inside and out.
Social media has become truly important to the recruitment industry, especially considering the growth of LinkedIn. The speed in which the digital ‘crowd’ is increasing means that it will take more and more of an investment of time and money to build a strong and recognizable social media presence, especially in recruiting.
There are no short-cuts. Knowing how to use social media most effectively, what job boards work best for what industries, how to use aggregators as a multi-channel sourcing strategy, building strong and lasting digital relationships, all of this takes time and money.
4. Develop your skills of price negotiation.
Negotiation is another one of the top skills any skilled online recruitment professional can demonstrate. Negotiating online is different to negotiating face to face. Knowing how to use sales, budgeting and closing techniques, and what communication tools to use, and when, is extremely important.
5. Hone your background search skills.
Just as candidates will embellish their professional history and work experience, they will also go to considerable lengths to cover themselves. Consider taking your background research to the next level — criminal background checks, credit reports, skill testing, psychometric assessments, drug testing — each step in screening is unique and essential to ensure right fit.
If you’re thinking about stepping out into a career in online recruiting, experience or a degree in Human Resources is enough to get your foot in the door, in a junior position. Astute and savvy use of technology is a given. Add to that the stellar skills required to build meaningful relationships digitally, are critical.
Additional Reading: Candidates are Not an Online Community by Greg Savage
Barbara Ashton is the President and Founder of Ashton & Associates Recruiting.
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