How recruiters can effectively improve their Communication Skills

We all know it - communication skills are the most important skill in today’s corporate world regardless in what industry someone is working in. Recruiters expect jobseekers to have great communication skills but how good are recruiters in communicating with their great talents, colleagues, clients and team members? Do they set a good example themselves? A Recruiter needs communication skills on a daily basis by talking to people on the phone, meeting people face to face, communicating via email, writing job ads/job descriptions/job offers, holding presentations or speeches, posting on social media websites and promoting the company on several occasions.

Let’s have a look at how you as a Recruiter can communicate more effectively in your job.

Communication face to face:

No matter how technologically advanced we are, personal communication and meeting face to face will still play an important role. During a job interview or while participating in a career fair you will have the chance to show your excellent communication skills. Some tips:

• Listen what the candidate has to say. Really concentrate and don’t get distracted by the surrounding environment.
• Ask relevant questions which show that you are genuinely interested in the person. Don’t just think of standard questions, try to ask really interesting ones that nobody might have asked them before. Ask lots of probing questions and read between the lines in order to find out what a candidate really wants to tell you. But be aware of what questions you are allowed to ask and which ones are considered as illegal. Bear in mind that what might be legal and acceptable in one country might not be acceptable in another country.
• Make sure your facial expressions and your body gestures send the same message as your spoken words.
• Keep good eye contact but don’t stare.
• Don’t speak in a monotone way, try instead to alter your intonation. It will make it sound so much more interesting!
• Don’t interrupt when the other person is speaking no matter how strong you feel about putting your point across.
• During the conversation try to address the person sometimes by name. It makes it more personal and improves your relationship.
• Remember the person who should talk most of the time should not be you but the candidate!

Communication on the phone:

The only thing that a jobseeker experiences at this stage is the recruiter’s voice. The benefit of using body language to undermine certain points is in this case unfortunately not possible. It is therefore crucial that your voice sounds positive and enthusiastic in order to establish a good relationship right from the beginning. You also need to be focused on getting the answers to relevant questions. Good preparation is therefore key.

Communication via email:

If you want to approach passive candidates follow the following steps: no spelling or grammar mistakes, personalise your message so that it sounds unique to the reader, keep it to the point and talk about the benefits that the candidate will gain. If you need to write rejection letters to candidates try still to present your message in a positive and encouraging way. Avoid words such as “unfortunately”, “unsuccessful”, etc.

Written communication:

When offering a job to a great applicant it should be done impressively. It’s a special moment for a jobseeker, so try to make it in a memorable and creative way. Make sure you include all the relevant details in the letter sent via post and/or email.

Writing job ads is another important task of a recruiter. If you are able to create visually eye-catching job ads with attractive content it should not be difficult to attract great talent. Having great copywriting skills can be very useful for this particular task. Getting it wrong at this stage will put you already to a disadvantage because all you might get are B and C Players rather than A Players. Look at how other companies are formulating their job ads. What grabs your attention? See if you can apply a similar approach for your own company.

Communication online:

When you are communicating online on websites or social media networks it is paramount to keep your language always professional, effective, error-free and positive. Promote your company in a positive way that makes other people feel proud to be working within the same company and also helps to attract potential great talent in the future. Use your social media skills to find easily and quickly the right people. If you are interviewing candidates by using video software make sure you speak clearly and not too fast. Having great lighting, a good audio quality and a non-distracting background would make it look more professional.

Communication to an audience:

If you are planning to give a speech at an event be aware as to how you can attract your audience’s attention right from the beginning. Research your audience in advance, share lots of personal stories. Remember that sharing these episodes and engaging a lot with the audience is the key to a successful and memorable speech, something I can personalise confirm!

Last but not least, remember that the recruitment sector is fast-paced. SPEED is particularly in this industry a competitive advantage. Thus, be quick in replying to people and in taking sound hiring decisions!