With Australia gripped by an all-time high skills-short job market, top-performing recruitment consultants are more in demand than ever. And with the sector continuously adapting to a rapidly changing jobs market, now's a great time to consider a career in recruitment.

Perhaps you’re interested in becoming a recruiter or are keen to move into a consultant role? Or curious about how to measure your success as a recruitment consultant?

Either way, this industry is fast-paced, challenging and highly rewarding.

Read on to discover the seven key skills all top-performing recruiters share and how to be a successful recruitment consultant in Australia.

Successful recruitment consultants have exceptional industry knowledge

Understanding the current labour market and what it means for recruitment underpins your role as a consultant.

But most industries are often in a state of flux. That’s why top-performing consultants must maintain a strong understanding of the market and industry they’re working in. Keeping up-to-date with all emerging trends is a must. And being able to build a diverse network of contacts in your industry will help you generate valuable and consistent referrals.

You also need to take the time to understand the specific needs of clients in your specialisation and what motivates candidates. Leveraging your industry knowledge will help you identify top talent for your clients and accelerate your success as a recruitment consultant.

Successful recruitment consultants have outstanding communication skills

Building and maintaining relationships is a large part of your day-to-day role as a recruiter. So, you’ll need excellent communication skills to succeed.

However, it’s not just about external relationships with clients and candidates. (Although these are pivotal to your success as a recruitment consultant.)

Having outstanding communication skills also helps with:

  • Coaching candidates through the interview and recruitment process
  • Writing compelling job ads that are accurate, inclusive, and attract high-quality candidates
  • Actively listening to clients and candidates and asking the right questions
  • Negotiating between client requirements and candidate needs
  • Your ability to be a team player or lead your own team

Related: Find out how to become a Recruitment Consultant at Robert Half

Successful recruitment consultants provide excellent customer service

Providing excellent customer service is also essential for building trusted relationships with clients and candidates.

Successful recruitment consultants are always responsive and prompt in their communication. And they know everyone appreciates getting regular updates.

Following up with the hiring companies will also set you apart from other consultants. To succeed, you must ensure your clients are satisfied and identify any areas you can improve on. Providing constructive feedback to candidates during the recruitment process is another way to provide great customer service.

Ultimately, you should be willing to go above and beyond to make sure clients and candidates are happy with your service.

Successful recruitment consultants are organised and detail-oriented

In the fast-paced, ever-changing world of recruitment, you need to be highly organised to be a top-performing consultant.

With multiple clients to juggle, numerous job openings to oversee, applications to screen, and maintaining an accurate database of active jobseekers, it's easy for your workload to become overwhelming.

On top of that, you'll likely have offsite meetings, regular training sessions, client visits, and be collaborating with colleagues on shared projects.

Having great organisational skills, close attention to detail, and excellent time management skills will ensure you can easily balance all these tasks.

Successful recruitment consultants embrace technology

Technology is continually changing the way most industries operate. And recruitment is no exception.

The most successful consultants know how to use technology to streamline the recruitment process. They also recognise the importance of staying up-to-date with new software and tools.

In recent years, recruitment consultants have embraced:

  • Video technology
  • Apps to communicate with candidates
  • Social media channels to source talent and advertise open roles

Digitisation has also revolutionised how recruiting firms manage their internal operations. Becoming a successful consultant starts with being proficient with Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs) and other internal systems (e.g. Salesforce).

Successful recruitment consultants develop a sales mindset

Recruitment consultants aren’t usually seen as salespeople. Yet a large part of recruitment is about selling and driving revenue.

You’re responsible for selling roles to candidates, and candidates to clients. And your company’s brand to prospective clients and candidates.

The first step is being familiar with the sales process – including prospecting, identifying client needs, presenting solutions, and closing deals. But it’s knowing how to efficiently lead clients through this process that will make you a successful recruitment consultant.

On top of that, recruitment is a target-driven industry. So, part of having a sales mindset is setting realistic targets and developing a plan to achieve them.

Successful recruitment consultants are persistent and resilient

The world of recruitment can be challenging, frustrating, and can change in an instant.

That’s why consultants who are adaptable, can think fast, and figure out solutions that work for everyone involved end up being more successful than most.

Successful recruiters quickly develop a mindset of perseverance and determination. It’s what makes the difference when facing obstacles and regular disruptions. Not to mention last-minute requests by busy companies to fill roles.

To be a top-performing recruitment consultant, you must be mentally prepared to work in a fast-paced industry day-to-day. You must also learn how to turn rejections into opportunities and be resilient when things go wrong.

Related: Discover how much a recruitment consultant earns in Australia

How you can measure your success as a recruitment consultant

Measuring your success as a recruiter can be difficult, since many factors can impact your performance.

Depending on your recruiting firm, you may base success on the number of placements you make in a quarter or a year. Or you may work towards recognition tiers when a certain amount of revenue is made.

Other common metrics and indicators of performance include:

  • Generated revenue
  • Average time to fill vacant roles
  • Placing high-quality hires who are a good fit for the position and company
  • Happy candidates who readily recommend you to others
  • High volumes of referral business from satisfied clients

Sana Keenan, Division Director at Robert Half and specialised technology recruiter, offers her own insight on what success looks like as a recruitment consultant:

"From my ten years as a recruiter, I've discovered that to succeed as a recruitment consultant, you need to be highly motivated, disciplined, and willing to put in extra effort, especially in your earlier years. Professionalism is also an important quality. Success is not just about finding someone a job – it's about finding the best possible solutions for both your clients and candidates.

“And many might overlook it; however, honesty and truly understanding both your client’s and candidate’s needs are crucial to doing well in recruitment. If a job opportunity isn't the best fit for a candidate, you need to be able to advise them. This approach is the only way to build a solid reputation and earn more referrals in the future that will bring you the success you want.”

Are you considering a career in recruitment?

At Robert Half, we’re committed to your ongoing development and success as a recruitment consultant. We give you all the training and development you need to become one of the most successful recruitment consultants in the industry.

With over 70 years in the business, our training programs are tried, tested, and continually refined to reflect new technologies and emerging customer trends.

Want to become our next successful recruitment consultant? Get in touch today.

Become a consultant at Robert Half