I’m not a recruiter, but I’ve had the good fortune to work with a few talent acquisition professionals over the years. As they shared with me their personal career stories, it struck me how common it is for recruiters to come into the profession as a 2nd or 3rd career. Many of them came from areas of business that are totally outside the human resources function – like marketing, sales or accounting – and were drawn to recruiting through serendipity or by seeking to expand their own careers in new and interesting ways.
I wondered, why have so many successful recruiters come from completely different career areas? Is there something about having work experiences in other domains that helps people become top recruiters? And what transferable skills did they bring to the job that have helped them be so successful?
For this three-part series, I sat down with three top talent acquisition professionals who made the switch from completely different careers to get their perspectives on three key areas:
In the first part, we learned how they fell into recruiting.
In this third part, we explore what additional advice they have for would-be recruiters.
I spoke with:
Rachelle Snook, Global Talent Director for WD-40 Company,
Brenan German, Founder and President of Bright Talent, and
Paul Gonzales Director of Talent Acquisition for Orora
Rachelle Snook
Remember that recruiting is both an art and a science. There is an art to determining if a person is right for a given role and if the hiring manager sees what you are seeing in a candidate. However, there is also an art to navigating a lot of different needs, objectives and opinions and creating alignment with the hiring manager about clear evaluation criteria that will help you find the right person for the role.
The science really comes when evaluating candidates. Ironically, this is what most people think is the “art” part, but it is not. Many organizations evaluate candidates in a way that is not valid, not job related or defensible. They will have a conversation with the candidate, ask closed ended questions, not know how to ask job related behavioral questions or, even worse, evaluate their personality for the right “fit,” which often ends with hiring people based on “like me” bias. You end up, quite possibly, overlooking the best candidate for the job. It is also a missed opportunity to include diversity, in the broadest possible definition, which can stifle innovation and problem solving when the group-think echo chamber is perpetuated
The key to a great hire, is looking for observable behaviors. The science is in the behavioral questions and assessments that provide an accurate representation of the work the person will perform so you can evaluate all candidates objectively. This is becoming more and more important, as positions remain open for a lack of “qualified” applicants. Businesses must begin to consider less traditional hires, perhaps reconsidering requirements for college degrees or advanced degrees, similar industry experience or employment gaps, and giving more weight to transferable skills that make a candidate well-suited to the job.
In recruiting, you end up learning a tremendous amount about the people you are working with, the diverse roles you are hiring for, the intricacies of the companies you are hiring for such as metrics, strategies, work functions, problems, roles, personalities, styles, cultures, organizational design, and so much more. It is a wonderful career for anyone who enjoys learning new things about all facets of a business and applying them toward solving problems.
Brenan German
Give 100% to building your personal network. Your network is the key to greater success as a recruiter. If you are just starting out, network with your parents’ friends and your friends’ parents and older siblings. If you are in college, take advantage of the Greek system and other clubs and activities – do not stay stuck in your room on Zoom (unless there is a pandemic sweeping through, of course). Wherever you are in your career, do everything in your power to develop your professional network. Join clubs or civic organizations and attend events where you can meet people and develop good social and networking skills.
I know a lot of recruiting is done online, but I still think it is important, particularly if you are just getting started in your career, to make sure you have experience working in an office. Working from home sounds great, but there is nothing like rubbing elbows with peers, colleagues and leaders at a company. You learn a lot from having serendipitous hallway conversations. At minimum, look for a hybrid situation where you are part-time in the office.
Lastly, I would add do not go into recruiting – or any HR function – just because you love people. As I said earlier, you cannot lose sight that recruiting is also a business function. Make sure you understand how your role impacts the business overall, and find ways to showcase your work as a valuable asset to the company’s bottom line. That creates better job security for you and enables you to bring your skills across to different companies as you build your career.
Paul Gonzales
I think a lot of times, people want to start right into a recruiter role, but that is not always practical. I often tell people, maybe start with a more administrative job as a coordinator for talent acquisition. That way you will have the opportunity to work with different recruiters and you will learn a lot about recruiting. After a year or 18 months, you will be a lot more ready to move up into recruiter role.
I also know a lot of recruiters who started out in the temporary staffing industry. It is a lot easier to get into if you want to be a recruiter pretty quickly, as they tend to hire right out of college and train you. Then with some experience under your belt, you can move into corporate recruiting if that is what you want to do.
I would encourage that if you enjoy meeting people, talking to people, have a love for business and enjoy wearing lots of different hats, this is a great profession to be in. I would also add, it is a great career if you love making a difference – that is another reason recruiters love their jobs. Every day you are making a difference for everyone involved. You help people find their dream job. And you help organizations find the talent they need in order to be successful.
As a career, there is nothing more strategic and difference-making than being a recruiter, because you are integral to hiring the right talent for an organization. People make organizations successful, and as a recruiter, you have the biggest impact by hiring the right talent that enables it to succeed and grow. That’s huge!