A Day in the Life of a Recruiter

When you become a recruiter, you instantly become adaptable because things are always changing. There is never a dull moment. It is challenging to put together what a ‘typical’ day would look like as a recruiter, because no two days are ever the same, but below I have provided some insight about some constants in an ever-changing environment as a recruiter. Who knows, maybe when you are done reading, you’d be interested in joining us

What does your typical day consist of?

Each day varies in responsibilities, which makes work fun! Every morning consists of first getting yourself prepared for the day and managing your calendar. Next step, is going through all of your Outlook emails and making sure to check-in on the status of all your open requisitions (having open communication with hiring managers, fellow recruiters, and the candidates areallcritical). Once you’ve checked-in on open requisitions, you should take the time to go through all of the inbound resumes from job postings, and follow up with all of the prospected candidates. The rest of the day may consist of active and passive sourcing by utilizing different recruiting platforms such as: LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, the internal database and referrals (to list a few).

Other daily responsibilities include: conducting technical phone screens, resume reviewing, scheduling interviews, preparing candidates for interviews, collaborating with hiring managers, and the best part… Extending offers!

What is the most rewarding part of the job?

The most rewarding part of being a recruiter is helping people find their dream job and watching them thrive in it. Being able to play matchmaker and connect an amazing company with the top talent is what truly motivates me as a recruiter!

What are some of the challenges faced on the job?

As a part of any job, there come hardships. As a recruiter, you are constantly learning and dealing with new situations. Some of the challenges include: not hearing back from a candidate, not taking interview feedback in a positive manner, and the least exciting part…Candidates declining offers.

People are all different and can change their mind at any given point during the interview process. Not being able to control the uncontrollable is not easy. A candidate can be extremely excited about an opportunity one day and the next they decide that they may no longer be interested.

Another challenge is receiving negative feedback from his or her interview or profile – because let’s face it, no one likes rejection. In this situation, as a recruiter, you want to make sure to be cautious of how you relay any information to the candidate.

The last and worst challenge is having a candidate decline an offer. The best action to take would be to let the individual think about their options and make a decision on what is best for their career. At the end of the day, whether the candidate takes the offer or not, it is important to remind yourself that you did your best to help someone and hopefully made a new friend along the way.

Why did I enter this field?

I entered the field of recruiting because you literally change people’s lives. As a recruiter, you are the face of the company and managers are grateful to have your assistance when it comes to hiring talent. I also love the competition, the opportunity to meet the best people, interacting with management, freedom, control, working on different jobs, and utilizing new recruiting tools! #WhyIRTA

What are some personal qualities someone who wants to work in recruitment industry should have?

The personal qualities can vary in importance depending on the department that you are supporting. Therefore, I will speak for myself as an R4R recruiter (recruiting for recruiters). Here are some of the top skills I find important: being target-driven, confident, having strong communication skills, relationship building experience, time management skills, expert at multitasking, excellent problem solver, and be able to work in a team setting.

Have you ever been interested in recruiting? We would LOVE to meet you! Email us at talentacquisition@russelltobin.com. You can also find our open positions here.

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