What Does a Recruiter Do? My Life as a Professional Recruiter

Most people are familiar with the term “Recruiter” and if not, usually “Head-Hunter” rings a bell.

I think a lot of people have heard how much money Recruiters can make and immediately think “It must require a special skillset.”

Like, that person must be so knowledgeable about a specific niche industry and that’s the only reason they’re able to do well.

When I was in the industry working for someone else, I had clients who were:

• Manufacturing companies
• Finance companies
• Aviation companies
• Consulting firms
• Marketing agencies
• The list goes on…

I had never worked in any of these industries before. One important thing that I learned very early is what made me decide to go solo and start filling positions by myself.

Recruiters fill positions for companies that tell them exactly what to look for.

The primary task of a Recruiter is to source, qualify, submit and successfully place candidates that the client ultimately decides if they are a good match for that particular position.

Companies have already written up a job description for the open position they’re hiring you to fill. In each job description, there are both responsibilities and minimum requirements that you can use to begin your search.

Recruiters are glorified human questionnaires.

Now, I’m probably going to get a lot of flack for saying that, but it’s true. As with any profession, there are definitely some frustrating moments. It’s an industry where you’re dealing with the only product that can change its mind at any point throughout the process. You’re dealing with human emotions, impulses, irrationalities and random craziness that people can muster up.

What do Recruiters do on a daily basis?

If you’re someone like me, who initially just wanted to make just one big placement and then decide my future after that, you’re going to need to get your first client. There really isn’t some magical way to get your first client, but it’s definitely not as difficult as you think. It’s very straightforward.

1. Sales / Lead Generation:

• Hunt down leads by searching through job postings on websites like Indeed, CareerBuilder and Monster.
• Use your personal network and ask your friends and family if any of their employers use staffing agencies.

My favorite out of the two above? Personal network.

I can guarantee that someone in your network either knows someone who works in HR or works for a company that has used a staffing agency in the past. A company that has used or is currently using a staffing is your golden ticket to your first client.

2. Recruiting:

• LinkedIn Recruiter Lite — $119/month
• ZipRecruiter Job Post — $24/day

My favorite out of the two above? LinkedIn Recruiter Lite.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you what’s expensive or what’s not, because it’s all subjective. For $119 you get 30 InMail messages to send out on LinkedIn Recruiter Lite. I can tell you from experience that 30 InMails is more than enough to find the person you’re looking for. You have to think about it from a business perspective. You spend $119 for one month, let’s say hypothetically you get about 50% of people (conservative amount) who are both a good match and also interested in the job opportunity. Out of those candidates, you only need one of them to be the right fit. If you’re successful, I can guarantee you, you would have made your money back, paid for LinkedIn Recruiter Lite for the rest of the year, and also have much more left over.

3. Coordinating Interviews:

• Clients
• Pending Candidates

Exactly how it sounds. After you submit a candidate to your client, they will either reject them or request an interview with them. It’s your job to make sure this part of the process runs smoothly. If they’re running late because “life happens,” it’s up to you to let your clients know. You’d be surprised how often that happens, even with the best preparation your end.

4. Customer Service:

• Clients
• Pending Candidates

When you’re not looking for new candidates, you’re spending your time keeping your clients and pending candidates happy. Your clients are the ones who pay the bills and keep the lights on. Never forget that. They are your top priority when it comes to customer service. Candidates are not the ones who are paying you, but it’s also important to make their experience working with you is as stress-free as possible. Always treat them with respect and integrity. Who knows, maybe they’re a senior level employee at their current company and could refer you to work with their company? Always conduct yourself in a transparent and professional manner.

That’s about it…

A Recruiter’s job doesn’t require SEO, Technical knowledge, digital marketing, or any of the other “make money from home” methods that are taking over Facebook and Google ads. It’s a very much, take care of your immediate tasks, and then step away because there are other moving parts that you have no control over. Waiting is a big part of this job.

Making a successful placement:

You’ve done it! You found the right person, your client has made them an offer and they have accepted!

Now is the part where you have to think about candidates getting cold-feet, counter-offers, or whatever else that might pop up! There are plenty of techniques, methods and best practices on how to coach your candidates through this part of the process. All of which are necessary to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Interested in learning more?

6-FigureStaffing.com was created by Zach Machuca to teach others how to start their own staffing agency. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel to begin taking your first steps.