You may have noticed that Thornhvac is looking for experienced sales professionals to join our top team of recruitment consultants.

You may even have read our previous blog about what a recruitment role with us involves.

And you may have decided you have the right skills for recruitment and you fancy a new challenge.

But you may be thinking, what if I’m just not the right type of person to work in recruitment?

Recruitment is a challenging and exciting area to work in, but it does take a certain type of person, not only to succeed in it but also to enjoy it. So here are a few attributes that we think make our recruitment consultants some of the best around.

Listen

Great listening skills are essential to enable you to understand the needs of both your clients and candidates. As a former sales professional, you may possess excellent sales skills but it’s not always about what you are saying – you have to be a great listener too. It’s no good attracting a new client through your great sales patter and networking skills only to sour the relationship by not listening to them and understanding the type of candidate they are looking for.

Act with integrity

Forget the idea of recruitment as an unscrupulous profession – the best recruiters are honest and have strong moral principles. You need to be genuinely interested in the needs of both your client and your candidates, and want to do what’s right for everyone. Keep communication open and frequent, make sure you know exactly what they want, and tell them if you think their expectations are realistic. If you have built up a good relationship with them, they will trust your judgment – or, at least, consult with you about it.

Be confident

Having a confident manner is vital as a recruitment consultant. You need to be able to approach people and talk easily to them. You also need to be confident about what kind of service you can offer. Confidence is vital when promoting your services, and when you are trying to convince people to become clients or candidates. As a recruiter, you will need to be a ‘people person’. You have to love making new contacts and be genuinely interested in what they are saying to you. You need to be trustworthy and affable, professional and reliable.

Patience is a virtue

Patience is also a characteristic that good recruiters possess. Matching the right candidate to the right client can take time: meetings may be rescheduled, people indecisive, and the right people may not be available immediately.

Speed is of the essence

A good recruiter will be someone who can work quickly and to deadlines. You may not be the only recruiter your client has approached to find them a suitable candidate, so working quickly may help you fill a position before your competition has a chance to do so.

Deal with pressure

Being able to stay calm under pressure and being good at problem solving are two great attributes that a recruitment consultant needs to help them deal with the stresses of finding the right candidate for a role. You will also need to be prepared to work hard, and operate as part of a team.