May 27, 2025 • 21 mins
Hiring a great recruiter isn’t as simple as it sounds, and getting it wrong can hurt your entire hiring strategy. In this episode of the Hire Calling Podcast, we break down a proven 7-step process to help you hire a recruiter who can actually deliver results.
In just 20 minutes, you’ll learn how to define the role based on hiring volume, time-to-fill goals, and specialization needs, so you don’t end up misaligned from day one. We’ll help you choose the right level of recruiter—entry, mid, senior, or executive—and explain what each brings to the table in terms of skills, cost, and expectations.
You’ll also get practical tips on writing job descriptions that attract top recruiting talent, sourcing strategies that go beyond job boards, and interview questions that reveal true capability. We even cover red flags to watch out for and creative ways to offer competitive compensation when your budget is tight.
To wrap it up, we dive into onboarding best practices and explain when partnering with a staffing firm might be the smarter move.
If you’re ready to elevate your hiring team, this episode is a must-listen.
Additional Resources:
- How to Hire a Recruiter: A Step-by-Step Guide for Employers
- Sample Recruiter Job Descriptions
- National Average Salary for a Recruiter
- Benefits of Working with a Staffing Agency
🧠 WANT TO LEARN MORE? Be sure to subscribe and check out 4 Corner Resources at https://www.4cornerresources.com/
👋 FOLLOW PETE NEWSOME ONLINE:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewsome/
Blog Articles: https://www.4cornerresources.com/blog/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pete Newsome (00:00):
Not all recruiters know how to recruit.
Are you surprised by that?
If so, this episode of the HireCalling Podcast is for you.
Over the next few minutes, I'llwalk through exactly how to
hire the right recruiter foryour team and, just as
importantly, how to avoid hiringthe wrong one.
So let's get started.
The first step is to define therole.
Begin by identifying the kindsof jobs your new recruiter will
(00:23):
fill.
Here are some variables toconsider Volume how many
positions will your newrecruiter fill?
Time to fill Are your positionsquick turn or do they tend to
take a while?
The level of specializationthat's needed If you need a
recruiter who will beeffectively searching for
needles in a haystack, well,that's something you need to
(00:44):
understand up front, becausethat's very different than
hiring a recruiter who canhandle a wide variety of more
general positions.
Work environment Are you remote,hybrid or in the office every
day?
Needless to say, if you'refully remote, that opens up the
candidate pool to an unlimitedgeography.
But if you need someone on site, even part of the time, I
(01:05):
highly recommend hiring locallyfor that role.
You can, of course, relocatesomeone, but it just adds an
extra level of complexity andtime to the search, so avoid
that at all costs.
And, as icing on the cake, thatlocal recruiter will have
familiarity with the market thatthey're going to be recruiting
in.
And then, finally, what areyour KPIs?
What does success in this rolelook like?
(01:27):
It's definitely something youwant to clarify before posting
this job publicly and beginningyour search.
Step two is choosing the rightexperience level.
I'll walk you through the fourdifferent types of recruiters.
This is something that is notscientific by any means, but
it's a categorization that Ithink will make a lot of sense
in almost every scenario, andit's certainly something that
(01:50):
you can modify for your ownspecific needs.
First up are your entry-levelrecruiters.
Now I recommend hiring someonewithout any experience.
If you have positions that arevery simple to recruit for Think
high volume, repetitive roles,customer service positions,
warehouse jobs, anything thatwill allow the recruiter to be
(02:12):
largely task driven.
That's a really good use of anentry level person and, let's be
honest, it's an affordable wayto go.
It's the most affordable as youlook at recruiters with more
experience.
You're going to pay more forthem, but the trade-off is that
they'll need more oversight andtraining.
Assume that you'll be startingfrom scratch, and so you need to
(02:34):
make sure that you have theinternal resources, time and
knowledge to bring someone up tospeed.
And then next is your mid-levelrecruiters.
These are professionals whoshould be able to handle full
cycle recruiting autonomously.
They have experience, butthey're not specialists in any
one area, at least not yet.
I like hiring them for sales,marketing and healthcare
(02:55):
positions, where the roles arereally easy to define and
understand what they are, not alot of strategic thinking
involved.
So that brings us to the seniorrecruiters, where you should
expect strategic thinking.
They should be recruitingalmost fully autonomously.
They should come with their ownnetwork that's something you
shouldn't expect from the entryor mid-level recruiter and they
(03:18):
should probably have a prettybig presence on LinkedIn and
know how to use it effectively,especially for recruiting
passive candidates, and that'ssomething that is also a good
differentiator between an entryor mid-level recruiter.
And then, as you make the jumpto senior, is the difference
between recruiting based on jobapplicants that come in and
(03:40):
sourcing proactively, spendingtime on job boards, sending
custom messages to candidates.
