Recruiters have been on something of a wild ride these last few years. Talent acquisition professionals have had to staff up, scale down, upskill, reskill, shift gears, and master groundbreaking new technology (we’re talking about you, generative AI).
Through it all, they’ve leaned into skills that are mainstays of the job, including sourcing and interviewing. But with the advent of gen AI, they’ve also had to amp up their human skills, relying on communication, leadership, and teamwork to show their worth. At times, the skills recruiters need have changed so fast it’s dizzying.
That’s why LinkedIn identified the 10 most in-demand skills for recruiters. For each one, we’ve also highlighted a LinkedIn Learning course that can help you develop or sharpen each skill.
The 10 most in-demand skills for recruiters:
1. Communication
Because a recruiter is often the first person a candidate connects with, it’s crucial to be a good communicator. On any given day, you’ll probably stay in touch with candidates and hiring managers through multiple channels, including InMail messages, Zoom meetings, phone calls, and email. The more clearly and effectively you communicate, the more likely you are to make a successful hire.
Reskill/upskill: Communication Foundations with Tatiana Kolovou and Brenda Bailey Hughes
2. Human Resources (HR)
At its core, talent acquisition is — and always will be — about people. The best recruiters know how to connect with people, coach them, and help them achieve their goals and dreams. They can also speak knowledgeably on a wide range of HR topics, including employee well-being, flexible work, corporate social responsibility, pay transparency, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Reskill/upskill: HR Foundations: Core Human Resources with Wayne Cascio
3. Customer Service
Just like customer service representatives, recruiters need to establish rapport with people quickly. If you can kick off conversations in a way that makes people feel respected and heard, it will help put candidates at ease. How to do that? Speak with enthusiasm and energy. Use the person’s name. And interject “ahs” and “mm-hmms” into the conversation, so the candidate knows you’re listening.
Reskill/upskill: Building Rapport with Customers with Myra Bryant Golden
4. Sales
Yes, a recruiter’s job is to sell high-quality candidates to hiring managers. But they also have to sell the company to candidates. This means listening to what candidates want, anticipating their needs, and persuading them that the company is right for them (if it is). In this new era, recruiters can rely on gen AI to research candidates’ LinkedIn profiles, social media, and websites and learn what matters most to them.
Reskill/upskill: Increase Sales with ChatGPT with Jake Dunlap
5. Leadership
Effective leaders have the ability to identify untapped potential in others and help them grow — which sounds a lot like recruiting too. Good leaders have high EQs, know how to build diverse teams, and support workers so they can maximize their performance. When you find a candidate with these traits and capabilities, it can change the course of your company. When you develop them in yourself, it can change the course of your career.
Reskill/upskill: Leadership Foundations with Dr. Shirley Davis
6. Training
Many employees dread training, even if a course is crucial for their job. That’s why more and more companies want to hire recruiters who know how to create and present engaging presentations. The best recruiters can spot when a skill is needed and design content that keeps learners engaged. This is especially important now, when TA and L&D teams are working more closely together than ever.
Reskill/upskill: How to Design and Deliver Training Programs with Jeff Toister
7. Interviewing
If there’s one thing recruiters need to do well, it’s ask questions. The better the questions — and the more you can put someone at ease while asking them — the more you’ll learn about a candidate. This is especially important in hiring for skills. So, for example, when you ask a candidate to share the specific actions they took to address a situation or achieve a goal, their answer can yield crucial information about their soft skills, hard skills, and overall abilities.
Reskill/upskill: Skills-First Interviewing with Shweta Mogha
8. Teamwork
Work is all about relationships. It’s about getting along with your colleagues and figuring out where you can be most helpful. It’s all about teamwork. The ability to listen to your colleagues, validate their ideas, and collaborate with others will only make you more valuable at work.
Reskill/upskill: Teamwork Essentials: Stand Out as a Valuable Team Member with Shadé Zahrai
9. Management
In uncertain economic times, a good manager can be the deciding factor between whether a recruiting team stays motivated or suffers from low morale. Management skills are that important. A manager who listens to recruiters, motivates them to achieve goals, and helps them grow in their career can guide teams through rough waters with a steady hand and keep the team energized whether the sailing’s smooth or turbulent.
Reskill/upskill: Daily Habits for Effective People Management with Ashley Herd
10. Sourcing
For recruiters to do their job well, they need a pipeline of qualified candidates — and for that, they need to be good at sourcing. Yes, it takes time and energy to find high quality candidates. You have to create a sourcing strategy, conduct Boolean searches, leverage emergin generative AI tools, and make direct calls to prospective candidates. But if it means that you find the best talent faster than your competition, it’s worth every minute.
Reskill/upskill: Talent Sourcing with Barbara Bruno
Methodology:
The demand of a skill is measured by the share of a skill possessed by members who have been hired recently, skill possessed by members who have received recruiter InMails recently, and skill listed in paid job listings posted in a recent six-month period (May 1 to October 31, 2023). Skills for languages and digital literacy were excluded.
