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Recruiting
Published:
July 1, 2023

How to become a recruiter

Viktoria

Today, almost every day, a large number of new professions appear. And while some new professions can be learned at university, where to learn others is entirely incomprehensible.

Meanwhile, there are exciting and, most importantly, in-demand jobs that you really want to learn. For example, a recruiter. Where to study to become a recruiter? What skills and qualifications to gain for this position?

If you want to know more about this job, this article is written just for you.

What does a recruiter do?

A recruiter job description is a specialist engaged in hiring personnel through mediation between employers and job seekers. They usually work in the HR department of a company or for a recruitment agency dealing with hiring qualified candidates.

But there may also be a remote recruiter or a recruiter freelance. And there may be an IT recruiter. IT recruiters deal with hiring IT specialists of all levels and specifications.

It is necessary to distinguish a recruiter from a sourcer, though. These specialists have a lot in common in their work. In many moments they intersect. Nevertheless, the sourcer is responsible for the initial stages of the recruiting process, and the recruiter is in charge of the final ones.

In other words, the sourcer finds candidates, screens them, and introduces them to the recruiter. And the professional recruiter conducts interviews, evaluates the candidates, and chooses the one who, from their point of view, best meets the employer’s requirements.

What steps to take to become a recruiter?

As already mentioned, the profession of a recruiter is young. And if you decide to become a recruiter, you may not know where to start because this profession is not yet taught at college or university.

Many professional recruiters have come to the profession from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of professional backgrounds and skills. But you do not match any of them to be a recruiting specialist.

And you do not have to follow all the steps to turn into the top recruiters we offer in the article. But, based on my experience, these steps might be helpful to you.

The steps to becoming a recruiter:

  • Get a degree. Even though getting a recruiter’s degree is still impossible, you need to start with some higher education anyway. For example, a degree in HR, marketing, management, sociology, economics, psychology, or business may be a good fit. A bachelor’s degree will be enough, to begin with.
  • Obtain appropriate work experience. Today, it is not enough to get a degree. Some work experience should be added to your degree. You can try working in sales, research, administration, support, or operations.
  • Do relevant courses and receive some more certifications. For instance, it would be good to have a LinkedIn Recruiter certification, a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) certification, or any other of this kind, connected with HR.
  • Attend recruiter training programs. Going through regular training is necessary for any job. In special recruiting training, you will learn updated sourcing and recruiting methods, current trends in the field, and other essential things.
  • Ensure you have the crucial recruiter skills. Communication, teamwork, time-management, analytical skills, flexibility, sociability, patience, determination, and stress tolerance are some of them.

Finally, if you have taken all these or similar preparatory steps, do not hesitate to apply for the coveted recruiter position.

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Summary

If you have gone through all these or similar steps to become a recruiter, then there is just a little left that I would like to mention.

You should keep in mind that you will often have to deal with stress because being a recruiter is quite stressful. For example, you will have to learn how to refuse candidates who do not fit properly. This is not so easy to do.

Then, it would help if you remembered that a recruiter's job is all about highs and lows. It is pleasant to find the right applicant and bring them through the recruiting process to the contract signing. But after that, you may face some failures in a row. And they are not pleasant at all.

Finally, whatever happens in your workflow, do not get discouraged. Keep positive, and luck will smile on you.