The more senior recruitersshould be able to do that, and
they should also be able to workclosely with your department
heads or executives andultimately seen as a consultant
in the hiring process.
So you get what you pay forwhen you're hiring a senior
(04:00):
recruiter or at least you shouldexpect to and then make sure
you interview and manageaccordingly, and then the
highest level is what I wouldconsider to be executive
recruiters.
Most companies won't need anexecutive recruiter.
You really take probably alarge organization that is
consistently hiring senior levelroles, which means they need to
be large enough to warrant that.
(04:21):
Otherwise it probably makessense to outsource.
We'll touch on that a littlebit later.
But executive recruiters willoften have a retained background
where they operate with a bitof a different mindset, really
focused on one position at atime, have deep market knowledge
in whatever area they'refocused on and, as importantly
as anything, they are used tohandling sensitive searches and
(04:45):
really know what it means tomaintain confidentiality
throughout their recruitingprocess.
Once you have the level ofrecruiter defined, then you can
turn to your job description.
Step three here is reallyimportant.
Because you're recruitingrecruiters, your job description
isn't just a formality, it's amarketing tool.
So create it accordingly.
Start with a strong company andposition summary.
(05:08):
Describe who you are and whythe position matters.
Then connect responsibilitiesto outcome.
Be specific here.
Generic bullet points aren'tgoing to resonate.
Too many companies make thatmistake.
Be specific wherever possible.
For example, don't say sourcecandidates Say we need you to
fill 20 professional-level rolesper quarter across key
(05:30):
departments.
Right, the more detail you canprovide, the better, and be
clear wherever possible on theessential aspects of the role.
Also, avoid acronyms that youuse internally that aren't going
to make sense to externalcandidates.
That you use internally thataren't going to make sense to
external candidates.
That's a little side tip forthis, but it is definitely
something I encourage with everyjob description is use terms
(05:52):
that are widely understood.
It'll help your search gobetter and it'll just attract
the candidates that you reallywant.
The best candidates aren'tgoing to spend time trying to
make heads or tails of a bunchof acronyms they've never seen
before.
Also, on your job description,be sure to list any systems or
tools that they'll be using, butdon't overemphasize the need to
(06:14):
have specific experience withan applicant tracking system
that you happen to use.
Generally speaking.
If you know how to use one, youcan quickly learn the others,
and that knowledge is reallytransferable for one software
tool to the other, so don't gettoo hung up on that.
Be transparent in your salaryList.
The range.
(06:34):
According to, appcast just putout a report not too long ago
that said, job listings withclear, concise language and
salary transparency receive 120%more applicants than vague or
overly broad postings, so themore you can provide there, the
better.
Finally, share your team'sculture.
What's it like to work in yourenvironment day-to-day?
(06:54):
What values do you hold?
That matters to a lot ofrecruiters just as much as the
day-to-day responsibilities andduties.
And then on to step four.
Now you're ready to recruit.
Start by sourcing candidatesproactively.
Don't just post a job and waitfor applicants to come to you.
The best recruiters are busy.
They're not coming through jobboards all day.
(07:15):
A recent report from LinkedInthat they just published in
January 2025 said that 75% ofrecruiter hires began through
direct outreach, not inboundapplications.
So let that sink in for asecond.
The best recruiters are notgoing to apply.
You need to go find them.
Get on LinkedIn, look at whatyour potential candidates are
(07:38):
doing.
Find the ones that are postingand engaging and sharing content
.
If they're doing that, ifthey're active on LinkedIn in
advance of coming to work foryou, then you're going to get
the benefit of that if you hirethem.
So make sure that you're payingattention to how they're going
about their day.
I mean, it's a way to get aview into their work habits
(08:00):
before you even reach out, letalone interview them.
So take advantage of whatthey're posting publicly and
determine if those that you seeposting are worth talking to.
And then, when you reach out,make it personal.
Reference something they shared.
Avoid canned messages at allcosts.
Those tend to get ignoredbecause, since we recruiters are
on LinkedIn all the time, weget spam messages all the time
(08:24):
and any generic message we'rejust so used to seeing.
We really just are dismissiveof those.
And then, finally, as big asanything in your sourcing
process is, take advantage ofyour internal network.
Referrals are 55% faster tohire, so think about that.
If you can use a candidatewho's already known to someone
(08:45):
on your team, there, there'sinherent trust already in place
You'll have insight that youotherwise would not be able to
get through the recruitingprocess.
So really use that to youradvantage.
Your internal network is hugeand if you need to offer a
referral bonus, that's a greatway to go as well.
Step five have an effectiveinterview process.
(09:06):
Don't wing it.
This is your chance to evaluaterecruiters at a deeper level.
Remember, these are people whounderstand interviewing in a
deeper fashion than almosteveryone else does because of
what they do for a living.
So really dig into detailsabout how the recruiter thinks
and builds relationships and howthey go about driving results.
