How to become A Personnel Recruiter

• Headhunter
• Executive Recruiter
• Recruitment Consultant
• Talent Advisor

What do Personnel Recruiters do?

A Personnel Recruiter would typically need to:

• Coordinate with the recruiting team and hiring managers of client organizations to define the requirements, criteria and time-to-fill for vacant roles
• Source potential candidates through social media groups, professional networks, advertisements or career fairs
• Interact in-depth with proactive candidates while reaching out to passive prospects via email or phone
• Interview applicants about their experience, education, and skills; conduct background checks of prospective candidates
• Ask for referrals from current employees, acquaintances, and industry professionals; present completed dossiers of approved candidates to management
• Act as a liaison between the potential employee and employer; offer advice to both clients and candidates on pay rates, training, and career progression
• Orient and train new candidates, maintain organized databases with candidates’ data, and keep in touch with past applicants
• Conduct benchmark research on compensation and benefits for various positions and seniority levels; research and recommend new sourcing tools and techniques
• Use Boolean search to look for qualified candidates for hard-to-fill roles; build pipelines for the client’s future hiring needs

Personnel Recruiters usually work from an office. They may also spend time traveling, meeting with clients, and interviewing candidates. They may choose to telecommute when work can be done via the internet and telephone. More opportunities are prevalent in bigger cities. A dress code that matches the market is essential.

Most Personnel Recruiters work full-time during regular business hours, but longer hours are standard and may include early starts and late evenings. 

Personnel Recruiters usually work for employment agencies that deal with a wide range of office-based and commercial jobs, for more specialized organizations, or engage in corporate recruitment. Employers range from national and international recruitment agencies to small local firms, and from specialist sector-specific agencies to those that recruit in different sectors.

Personnel Recruiters are generally employed by:

• The Government
• Manufacturing Units
• Employment Services
• Healthcare & Social Assistance
• Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Educational Institutions

Professional associations and organizations are a crucial resource for those interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more looks excellent on Resumes to bolster credentials and qualifications as a Personnel Recruiter.

• A fiercely competitive, and fast-paced field where many Personnel Recruiters vie for the same contract or candidate
• Problems due to miscommunication between Recruiters and hiring managers
• Individual-centric rather than organization-centric millennials entering the workforces who tend to shift jobs frequently forcing Personnel Recruiters to look for candidates for the same position often
• Inefficient use of technology as well as balancing the pace and efficiency of hiring
• Some employers increasingly conduct their entire recruiting process online rather than send Personnel Recruiters to colleges and job fairs
• External Recruiters may not receive their clients’ commission fees until 30, 60, or even 90 days after placement

Prospective Personnel Recruiters may gain experience as human resources assistants in sales, marketing, and customer service positions. Active membership in student societies will project good communication skills required to succeed in Recruitment.

Trainee consultants are offered on-the-job training in their first few months. Larger firms offer induction or skills training for new staff members entering as trainee recruitment consultants.

While a bachelor's degree is not required, it can increase your chances of being hired as a Personnel Recruiter. One can pursue a bachelor's degree in human resource management, psychology, sociology, communications, business administration, business economics, public relations, sales, and education. Master’s degrees are not essential. Experience or knowledge in the specialty in which they wish to recruit is beneficial.

Some recruitment and employment federations offer awards, available through distance learning. They may also offer a range of short professional development courses. Professional associations specializing in human resources offer courses and certificate programs intended to enhance their members’ skills and improve their career progression.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). The HR Certification Institute (HRCI) offers a range of certifications for varying levels of expertise. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) offers the Certificate in Recruitment and Selection, available through distance learning.

Personnel Recruiters generally start work in the industry as trainees, working in a branch within a small team. Progression largely depends on achieving and exceeding set targets. Career development depends to some extent on the size and structure of the employing agency.

With experience, larger companies with a defined promotion structure may offer opportunities to move into Business Development or Management. Alternatively, a Personnel Recruiter could choose to set up their agency. Progression is usually to Senior Consultant or Account Manager and then to managerial positions, such as Branch Manager, which requires additional people management and financial skills.

