Working in the recruiting industry isn’t a typical career path that most professionals initially decide to take. Many recruiters, like myself, fall into recruiting after starting their career in a much different field all together. In a LinkedIn study conducted it showed that out of 100,000 recruiters, the most common degrees were Psychology, Business, Marketing, Human Resources, and sociology (Talent IQ, n.d.).
And my story of how I got into recruitment goes just like that…
In May of 2018, I graduated from my Alma mater with a Bachelor of Science; specializing in Human Services/Addictions and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. I’ve always had a passion to help and care for children and young adults when they seek guidance in their times of need. So, after graduating, I started my career as an Outpatient Case Manager working primarily with children and young adults from the ages of 5-18 years old. However, after many ups and downs and emotional/mental stress, I ultimately decided to leave the mental health field all together to venture into something else. And that is where my journey into recruiting began.
So, you may ask, how do I get into recruiting with little to no experience? I have four tips that will help you get there!
1. LinkedIn is Your Best Friend
Having a strong LinkedIn profile to showcase yourself and your strengths is a great starting point. Whether you may have a lot of experience in recruiting or not, having a strong LinkedIn presence is a great way for other recruiters to find you. Being able to follow and connect with other fellow recruiters is also important by letting them see that you’re eager to learn.
2. Transferable Skills & Why are They Important?
If you really think about it, recruiting at its core is sales. Recruiting is all about selling an employer’s brand to candidates and in return selling your candidates skills/experience to the employers. Which is essentially like matchmaking. Having individuals that come to recruitment from other careers can be exceptionally talented at recruiting. So, whether you’re in software development, customer service, or sales, you will likely have some transferable skills related to recruitment (Talent IQ, n.d).
3. Network and More Network
Networking is one of the most important things when wanting to pivot career fields. But the key to networking is not asking your connections for a job, but to learn more about the industry through their eyes. Learning and networking with both agency/corporate recruiters and sourcers is super important as they will be able to share a lot of different viewpoints and knowledge. This way you can also be on their radar for the next time they’re searching for a new recruiter to add to their team.
4. Agency or Corporate Recruiting, Which One is Best for You?
When it comes to recruiting, there are many different avenues that one can start in. Agency or Corporate recruiting environments are both similar in ways, but there are also extreme differences between the two. In my personal experience, I have only known the agency life, starting my recruiting career in temp-staffing then transitioning into recruiting for tech related full-time roles. Knowing the differences between agency and corporate recruiting is important to determine which path is best for you (Talent IQ, n.d.).
Being in recruitment can have its difficulties, but it also comes with many perks – knowing that you are helping so many people reach those personal career goals is one of my favorite parts of being a recruiter!
If you want to learn more about this topic, you can click on this link! How to Get Into Recruitment With No Experience — HR Talent IQ
Also, if you enjoyed this blog, then you might like another blog that we have talking about Sourcing and what that entails! https://www.recruitingexperiences.com/talent-sourcer-or-junior-recruiter/
