Recruiter as a Career
Description of the Job
Recruiters are responsible for meeting hiring goals by filling open positions with talented and qualified candidates. They are generally responsible for the full life cycle of the recruiting process. This entails sourcing and screening candidates, coordinating the interview process, and facilitating offers and employment negotiations, all while ensuring candidates have a pleasant experience.
Another very similar role is a talent acquisition specialist, and often people use the two terms interchangeably. The main difference is that talent acquisition specialists tend to focus on long-term human resources planning and finding appropriate candidates for positions that require a very specific skill set.
Fast Facts
- Number of hours per week40-50 hours
- Average starting pay$45k Nationally, $57k in the Bay Area
- Amount of travel requiredLittle to none
Roles & Responsibilities
- Source candidates using a variety of search methods to build a robust candidate pipeline
- Screen candidates by reviewing resumes and job applications, and performing phone screenings
- Take ownership of candidate experience by designing and managing it
- Develop job postings, job descriptions, and position requirements
- Perform reference checks as needed
- Facilitate the offer process by extending the offer and negotiating employment terms
- Manage onboarding and new hire processes
- Manage the overall interview, selection, and closing process
- Ensure all screening, hiring, and selection is done in accordance with employment laws and regulations
Skills Needed
- Communication: recruiters spend a lot of time talking with candidates, so it’s important that a recruiter can speak effectively and be clear with candidates.
- Good judgement: recruiters are often the “initial screening” for candidates before they are passed on to later stages of the interview, so it’s important the recruiter can pass on good candidates to future rounds.
- Time management: recruiters have a busy schedule and many meetings with people, so they must allocate their time efficiently. Recruiters may also have to work outside of normal office hours if candidates can’t talk during normal hours.
- Organization: recruiters track and manage many candidates for many roles, so organization skills are critical
Steps to Enter The Field
- A Bachelor’s degree is required for recruiting roles. Common majors include Human Resources, Management, Business Administration, or other business related fields.
- It’s important to develop communication skills, which can be done through a plethora of ways (school clubs/organizations, internships, leadership roles, etc.)
- Become familiar with Microsoft Office, since many recruiters use it heavily in their day-to-day work
- Internships in the human resources department of a company can boost one’s chances of landing full time roles
Landscape of the Field & Companies in the Field
- Practically every company has recruiters in their company, since companies are constantly seeking new talent to fulfill new positions
- Very small companies may not have someone be the official recruiter, but the role of a recruiter still must be fulfilled. In those cases, they would have other responsibilities at the company
- There are also many recruiting firms, which help other companies find and hire people for roles. The main function of connecting talent for roles is the same, but it would be for many different companies.
- Some of the top recruiting firms include Kelly Services, Robert Half, Randstad, Adecco, and Insight Global
External Resources to Learn More & Develop Skills
- Top 10 Resources for Recruiters: these resources are fun and information, according to the writer
- 13 Best Recruiting Podcasts: Helpful podcasts to help on one’s journey as a recruiter
- HR & Recruiting Blogs: Contains 17 blogs that are for HR and Talent Acquisition
Related Careers
- Career Counselor, HR Manager, HR Specialist, Public Relations, Recruitment Consultant, Head Hunter, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Informational Interviews
Marie Benigno Ablaza
Company Name: Ubisoft
Title: Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist
Years of Experience: 7
Biography
Marie Benigno Ablaza is a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Ubisoft. She graduated from San Jose State University in 2014 with a degree in Human Resources Management. She began her career at Dolby Laboratories as a Staffing Coordinator, then became a Recruiting Coordinator at Lucasfilm. Marie then moved to Ubisoft in August of 2018 as an Associate Recruiter, then was promoted two times to be in her current role.