(09:28):
Listen, this is a group that'strained to present themselves
well, so your interview processreally needs to account for that
.
Other things to consider isreally good traits of recruiters
.
I'll list some Do theycommunicate clearly and
confidently?
I mean, nothing is moreimportant than that when it
comes to this profession.
(09:49):
What kind of metrics can theyuse to explain their success?
This is an opportunity for youto ask questions about their
previous performance, which willreally give you a good
indication of their work styleand what kind of results they
were able to produce.
Are they showing initiative andsolving hiring challenges?
So ask questions around that.
(10:10):
Do they have the ability towork across departments and what
kind of history do they have ofworking with stakeholders?
Now, depending on the level ofrecruiter you're hiring, that
may be more or less important,but it's something that you
should understand on anyrecruiter who has experience
coming in and then emphasize howthey handled and managed a
candidate experience right.
(10:30):
This goes beyond just numbers.
It's about their interactions,and do they value those and
really take those candidaterelationships seriously?
And if you dig into that alittle bit, it'll quickly become
apparent whether the recruiterdoes or does not.
With that said, here's somesample interview questions.
One tell me about a tough roleyou filled.
How did you approach it?
(10:50):
Two walk me through yoursourcing strategy for passive
candidates.
Three what's your process forpartnering with a difficult
hiring manager?
We all have those stories.
At least they should right.
I mean, any recruiter who'sbeen experienced for any matter
of time is going to havedifficult hiring manager
conversations.
I think that's something thatbinds all of us together.
(11:12):
Number four how do you measureyour own success in a recruiting
role?
I love that question.
It really gives insight intohow someone views their own job,
which I really think there's alot to be gained from that.
Number five describe a time whenyour candidate fell through.
What did you do?
Again, this is a commonexperience that all of us share,
(11:35):
and so if you have a recruiterwho gives you a blank stare or
says that's never happened, thatjust tells me they haven't done
it very long.
And then the last question thatI like is about their sourcing
tools and methods they rely on.
Ask them to explain that insome detail, right, ask about
the method and then say why doyou take that particular
approach?
What value does that offer toyou?
(11:57):
So some just general questions.
I think every recruiter shouldbe asked in an interview and
then through that, I'd be remissif I didn't mention some red
flags to look out for vagueanswers.
If they're not able to give youspecifics, then I would
question how much relevantexperience, if any, they
(12:17):
actually have.
Over-reliance on job boards thisis something that I probably
date myself when I start talkingabout job boards and how
they've become a crutch forrecruiters, because I really
believe that it's taken the artout of recruiting and made too
many professionals in the spacerely on the fact that there's
(12:38):
always another resume to pop up.
They don't have to invest asmuch time and effort and energy
in any single candidate, drawingreferrals out of them and
really establishing rapportearly and having deep
conversations.
So over-reliance on job boardsto me is something that is a big
negative in a potentialrecruiting hire.
(13:00):
And excuses Are they blamingothers for lack of success?
Are they blaming the market?
Are they blaming conditionsthat were beyond their control?
And here's the thing.
We've all been through the samemarket.
We've all had to deal with thesame challenges.
So if someone is using that asa reason they weren't successful
, just know that others weresuccessful despite those same
things happening, and let thatbe your guide.
(13:25):
And then, of course, poorcommunication.
I mentioned that as the mostimportant trait, but you have an
opportunity, as you'recommunicating with someone from
the start, is consider theentirety of your interaction
with them.
Every message, whether it'stext or a LinkedIn message or
email.
How are their grammar skills?
Are they formal?
Are they too casual in how theywrite?
(13:46):
Is the way they approachcommunication going to fit in
with your company style,whatever it is?
And then, of course, verbal,both on the phone, in person,
whether it's body language ortone.
All these things matter so muchin a recruiting role.
And if they can't hit all themarks with that, I think that's
the kind of red flag you don'tneed to dig too deeply into.
(14:10):
You see it.
Make the call, move on.
Okay, so now you have yourcandidate.
You've gone through yourinterviews hopefully not too
many.
If you find the right person,act quickly.
So step six make the offer.
Don't drag your feet.
Top recruiters will not waitaround.
If you hesitate, someone elsewill hire them and, conversely,
(14:31):
the recruiters no one wants tohire, yeah, they'll wait around.
So that's what you're going toend up with if you take too long
.
You want to make a competitiveoffer and I highly recommend
using our salary data tool onfourcornerresourcescom.
That will give you real-timecompensation benchmarks by title
and geography.
So I'll just leave that there.
(14:52):
But I also understand that it'snot always possible to offer at
or above the market, and so ifthat's the bad news, the good
news is that a lot of recruitersvalue more than just base
salary, and if you find yourselfin that situation, look, I'll
always say offer the best salarythat you can.
(15:12):
That will make it easiest toattract the best talent.
