10 Life Skills Learnt from Recruiting for the best brands

We call Anna “Straight Bat Brooksie” in the office – because she says it how it is.  Which is a great thing because sometimes in recruitment – you are told one thing but its not necessarily the way it really is.  So we thought we would get some frank insight about what Anna has learnt from 13 years in recruiting for some of NZ’s best brands….

1) You have to be able to sell. The recruiter can work hard to bring a job and a company to life but the client has to work hard to also win over the best talent.  Hiring managers must sell the opportunity and be effective in capturing the top talent’s interest. A candidate who decides to pull out of a process after meeting with a hiring manager is an opportunity lost.

2) It is all about fit.  Recruitment is an art and a science, but at the end of it all – the long term successful placements are always ones where the candidate fits in with the culture of the organisation.  Skills can be taught – fit is everything.

3) Listening is the most important skill.  We’ve all met the loud overbearing talkathon recruiters, but if you don’t listen, you won’t make long-standing successful placements, and you won’t have a long term career in recruitment.

4) The best people have a choice. Clients need to remember that their competition is also hiring and that the best candidates have multiple options.  Top talent is highly sought in all organisations – so don’t waste the opportunity to hire them!

5) Always do well by people.  It’s a small world, and all you have is your personal brand.  Look after people, be good and maintain your integrity. It is amazing how connected we all are and how personal and company brands are impacted positively and negatively in this small village!

6) The thing that keeps all managers awake at night is people.  Managers are busy but need to prioritise hiring the best talent they can find and then work hard to retain them over everything else.  One bad hire can destroy effective teams.

7) Leadership is more important than management if you want the best team. The best people want to be inspired and motivated, they want to be challenged and given the opportunity to shine – this requires leadership and effective communication.

8) Values are more important than perks. Perks in a job are attractive, but most people want to work in an organisation where they are values aligned.  Working with great people in an environment where you feel “at home” is the best job perk you can ask for.

9) There is a place for everyone.  Our role as recruiters is to identify which person is going to be right for each organisation, and there is nothing better than seeing this happen.  I recently caught up with someone I placed into a role at the start of the year and he said that the role was his “absolute dream job”. That was a pretty satisfying feeling!

10) Messy desks mean you are really good at your job.  Actually, I just threw this in to see if anyone was reading it, but yes, I am the proud owner of a messy desk (though I know where everything is). I’m sure that means that I put my clients and candidates first – definitely before paperwork – and I have a lot on the go!