For large organizations with many branches, it may be possible to move into Area and Regional Management. It is also possible to develop your market, become involved in training recruits, or specialize in a specific area, such as executives, or a specific industry.

Membership of the CIPD may be useful for career development and networking opportunities. Experience and contacts garnered in this field can also be used to move to other areas like human resources (HR), training, and other sales and management roles.

The rise in usage of technology and automation of recruitment could hamper job prospects. Job prospects for human resources specialists may be favorable in companies that provide human resources services to other organizations. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree and professional certification should have the best job prospects.

Personnel Recruiters can increase their chance of advancement by completing voluntary certification programs. Some large recruitment consultancies may provide career development programs for graduates wanting to progress quickly.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) run personal development training for members. Membership of a professional body is useful for networking and access to a range of industry news and resources.

The role of a Personnel Recruiter can be challenging and exciting as the profession is dynamic, target driven, and demanding. Typically, a job posting gets 250 applications, and these can start coming in as quickly as within five minutes of an online post!

A Closer Look at What Personnel Recruiters Do

Personnel Recruiters do much more than finding people for jobs. They assist candidates with resumes and cover letters, help them prepare for interviews, manage salary negotiations, advise clients on employment issues, and stay current with labor laws, by sharing market and industry knowledge.

Personnel Recruiters use telephonic and personal interviews as a tool to throw light on aspects not necessarily covered in the resumes submitted by candidates. They also make sure to talk to their clients about each candidate, and “bring them to life” from their paper or online profiles by discussing their work experiences, career aspirations, and why they would suit the client’s requirements in terms of both hard and soft skills.

Efficient Personnel Recruiters schedule interview slots between their candidates and busy clients in advance to match the schedules for all involved, to keep the hiring process short and effective and not have the candidates or clients miss out on good jobs or exceptional candidates, respectively.

They also collect post-interview feedback to update candidates. Even though it is the clients who pay their fees, good Recruiters also stay accessible and open to questions from candidates during the recruiting process.

Personnel Recruiters facilitate the negotiation process between clients and successful candidates and provide onboarding and first-day details to the newly hired employees. A Recruiter's job does not end here. Still, it extends to periodically following up with clients and candidates until the end of the probationary period to ensure both parties can voice any concerns while they adapt to each other. They also inform unsuccessful candidates about the outcome of their application process.

Types of Personnel Recruiters

In general, there are two types of Personnel Recruiters - internal and external. “Inside" Recruiters are employed by companies to fill their job openings and are paid a salary to handle the hiring needs of a single company, the one that they work for.

External, or agency recruiters, work outside a client company and are hired by staffing firms to find good employees for multiple corporate clients. External Personnel Recruiters may focus on clients in a single industry such as technology or on clients across various sectors such as manufacturing, retail, and hospitality.

Remuneration

An internal Recruiter receives a monthly salary from the company that employs them. The fees paid by companies, who hire external Personnel Recruiters to find and help place candidates, can differ between agencies, industries, and types of roles.

Usually, while they may earn a base salary, the large part of their income is derived from the commission they receive on placing candidates. The client company would normally pay the agency a percentage of a candidate's first years’ salary and the agency would pay a percentage of this gross commission to the individual Recruiter.

The final hiring decision always rests with the clients, so agencies and Personnel Recruiters only receive their fees if the hiring process yields a suitable candidate. Occasionally, corporate clients may pay a retainer to a recruitment firm. Some of that may be passed down to the individual Recruiter actively looking to fill the vacant job.

There are five generations in the workforce today - Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen2020 all working together despite their diverse perspectives on almost everything.

Personnel Recruiters are networking geniuses who make connections with people, professional associations, and companies. While matching exceptional people with world-class corporations can be challenging, it is infinitely rewarding.

A positive candidate experience is invaluable. It helps to give your correspondence a personal flavor, no matter the stage of the recruiting process. Include the candidate’s name, refer to the unique conversations you’ve had, or mention details from their cover letter or resume.