What makes a brilliant recruiter?

In reality there is no one simple answer to the question “What makes a brilliant recruiter?” because there are many different factors that contribute to being successful in the recruitment world, as Andy Bristow of Bristow Holland explains:

There was a time where Paul sold paperclips, Marc laid paving slabs and Matt administered pensions. Fast forward a few (or in one case many!) years and each one of them is now a successful recruiter. As a specialist IT recruitment business, our job is to find unique, hard-to-find candidates so when we recruit ourselves, the same brief applies. We understand that experience is not always the be-all and end-all and sometimes the best recruiters in our company have either come from a non-recruitment background, or from a background that has no association with IT.

For us, the most important attributes are good communication skills, the desire to learn and a willingness to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Someone with an inner drive that aspires to achieve is the type of person who could make a brilliant recruiter. A great example is our newest team member, Marc. He joined us in January 2017 from a construction recruitment background and he has already established himself as one of our top performers.

As building relationships is a key part in the role of a recruiter, it is important that each one of us is confident and successful in building strong relationships with both clients and candidates. We like to meet every candidate to ensure that we get to meet the person behind the CV and get a feel for their skills and personality so that we can match them to the most appropriate job vacancies. Similarly, with clients, it is always beneficial to visit the company to get a feel for the environment and the team, to make sure that you can put the right person forward for the job. No one wants their time wasted; both candidates and companies come to a recruiter because they trust that they can find the right person for the job (or the right job for the person) and their experience in professional recruitment means that the process is smoother and more rewarding than if they were to do it themselves. Another advantage of using a recruitment agency is that we save you time which is something that is very precious in business, particularly in the fast-paced society we live and work in today.

Clients shouldn’t be bombarded with calls and CVs, particularly those that are unsuitable for the role they are trying to fill. When a candidate is put forward for an interview, it is the responsibility of the recruiter to ensure that the person is suitable for the role and suited to the company. A good recruiter will have confidence in their relationship with the client and candidate to make informed decisions like this, and the majority of times we’re pleased to say we find the perfect match.

Recruitment is such a competitive industry. In order to be successful in this world you need to be perceived as unique and the best of the best. Although our team is made up of recruiters who originated from different backgrounds and specialities, we are now all experts in our field, which makes us a strong player in IT recruitment in the East of England.

Think you could be the next addition to our team? Click here to find out more about our latest role.