Taufik Arief, Chairman Award Recipient – NPAworldwide 2025 and Founder & Director of People Search International (P.S.I) gives his view on what makes a great recruiter.
In the fast-paced world of talent acquisition, whether you’re an external agency recruiter or an internal recruiter, the pressure to meet – and exceed – business expectation is relentless. Success in recruitment isn’t just about having the latest tools or knowing the most innovative techniques; it hinges on the consistent application of key disciplines that elevate effectiveness and drive results.
This article explores the essential habits and disciplines that distinguish top recruiters worldwide. While the recruitment landscape continues to evolve, these fundamental practices remain universal pillars of success. Consider this a comprehensive checklist to identify strengths, highlight areas for development, and refine your approach to achieve peak performance in the dynamic field of recruitment.
Requesting References
Our extensive network encompasses thousands of contacts within our mobile phones, LinkedIn connections, database, including friends of friends, associations, and other relevant contacts. These individuals are our valuable assets and potential sources of accessing candidates. They are in the position to refer the most suitable candidates for our users or clients. Unlike internet-based talent sourcing, this process offers an efficient shortcut. We can significantly narrow down the talent populations into targeted ones, thereby expediting the candidate sourcing process. If we have a reward commitment to individuals who refer us candidates, it is crucial to honor this commitment. It is imperative to maintain positive relationships with those who consistently support us in sourcing candidates. We should offer them assistance, coffee, or dining sessions as a token of appreciation for their contributions.
Boolean Search: A Recruiter’s Essential Skill
LinkedIn, the primary social media platform for professionals, continues to be a crucial tool for recruiters in sourcing candidates for their users and clients. However, recruiters must be mindful of the potential risks associated with using the basic plan, as it can result in account bans.
To effectively avoid account bans, recruiters should employ Boolean search techniques. Boolean search allows recruiters to specify precise search criteria, enabling them to identify candidates more efficiently. Additionally, recruiters can utilize the X-Ray to bypass the need for typing Boolean search queries.
Furthermore, many advanced applicant tracking systems (ATS) also support Boolean search, providing recruiters with an additional layer of search capabilities. This skill set is essential for recruiters seeking to navigate the complexities of candidate sourcing in today’s digital landscape.
Asking the right questions
Candidate assessment is a pivotal aspect of the recruitment process. Recruiters must pose the right questions, actively listen to the candidates’ responses, and internally process the information before generating reports. The assessment’s outcome determines whether to pass a candidate to our users or clients. The assessment aims to address crucial questions: do the candidates possess the positive characters, demonstrate competence, align with the organisation’s culture, and fit in the company’s employer value proposition (EVP)? Recruiters may employ competency-based interviews or other relevant methods, but ultimately, they must formulate the appropriate questions to engage with candidates. Failing to do so could result in the referral of inappropriate candidates, potentially leading to unsuccessful employment negotiations at the later stages.
Updating the ATS
Data is paramount. Information we input today may prove useful in the next two to three years. Candidates within our ATS are assets, but by adding more information, they become productive assets. Maintaining discipline in updating the data is essential. This activity does not yield immediate monetary results, which is why we procascrinate it. However, over the years, this will become crucial. Failing to do it today, it will will jeopardise the future competitiveness of the recruiter and lose big opportunities.
Establishing a Relationship with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Regardless of whether you utilise ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini, it is evident that Generation AI has profoundly transformed our work practices and enhanced our efficiency. This powerful engine facilitates the identification of clients’ or company competitors, simplifying the identification of suitable talent pools for sourcing. Furthermore, it assists in aligning resumes with job descriptions, pinpointing potential gaps, and formulating pertinent interview questions for candidates. Additionally, it generates comprehensive interview reports based on resumes, job descriptions, and interview outcomes. We can conduct candidate background checks, gaining insights into their social media behaviour and digital footprint, tasks that previously required hours of manual effort and can now be completed in minutes or even seconds.
Effective Communication
Recruitment extends beyond digital or internet activities; it encompasses human interaction. This process requires a substantial exchange of information among all stakeholders, including job understanding, user profiles, and even basic matters such as interview scheduling, contract arrangements, and closing deals. Successful recruiters establish clear communication service levels. For instance, they may set a maximum response rate of 30-60 minutes for urgent matters and a maximum of 4-6 hours for non-urgent matters. Articulating the information properly is necessary to all candidates, users or clients. Quality and speed of communication are crucial in fostering positive human interactions, ultimately leading to successful recruitment outcomes.
The Art of Deal
Successful deals commence with posing pertinent questions to candidates, particularly concerning their circumstances and aspirations, both financial and non-financial. Certain aspects, such as their company and employment status information, may prove pivotal. It is crucial to identify any potential discrepancies between a candidate’s expectations and the company’s budget and overall employer value propositions (EVPs). The greater the disparity, the more challenges it will be to conclude a deal. In the event of a recruitment deadline approaching, the employer may lose its advantage. Therefore, it is essential to manage the entire recruitment cycle and have at least two candidates available to offer in the event that the initial candidate withdraws.
Monitoring Your Matrix
As a recruiter, you are responsible for monitoring your matrix based on various criteria, such as search fees invoiced or the number of candidates hired within a company. A typical metric to monitor is the number of candidates sent to clients on a daily or weekly basis. Additionally, it is important to track the conversion rate, including the number of candidates interviewed and those who pass the interviews. Lastly, monitor the speed at which you can produce at least three to four candidates per vacancy. It’s imperative for recruiters to understand their scorecard, provide the very best effort and monitor the progress and outcome.
Do you see any other things recruiters need to do? Please feel free to share your thoughts!