But if you can't consider someof the other in-demand perks on
LinkedIn's 2025 Talent DriverSurvey, here are some of the top
things that recruiters look forFlexible work arrangements,
hybrid and remote no surprise toanyone there Performance-based
bonuses or commission plans.
(15:33):
So if you can measure theirsuccess by results and pay more,
maybe that's a way internallyto sell, getting more money for
the role.
You won't have to pay it upfront and it's really a
pay-for-performance model whichshould be attractive for your
organization and, as this surveyshowed, it's attractive to a
(15:54):
lot of recruiters who arewilling to give a little bit up
on the front end to make moreonce they produce.
Mental health and wellnesssupport is another one.
Again, probably no greatsurprise to hear this one.
I really like seeingprofessional development
learning stipends that you canoffer.
What a cool thing, and everycompany handles that differently
(16:15):
.
Some will pay for schooling,some will pay for training and
education.
Well, if that's something youoffer, share it, because
recruiters want to know what'son the other side of accepting
that role and, along those lines, make sure you're clearly
defining their career growthopportunities.
So this is a profession thathas seen a lot of people laid
off, sees a lot of peoplelooking for jobs on LinkedIn,
(16:37):
and so if you can make themcomfortable that they're going
to have the opportunity to learnand grow and evolve
professionally, that can go along way in making up for a
salary that's a little bit onthe low side.
And then access to modern tools, specifically AI.
The smart recruiters right noware the ones who are leveraging
it or figuring out a way toleverage it.
(16:59):
So if your company is lookingto get on that adoption curve,
or maybe you're already thereand you want to stay ahead of it
.
Dangle that out there as acarrot.
It's a really attractive one toa lot of recruiters.
Okay, so we've defined our role, we found our candidate, we've
made the offer, we're done right?
No, not quite yet.
(17:20):
Step seven is onboarding.
Your onboarding experience willset the tone for your new
recruiter's performanceengagement retention it is so
important.
The first few weeks arecritical.
Your recruiter is stepping intoa role where they're expected
to produce results, so if youcan give them structure, clarity
and support from day one, theywill have a much better chance
(17:40):
of success and, conversely, apoor handoff will create
confusion and kill momentumbefore it even has a chance to
get going.
So start with a plan.
That's the best thing you cando.
Before their first day, alreadyhave a 30, 60, 90 day
onboarding plan in place.
It should include clearmilestones for learning, meeting
(18:01):
the key stakeholders and, ofcourse, beginning to work on
their own rec.
So here are some steps toconsider giving them access to
your ATS and sourcing platformsand all internal communication
tools.
Another one is introductionmeetings with HR department
heads and hiring managers.
Make sure that they meeteveryone.
They need to Reviewing yourcurrent positions and upcoming
(18:23):
recs.
Get them in the loop, get themindoctrinated as soon as
possible and then, of course,walk through your hiring process
how the approvals work, howyour interview process is
handled.
What kind of structure do youhave there?
Get all of that in your newrecruiter's hands as soon as
possible and they willdefinitely be teed up for
success.
And the last thing I'llrecommend is to pair them with
(18:45):
an internal mentor.
That can make a massivedifference in how comfortable
someone is going to be from thestart.
Give them someone who can takethem under their wing, who will
look out for them, who's beenaround the block, who knows all
the secrets necessary forsuccess in your organization,
whatever it is.
Start them off with a bang bypairing them with someone to
look out for your new hire fromday one.
(19:06):
Okay, so those are the sevensteps.
You now have all the knowledgeyou need that you can apply and
hire a great recruiter, butthat's not always the best
option.
Sometimes you should outsourceyour hiring to a staffing firm.
Yes, I'm the owner of astaffing firm, so you could say
I'm biased, but there's lots ofopportunities when you should
(19:27):
consider working with a thirdparty?
Of course, mine, but there'slots of others, believe it or
not.
And here are some of thosereasons why I recommend
considering using a third party.
Is your internal team atcapacity or do they lack
recruiting experience?
Right, I mean, if you don'thave the time or knowledge to
(19:57):
apply to a thorough recruitingprocess, as you can see from
everything we've just talkedabout, it's straightforward, but
it's not simple and it's notnecessarily quick, right,
certainly involves a lot ofknowledge and effort to execute
as well as you can.
So consider that.
And the next is whether you'regoing to need this recruiter
indefinitely or just for a shortperiod of time.
Hiring a contract recruiter canbe a very attractive option if
your needs are seasonal ortemporary or just covering a
spike.
That's not going to persist.
(20:19):
Whatever it might be, if thatrecruiting need is not going to
last indefinitely, that's agreat reason to use a
third-party staffing company.
Another one is if you're hiringfor a specialized or
hard-to-fill niche position orsenior level we talked about
that earlier.
I said I'd get back to it.
