I recently posted a blog about when to hire a recruiter instead of doing the work in-house. But once you come to the conclusion that you need outside recruiting services, how do you know what to look for? What qualities should that recruiter have to make sure they’re actually going to be able to save you time and money and hire the right fit?

Of course, there are lots of skills and qualities that can make for a good recruiter, and I can’t list them all. But these are some strong indicators that your recruiter will be worth the money!

Relationship Building

In a SHRM article, Tim Sackett said, “At its foundation, recruiting is about being able to connect with others.” A great recruiter has a network of potential candidates ready before you even think about contacting them for your open position. For example, Purple Ink has over 10,000 resumes in our database, tagged by area of expertise – and that doesn’t count our social media followers and personal connections! A recruiter with a vast network and strong ability to form relationships saves time and widens your pool of potential candidates.

Consulting Skills

Ultimately, an outside recruiter is a consultant to your business. They need to be able to give you advice based on their expertise and keep your best interests in mind. We’re not just resume screeners. If we don’t think you’ll get the talent you’re looking for with the compensation you’re offering, we’ll let you know. If we think you’ll get more relevant candidates if you change the job title in the ad, we’ll say so. And at the end of our recruiting process, we’re not just handing you a list of candidates; we’re sharing our suggestions as to who we think will be the best fit and why. You have the final say, but we want you to get value out of your search with us – if all you wanted was a stack of resumes, there are lots of job boards out there!

Creativity

If all the obvious sources and strategies were working, you wouldn’t need a recruiter! Valuable recruiters think outside the box, because “well, no one applied on your website” isn’t a valid excuse for failing to find you the candidates you’re paying them for! They know the best places to post your ad to find certain types of candidates, how to market the position on social media, the ideal wording for your job ad, and how to find the best passive candidates. Regardless of your budget and resources, a good recruiter will find a way to get you some candidates. This is a big focus here at Purple Ink – one of our core values is creativity!

Up-to-Date Skills

Last but not least, a recruiter needs to actually know what they’re doing! Whether it’s through conferences, webinars, articles, or podcasts (like The JoyPowered® Workspace Podcast, hosted by our own JoDee Curtis and Susan White!), they should be staying up-to-date on the latest recruiting trends, best practices, technologies, and laws. And, of course, they should have a good grasp of the basics, like which interview questions are illegal.

I hope this blog helps you find the right recruiter for your organization! And if you’re still not sure where to start, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my colleagues at Purple Ink have all of these qualities and more! Reach out to us if you’d like more information on our affordable, customizable recruiting services.