what is a recruiter?
A recruiter is a person who works in or with an organisation to identify the ideal candidates for hire. Part of your role involves determining the organisation's needs and establishing what traits will best meet those needs. A recruiter's role is often considered an HR role but is closer to sales in operation. However, a background in HR is often required.
Establishing the organisation's needs and finding the candidates to meet those needs is only part of the puzzle. Once your criteria are determined, you put your people skills and technical know-how to use in finding the right people for the job and convincing them to come and work for your organisation.
You use your excellent people skills in all areas of your job, from working with your colleagues to recruiting promising candidates. You are also fully competent in the different methods of finding candidates, such as social media. Depending on the organisation's size, you may also be responsible for designing and implementing an overall recruitment strategy from which other recruiters will work.
Would work as a recruiter suit your personable nature and ability to see potential in others? If you think this career might be for you, keep reading to find out what qualifications and competencies you need to get into this field.
view rolesaverage salary of a recruiter
According to Payscale, the average salary for a recruiter in India is around ₹307,000 per year. The average is closer to the lower end of the scale, with entry-level positions earning around ₹219,000 per year and the highest-paid recruiters earning ₹880,000. These amounts may include bonuses, commissions, and profit-sharing agreements, but your basic salary comprises the majority.
factors that affect recruiter's pay
The most significant factor in how much you earn as a recruiter is your experience. As mentioned above, the difference in pay between a recruiter with less than a year's experience and one with over ten years of experience can be as much as ₹660,000 per year. Qualifications are also important, though they make a bigger difference when first getting into the profession. Once you have recruiting experience under your belt, the amount of experience starts to take over as the most significant factor.
The region your employer is based in can also make a difference. Recruiters are not exclusive to any industry but are more prevalent in tech-based businesses, which are often located in big cities. That means higher-paying recruiter jobs tend to be located in big cities.
types of recruiter
The role of a recruiter is essentially the same regardless of the type of company you work for. However, different types of recruiters are largely determined by how they are employed. Below are some of the most common types of recruiters:
- internal/in-house recruiter: as the name suggests, an internal or in-house recruiter is a recruiter that works full-time for one organisation. In this role, you can build strong relationships with the departments you recruit for, as you will be working with them for the duration of your time there. You are paid a salary and benefits like any other full-time employee.
- retained recruiter: as a retained recruiter, you work full-time recruiting for an organisation that provides recruiting services, but you are not an employee of the hiring company and, as a result, are not paid a salary. Instead, you are paid a fixed fee for your services and the agreed remainder once a candidate has been successfully hired.
- outplacement recruiter: outplacement providers offer job-seeking help for employees facing unemployment. In these cases, a company that is letting go of some of its workforce may engage an outplacement provider to help those displaced employees find new jobs.
- staffing agency recruiter: as a staffing agency recruiter, you find temporary staff for an organisation. The staff hired in this situation are paid by the staffing agency, and the company they are staffing compensates the agency. Organisations use this type of recruitment for various reasons, such as temporarily increasing capacity for a large project.
working as a recruiter
Recruiters determine the skills and traits needed to meet a company's needs and then use the tools and resources available to them to find suitable candidates. Fulfilling this duty involves several smaller responsibilities that can be clearly defined. Below are some of those responsibilities.
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duties and responsibilities
The specific duties of a recruiter include:
- design and implement recruiting strategies: when you are part of a small recruiting team—perhaps the lone recruiter in your organisation—or you are the senior recruiter, you are responsible for developing recruitment strategies. These strategies are then used by other recruiters in the organisation.
- develop and update job descriptions: an organisation's job descriptions are not just important for attracting potential candidates but essential to making the hiring process more efficient. You develop and maintain job descriptions to ensure respondents are suitable for the job you are recruiting for.
- use all available tools and media: one of the most useful media in recruitment these days is the internet, but it is not the only way to find suitable applicants. You use all the available resources to ensure the widest possible selection of suitable candidates.
- screen applicants: once you have a pool of suitable candidates, you screen their resumes and job applications to further distil the available talent and improve your organisation's chances of getting the best possible employee.
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work environment
Your work environment as a recruiter is primarily an office-based one. Much of your work is computer and phone-based, such as writing job descriptions and screening job applications. However, your role almost certainly involves travel to meet potential applicants or visit one of your organisation's locations if they have multiple branches.
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who are your colleagues?
Recruiters typically work as part of the human resources department and report directly to the HR manager in most cases. Your other colleagues can be recruitment consultants or extremely varied as you recruit for positions all over your organisation. You work closely with departmental heads like head of sales, operations managers, account managers, product managers, to establish what is needed when looking for recruits.
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work schedule
The schedule of a recruiter is usually full-time, meaning approximately 40 hours per week, although part-time positions exist. In a full-time role, your hours should follow a typical business schedule of 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, though they may vary depending on your organisation. Overtime and weekend work may also be a possibility depending on your employer.
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job outlook
As a recruiter, your job outlook is quite positive. India is enjoying immense growth, and new job vacancies are appearing at a significant rate. There is likely to be a demand for recruiters to help fill those vacancies for the foreseeable future. Regarding career growth as a recruiter, there are several rungs on the ladder within this profession, starting as a trainee recruiter and moving up through managerial and even executive roles. There is also the opportunity to move into a consultancy role for experienced recruiters.
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advantages of finding a recruiter job through randstad
Finding your recruiter job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid on a monthly basis
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a recruiter is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
The following educational qualifications will help you get started as a recruiter:
- degree: a bachelor's degree should be considered necessary to move into a career as a recruiter. Human resource management, marketing and business courses are all relevant to the role. However, a master's degree may help to set you apart from other recruiters when getting started.
- postgraduate qualifications: a postgraduate degree will increase your potential starting salary. Your employer may also be looking for someone with appropriate certifications in areas like human resource management or hiring and onboarding. Some employers may also offer to put you through such certifications during your employment.
skills and competencies
Some of the qualities of a recruiter include:
- communication skills: as with many HR roles, being a recruiter involves dealing with people regularly, from your colleagues to potential candidates. Excellent communication skills are necessary to ensure this aspect of the job goes smoothly.
- salesmanship: while technically a human resource role, recruitment has much in common with sales. You use your skills as a salesperson to sell the roles you are trying to fill to suitable candidates.
- computer skills: much of your work as a recruiter is done on a computer, such as writing job descriptions, using social media, screening job applications, and more. Competency with computers and various common office applications is essential for this aspect of your job.
FAQs about working as a recruiter
FAQs about working as an recruiter:
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how much do Indian recruiters earn?
On average, recruiters in India earn around ₹307,000 per year, though recruiter salaries in India can be as low as ₹219,000 and as high as ₹880,000.
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is a recruiter the same as HR?
A recruiter works as part of the human resources team, often reporting to the HR manager directly.
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is recruiter a good career?
The suitability of this profession depends mostly on the person filling the role. If you enjoy working with people and like the prospect of results-based incentives, you may find this profession very enjoyable.
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what do recruiters do all day?
There are many aspects to a recruiter's job, including determining what attributes are needed in a potential employee. In addition to searching for those potential employees, recruiters screen applications, manage salary negotiations, help people prepare for interviews, stay abreast of labour laws, and more.
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how do I apply for a recruiter vacancy?
Applying for a recruiter job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!