When you may need an executiverecruiter, someone who can
really handle a very, veryunique role or a very high level
(20:43):
that may have a lot ofconfidentiality associated with
it, then you don't necessarilywant to hire a person just for
those one-off type of needs.
Go ahead and hire a recruitingfirm who has experience and
knowledge to do exactly what youneed.
Your life will be so mucheasier, I promise.
(21:03):
So hiring a third-partystaffing company is often the
right way to go.
If you want to know more aboutstaffing companies, reach out
here.
You can send us a messagehirecalling at
fourcornerresourcescom.
Highly recommend you visitingour website.
Lots of information on thereand I'm happy to answer any
(21:23):
questions that you have.
So reach out anytime and ifyou've liked what you've heard
today and you've learned from it, then please subscribe.
We'd appreciate that, andthanks for listening.
Have a great rest of the day.
Not all recruiters know how to recruit.
Are you surprised by that?
If so, this episode of the HireCalling Podcast is for you.
Over the next few minutes, I'llwalk through exactly how to
hire the right recruiter foryour team and, just as
importantly, how to avoid hiringthe wrong one.
So let's get started.
The first step is to define therole.
Begin by identifying the kindsof jobs your new recruiter will
(00:23):
fill.
Here are some variables toconsider Volume how many
positions will your newrecruiter fill?
Time to fill Are your positionsquick turn or do they tend to
take a while?
The level of specializationthat's needed If you need a
recruiter who will beeffectively searching for
needles in a haystack, well,that's something you need to
(00:44):
understand up front, becausethat's very different than
hiring a recruiter who canhandle a wide variety of more
general positions.
Work environment Are you remote,hybrid or in the office every
day?
Needless to say, if you'refully remote, that opens up the
candidate pool to an unlimitedgeography.
But if you need someone on site, even part of the time, I
(01:05):
highly recommend hiring locallyfor that role.
You can, of course, relocatesomeone, but it just adds an
extra level of complexity andtime to the search, so avoid
that at all costs.
And, as icing on the cake, thatlocal recruiter will have
familiarity with the market thatthey're going to be recruiting
in.
And then, finally, what areyour KPIs?
What does success in this rolelook like?
(01:27):
It's definitely something youwant to clarify before posting
this job publicly and beginningyour search.
Step two is choosing the rightexperience level.
I'll walk you through the fourdifferent types of recruiters.
This is something that is notscientific by any means, but
it's a categorization that Ithink will make a lot of sense
in almost every scenario, andit's certainly something that
(01:50):
you can modify for your ownspecific needs.
First up are your entry-levelrecruiters.
Now I recommend hiring someonewithout any experience.
If you have positions that arevery simple to recruit for Think
high volume, repetitive roles,customer service positions,
warehouse jobs, anything thatwill allow the recruiter to be
(02:12):
largely task driven.
That's a really good use of anentry level person and, let's be
honest, it's an affordable wayto go.
It's the most affordable as youlook at recruiters with more
experience.
You're going to pay more forthem, but the trade-off is that
they'll need more oversight andtraining.
Assume that you'll be startingfrom scratch, and so you need to
(02:34):
make sure that you have theinternal resources, time and
knowledge to bring someone up tospeed.
And then next is your mid-levelrecruiters.
These are professionals whoshould be able to handle full
cycle recruiting autonomously.
They have experience, butthey're not specialists in any
one area, at least not yet.
I like hiring them for sales,marketing and healthcare
(02:55):
positions, where the roles arereally easy to define and
understand what they are, not alot of strategic thinking
involved.
So that brings us to the seniorrecruiters, where you should
expect strategic thinking.
They should be recruitingalmost fully autonomously.
They should come with their ownnetwork that's something you
shouldn't expect from the entryor mid-level recruiter and they
(03:18):
should probably have a prettybig presence on LinkedIn and
know how to use it effectively,especially for recruiting
passive candidates, and that'ssomething that is also a good
differentiator between an entryor mid-level recruiter.
And then, as you make the jumpto senior, is the difference
between recruiting based on jobapplicants that come in and
(03:40):
sourcing proactively, spendingtime on job boards, sending
custom messages to candidates.
The more senior recruitersshould be able to do that, and
they should also be able to workclosely with your department
heads or executives andultimately seen as a consultant
in the hiring process.
So you get what you pay forwhen you're hiring a senior
(04:00):
recruiter or at least you shouldexpect to and then make sure
you interview and manageaccordingly, and then the
highest level is what I wouldconsider to be executive
recruiters.
Most companies won't need anexecutive recruiter.
You really take probably alarge organization that is
consistently hiring senior levelroles, which means they need to
be large enough to warrant that.
(04:21):
Otherwise it probably makessense to outsource.
We'll touch on that a littlebit later.
But executive recruiters willoften have a retained background
where they operate with a bitof a different mindset, really
focused on one position at atime, have deep market knowledge
in whatever area they'refocused on and, as importantly
as anything, they are used tohandling sensitive searches and
(04:45):
really know what it means tomaintain confidentiality
throughout their recruitingprocess.
