Why Good Recruiters Go Bad: The Bad Habits All Recruiters Need To Avoid

As Rec2Rec recruiters, we’ve talked to every type of recruitment consultant you can think of. Consultants from every conceivable sector through to old school recruiters and eager trainees.

In reality there are only two types of recruiter, those that are successful, and those that aren’t.

We all want to be the former, but how do we stop ourselves becoming the latter? However long you have been in recruitment or how successful you have been; failure is never far away. We’ve all seen those successful consultants lose it all of a sudden, and never regain their former glories. The reason why this happens? They got complacent and got into bad habits. Below we take a look at the bad habits that every recruiter should consciously avoid. If you can ensure this, your success as a high billing consultant is assured.

Failure to plan

Have you ever seen those children’s entertainers who spin plates? That’s what recruitment is like. Just as you’ve got one plate spinning, one starts to stop and you end up rushing from plate to plate until the whole lot come crashing down. Plan your day and your week, with clear, challenging but realistic objectives and you will always benefit from this. Think that you no longer need to plan, and you’ll find your plates crashing down around you in no-time!

Making assumptions

It’s great when you have a good working relationship with a company and an understanding of how they operate and the types of jobs they have on offer. But too many established recruiters get lazy, and begin to assume things. When faced with a vague job description, don’t think you know the company so well and fill in the gaps yourself. Too many good consultants have lost good clients by making assumptions. Whether you have been a recruiter for twenty minutes or twenty years, assume nothing. If in doubt, always ask.

Taking candidates at face value

Some candidates won’t tell you the truth. I know it’s not a PC comment and yet it’s the truth. It is an inevitable fact about recruitment. It’s also a fact that as a recruiter, you’ll become a good judge of character. However, this doesn’t mean the rigorous checks that you did earlier in your career should end. Too many good consultants have let their career go wayward by not doing the required due diligence with regards to checking out that amazing candidates credentials.

Yes it’s not the most interesting thing to do and it’s the sign of a true recruiting pro.

Neglecting their pipeline

Remember when you started out as a consultant? How you hit the telephones day in, day out? It was that consistent hard work in the early days that gave you the solid foundations that your career is built upon now. You’ve probably got lots of loyal clients, but don’t ever forget to look after your pipeline. A good pipeline always needs regular fresh leads, so don’t ever get complacent. The calls you put in now will look after you for a long time to come.

Complacency is the recruiter’s biggest enemy. Conquer that and never forget the importance of the basics, and you’ll have a long and successful career in recruitment.

Till next time,

Cheryl