Talent Recruiters Skills – The critical ones

Finding top recruiters is harder today than it was just two years ago, according to three talent leaders who spoke during a panel discussion May 3 at the Human Capital Institute’s Strategic Talent Acquisition Conference. But knowing what attributes to look for in new recruiter hires and what competencies to develop in existing staff can help companies build exceptional recruiting teams, they said.

Skills gaps and talent shortages have made it difficult in recent years for employers to hire the staff they need, and hiring becomes even more difficult when a company’s recruiters don’t have the necessary skills. Complicating matters is that these skills have changed over time. For example, today’s recruiters are being asked to be marketers and strategic partners, the panelists said.

“Businesses in general are demanding more of recruitment” than they used to, noted Lisa Maronski, senior vice president and head of talent at Boston-based Santander Bank.

Maronski and her fellow panelists identified several qualities recruiters today must have to be effective. Specifically, the panelists said it’s critical for recruiters to have:

• Sales and marketing skills.
• Business acumen.
• Consultative skills.
• Time management and organizational skills.
• The ability to adapt.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Do Your Recruiters Have What It Takes?