Once you have the level ofrecruiter defined, then you can
turn to your job description.
Step three here is reallyimportant.
Because you're recruitingrecruiters, your job description
isn't just a formality, it's amarketing tool.
So create it accordingly.
Start with a strong company andposition summary.
(05:08):
Describe who you are and whythe position matters.
Then connect responsibilitiesto outcome.
Be specific here.
Generic bullet points aren'tgoing to resonate.
Too many companies make thatmistake.
Be specific wherever possible.
For example, don't say sourcecandidates Say we need you to
fill 20 professional-level rolesper quarter across key
(05:30):
departments.
Right, the more detail you canprovide, the better, and be
clear wherever possible on theessential aspects of the role.
Also, avoid acronyms that youuse internally that aren't going
to make sense to externalcandidates.
That you use internally thataren't going to make sense to
external candidates.
That's a little side tip forthis, but it is definitely
something I encourage with everyjob description is use terms
(05:52):
that are widely understood.
It'll help your search gobetter and it'll just attract
the candidates that you reallywant.
The best candidates aren'tgoing to spend time trying to
make heads or tails of a bunchof acronyms they've never seen
before.
Also, on your job description,be sure to list any systems or
tools that they'll be using, butdon't overemphasize the need to
(06:14):
have specific experience withan applicant tracking system
that you happen to use.
Generally speaking.
If you know how to use one, youcan quickly learn the others,
and that knowledge is reallytransferable for one software
tool to the other, so don't gettoo hung up on that.
Be transparent in your salaryList.
The range.
(06:34):
According to, appcast just putout a report not too long ago
that said, job listings withclear, concise language and
salary transparency receive 120%more applicants than vague or
overly broad postings, so themore you can provide there, the
better.
Finally, share your team'sculture.
What's it like to work in yourenvironment day-to-day?
(06:54):
What values do you hold?
That matters to a lot ofrecruiters just as much as the
day-to-day responsibilities andduties.
And then on to step four.
Now you're ready to recruit.
Start by sourcing candidatesproactively.
Don't just post a job and waitfor applicants to come to you.
The best recruiters are busy.
They're not coming through jobboards all day.
(07:15):
A recent report from LinkedInthat they just published in
January 2025 said that 75% ofrecruiter hires began through
direct outreach, not inboundapplications.
So let that sink in for asecond.
The best recruiters are notgoing to apply.
You need to go find them.
Get on LinkedIn, look at whatyour potential candidates are
(07:38):
doing.
Find the ones that are postingand engaging and sharing content
.
If they're doing that, ifthey're active on LinkedIn in
advance of coming to work foryou, then you're going to get
the benefit of that if you hirethem.
So make sure that you're payingattention to how they're going
about their day.
I mean, it's a way to get aview into their work habits
(08:00):
before you even reach out, letalone interview them.
So take advantage of whatthey're posting publicly and
determine if those that you seeposting are worth talking to.
And then, when you reach out,make it personal.
Reference something they shared.
Avoid canned messages at allcosts.
Those tend to get ignoredbecause, since we recruiters are
on LinkedIn all the time, weget spam messages all the time
(08:24):
and any generic message we'rejust so used to seeing.
We really just are dismissiveof those.
And then, finally, as big asanything in your sourcing
process is, take advantage ofyour internal network.
Referrals are 55% faster tohire, so think about that.
If you can use a candidatewho's already known to someone
(08:45):
on your team, there, there'sinherent trust already in place
You'll have insight that youotherwise would not be able to
get through the recruitingprocess.
So really use that to youradvantage.
Your internal network is hugeand if you need to offer a
referral bonus, that's a greatway to go as well.
Step five have an effectiveinterview process.
(09:06):
Don't wing it.
This is your chance to evaluaterecruiters at a deeper level.
Remember, these are people whounderstand interviewing in a
deeper fashion than almosteveryone else does because of
what they do for a living.
So really dig into detailsabout how the recruiter thinks
and builds relationships and howthey go about driving results.
(09:28):
Listen, this is a group that'strained to present themselves
well, so your interview processreally needs to account for that
.
Other things to consider isreally good traits of recruiters
.
I'll list some Do theycommunicate clearly and
confidently?
I mean, nothing is moreimportant than that when it
comes to this profession.
(09:49):
What kind of metrics can theyuse to explain their success?
This is an opportunity for youto ask questions about their
previous performance, which willreally give you a good
indication of their work styleand what kind of results they
were able to produce.
Are they showing initiative andsolving hiring challenges?
So ask questions around that.
(10:10):
Do they have the ability towork across departments and what
kind of history do they have ofworking with stakeholders?
Now, depending on the level ofrecruiter you're hiring, that
may be more or less important,but it's something that you
should understand on anyrecruiter who has experience
coming in and then emphasize howthey handled and managed a
candidate experience right.
