Are you considering a career in recruitment? With a high earning potential and early opportunities to progress, recruitment has become a career of choice for graduates as well as experienced professionals who consider a career change. But what skills and attributes does it take to lead a successful career in recruitment?

Our Associate Director, Theo Stergiou joined Nicoll Curtin in 2016. He is one of our top billers for a few years in a row. Theo shared his top tips on becoming a recruiter and how to succeed in your career.

"When I was a trainee, I asked lots of people what to do to be really successful in recruitment. What I always heard was, 'just work hard'. If you make an extra effort to build the relationships from the beginning, it pays off. Get in early or leave a little late, you will then see that your network grows and you start building relationships.

In addition, I always ask for help. At the beginning, it may be daunting to ask for help from your colleagues or your manager, but it is crucial to get that support when you need it. Another very important thing is to make sure you track everything and keep a good process."

Here are some more tips from us to build a successful recruitment career.

5 tips to become a successful recruiter

1. Taking initiative

Being able to take the initiative and having a hunger to solve a problem will take you far in the recruitment industry. It is essential that you identify problems and come up with possible solutions and recommendations. You are always looking for a better way of doing things.

2. Positive attitude

People that progress in recruitment sector are determined, hard-working and sociable. This sector shines a light on people who are a joy to have in the team and successful in their own right. They create a happy and dynamic environment around them.

Successful recruitment consultants maintain a positive attitude in their roles and maintain it when difficult situations arise. They also put people first and take pride in being the best. Another key skill is to be available for people to come to you for help and then sharing your knowledge. In our teams, career success isn’t about self-interest or cutthroat competition. A large component of success is being approachable, friendly and reliable whilst hitting your own and the company’s targets.

3. Effective communication

Recruiters constantly meet new people, talk to hiring managers or candidates. In this fast-paced environment, recruiters need to communicate well in order to be successful. Are you able to clearly convey information and ideas? Can you mix with others easily and build strong relationships? Can you influence, convince and negotiate? If you have demonstrable experience of these key skills, you’re well-positioned to go far in recruitment.

Recruiters must also be good listeners. Recruitment is not only about finding jobs, but helping candidates to improve their life standards, land on their dream jobs, support them to achieve their personal and family goals. If you really understand candidates, their motivations, their skills, and the problems they may be facing, then you will be in the best position to place them in the right job. When it comes to the clients, exactly the same principal works. Your job will be helping the clients to grow and develop their organisation, achieve their goals with the best talent on board. You should be able to understand the client’s higher purpose or their mission and find candidates with similar values.

4. Ability to learn

A lot of recruitment training is on the desk and on the job, as recruitment isn’t something you can learn by reading a manual. Part of putting people first is being upfront with them and admitting your blunders. Note your colleagues’ feedback and implement changes off the back of it. You can always improve and achieve more. Successful recruiters also work over the years to gain deeper knowledge about industry in which they work and the types of roles that they recruit. This helps them to recommend quality candidates in shorter time. This way, your confidence will also boost. Taking a pro-active view to your professional development, seeking out new methods, ideas and tools to apply in your day to day work will be great attitude to growth.

5. Business acumen

A recruiter should be results-focused with a passion in delivering excellent customer service. You need to engage with the the clients and go deeper to understand their business models, their culture and vision. Successful recruiters can see opportunities beyond what is in front of them, predict trends and growth, and start supporting clients before they ask for help. This ability guarantees building long lasting relationships with the clients.

How can your employer support you?

To enhance your growth, your organisation should ensure its promotion criteria are clearly laid out from the start. Right from the day one, you should know exactly what is expected of you and what it takes to progress. Whether it be a strong desire to lead a team, focus on being the biggest biller, or moving internationally. You need a clearly delineated career path if you are going to fully commit to your goals with enthusiasm.