(10:30):
This goes beyond just numbers.
It's about their interactions,and do they value those and
really take those candidaterelationships seriously?
And if you dig into that alittle bit, it'll quickly become
apparent whether the recruiterdoes or does not.
With that said, here's somesample interview questions.
One tell me about a tough roleyou filled.
How did you approach it?
(10:50):
Two walk me through yoursourcing strategy for passive
candidates.
Three what's your process forpartnering with a difficult
hiring manager?
We all have those stories.
At least they should right.
I mean, any recruiter who'sbeen experienced for any matter
of time is going to havedifficult hiring manager
conversations.
I think that's something thatbinds all of us together.
(11:12):
Number four how do you measureyour own success in a recruiting
role?
I love that question.
It really gives insight intohow someone views their own job,
which I really think there's alot to be gained from that.
Number five describe a time whenyour candidate fell through.
What did you do?
Again, this is a commonexperience that all of us share,
(11:35):
and so if you have a recruiterwho gives you a blank stare or
says that's never happened, thatjust tells me they haven't done
it very long.
And then the last question thatI like is about their sourcing
tools and methods they rely on.
Ask them to explain that insome detail, right, ask about
the method and then say why doyou take that particular
approach?
What value does that offer toyou?
(11:57):
So some just general questions.
I think every recruiter shouldbe asked in an interview and
then through that, I'd be remissif I didn't mention some red
flags to look out for vagueanswers.
If they're not able to give youspecifics, then I would
question how much relevantexperience, if any, they
(12:17):
actually have.
Over-reliance on job boards thisis something that I probably
date myself when I start talkingabout job boards and how
they've become a crutch forrecruiters, because I really
believe that it's taken the artout of recruiting and made too
many professionals in the spacerely on the fact that there's
(12:38):
always another resume to pop up.
They don't have to invest asmuch time and effort and energy
in any single candidate, drawingreferrals out of them and
really establishing rapportearly and having deep
conversations.
So over-reliance on job boardsto me is something that is a big
negative in a potentialrecruiting hire.
(13:00):
And excuses Are they blamingothers for lack of success?
Are they blaming the market?
Are they blaming conditionsthat were beyond their control?
And here's the thing.
We've all been through the samemarket.
We've all had to deal with thesame challenges.
So if someone is using that asa reason they weren't successful
, just know that others weresuccessful despite those same
things happening, and let thatbe your guide.
(13:25):
And then, of course, poorcommunication.
I mentioned that as the mostimportant trait, but you have an
opportunity, as you'recommunicating with someone from
the start, is consider theentirety of your interaction
with them.
Every message, whether it'stext or a LinkedIn message or
email.
How are their grammar skills?
Are they formal?
Are they too casual in how theywrite?
(13:46):
Is the way they approachcommunication going to fit in
with your company style,whatever it is?
And then, of course, verbal,both on the phone, in person,
whether it's body language ortone.
All these things matter so muchin a recruiting role.
And if they can't hit all themarks with that, I think that's
the kind of red flag you don'tneed to dig too deeply into.
(14:10):
You see it.
Make the call, move on.
Okay, so now you have yourcandidate.
You've gone through yourinterviews hopefully not too
many.
If you find the right person,act quickly.
So step six make the offer.
Don't drag your feet.
Top recruiters will not waitaround.
If you hesitate, someone elsewill hire them and, conversely,
(14:31):
the recruiters no one wants tohire, yeah, they'll wait around.
So that's what you're going toend up with if you take too long
.
You want to make a competitiveoffer and I highly recommend
using our salary data tool onfourcornerresourcescom.
That will give you real-timecompensation benchmarks by title
and geography.
So I'll just leave that there.
(14:52):
But I also understand that it'snot always possible to offer at
or above the market, and so ifthat's the bad news, the good
news is that a lot of recruitersvalue more than just base
salary, and if you find yourselfin that situation, look, I'll
always say offer the best salarythat you can.
(15:12):
That will make it easiest toattract the best talent.
But if you can't consider someof the other in-demand perks on
LinkedIn's 2025 Talent DriverSurvey, here are some of the top
things that recruiters look forFlexible work arrangements,
hybrid and remote no surprise toanyone there Performance-based
bonuses or commission plans.
(15:33):
So if you can measure theirsuccess by results and pay more,
maybe that's a way internallyto sell, getting more money for
the role.
You won't have to pay it upfront and it's really a
pay-for-performance model whichshould be attractive for your
organization and, as this surveyshowed, it's attractive to a
(15:54):
lot of recruiters who arewilling to give a little bit up
on the front end to make moreonce they produce.
Mental health and wellnesssupport is another one.
Again, probably no greatsurprise to hear this one.
I really like seeingprofessional development
learning stipends that you canoffer.
What a cool thing, and everycompany handles that differently
(16:15):
.
Some will pay for schooling,some will pay for training and
education.
Well, if that's something youoffer, share it, because
recruiters want to know what'son the other side of accepting
that role and, along those lines, make sure you're clearly
defining their career growthopportunities.
So this is a profession thathas seen a lot of people laid
off, sees a lot of peoplelooking for jobs on LinkedIn,
(16:37):
and so if you can make themcomfortable that they're going
to have the opportunity to learnand grow and evolve
professionally, that can go along way in making up for a
salary that's a little bit onthe low side.
And then access to modern tools, specifically AI.
The smart recruiters right noware the ones who are leveraging
it or figuring out a way toleverage it.
(16:59):
So if your company is lookingto get on that adoption curve,
or maybe you're already thereand you want to stay ahead of it
.
Dangle that out there as acarrot.
It's a really attractive one toa lot of recruiters.
Okay, so we've defined our role, we found our candidate, we've
made the offer, we're done right?
No, not quite yet.
(17:20):
Step seven is onboarding.
Your onboarding experience willset the tone for your new
recruiter's performanceengagement retention it is so
important.
The first few weeks arecritical.
Your recruiter is stepping intoa role where they're expected
to produce results, so if youcan give them structure, clarity
and support from day one, theywill have a much better chance
(17:40):
of success and, conversely, apoor handoff will create
confusion and kill momentumbefore it even has a chance to
get going.
So start with a plan.
That's the best thing you cando.
Before their first day, alreadyhave a 30, 60, 90 day
onboarding plan in place.
It should include clearmilestones for learning, meeting
(18:01):
the key stakeholders and, ofcourse, beginning to work on
their own rec.
So here are some steps toconsider giving them access to
your ATS and sourcing platformsand all internal communication
tools.
Another one is introductionmeetings with HR department
heads and hiring managers.
Make sure that they meeteveryone.
They need to Reviewing yourcurrent positions and upcoming
(18:23):
recs.
Get them in the loop, get themindoctrinated as soon as
possible and then, of course,walk through your hiring process
how the approvals work, howyour interview process is
handled.
What kind of structure do youhave there?
Get all of that in your newrecruiter's hands as soon as
possible and they willdefinitely be teed up for
success.
And the last thing I'llrecommend is to pair them with
(18:45):
an internal mentor.
That can make a massivedifference in how comfortable
someone is going to be from thestart.
Give them someone who can takethem under their wing, who will
look out for them, who's beenaround the block, who knows all
the secrets necessary forsuccess in your organization,
whatever it is.
Start them off with a bang bypairing them with someone to
look out for your new hire fromday one.
(19:06):
Okay, so those are the sevensteps.
You now have all the knowledgeyou need that you can apply and
hire a great recruiter, butthat's not always the best
option.
Sometimes you should outsourceyour hiring to a staffing firm.
Yes, I'm the owner of astaffing firm, so you could say
I'm biased, but there's lots ofopportunities when you should
(19:27):
consider working with a thirdparty?
Of course, mine, but there'slots of others, believe it or
not.
And here are some of thosereasons why I recommend
considering using a third party.
Is your internal team atcapacity or do they lack
recruiting experience?
Right, I mean, if you don'thave the time or knowledge to
(19:57):
apply to a thorough recruitingprocess, as you can see from
everything we've just talkedabout, it's straightforward, but
it's not simple and it's notnecessarily quick, right,
certainly involves a lot ofknowledge and effort to execute
as well as you can.
So consider that.
And the next is whether you'regoing to need this recruiter
indefinitely or just for a shortperiod of time.
Hiring a contract recruiter canbe a very attractive option if
your needs are seasonal ortemporary or just covering a
spike.
That's not going to persist.
(20:19):
Whatever it might be, if thatrecruiting need is not going to
last indefinitely, that's agreat reason to use a
third-party staffing company.
Another one is if you're hiringfor a specialized or
hard-to-fill niche position orsenior level we talked about
that earlier.
I said I'd get back to it.
When you may need an executiverecruiter, someone who can
really handle a very, veryunique role or a very high level
(20:43):
that may have a lot ofconfidentiality associated with
it, then you don't necessarilywant to hire a person just for
those one-off type of needs.
Go ahead and hire a recruitingfirm who has experience and
knowledge to do exactly what youneed.
Your life will be so mucheasier, I promise.
(21:03):
So hiring a third-partystaffing company is often the
right way to go.
If you want to know more aboutstaffing companies, reach out
here.
You can send us a messagehirecalling at
fourcornerresourcescom.
Highly recommend you visitingour website.
Lots of information on thereand I'm happy to answer any
(21:23):
questions that you have.
So reach out anytime and ifyou've liked what you've heard
today and you've learned from it, then please subscribe.
We'd appreciate that, andthanks for listening.
Have a great rest of the day.
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