As recruiters, we often find ourselves in the position of lending advice. Whether it’s clients, candidates or colleagues, we take our industry knowledge and staffing experience and translate that into best practice tropes we pass on to the proper audience. But about best practices for recruiters? How often do we look at the advice we so often share and measure how it applies to our own operations? There’s no denying that ours is a unique profession in which we have a divided audience we hope to bring together, but it just may be that we’ve been ignoring some really great advice:  our own. For us at Recruiters Websites, our greatest concern is the digital presence of our fellow recruiters, and we want you to start practicing what you preach.

Be Professional

We could devote an entire article regarding best practices for recruiters as it relates to your website having a professional appearance, but we’ll spare you. However, think of the advice you pass on to your candidates as they prepare for an interview. Dress professionally. Speak clearly and with confidence. A good, firm handshake. Are these just arbitrary suggestions or are they valuable insights? We think the latter, and we think you would agree. Now look at your website. Does it appear to be professional? Is its design responsive? If your site was a suit, would you send a candidate to an interview wearing it? Review your site’s content, what it says. Is it clear and concise? Does it convey your message in a memorable way? Consider your design. It should serve as your site’s handshake. Does it grab the visitor’s attention without being too aggressive? Or is it passive, leaving the visitor unimpressed.

Be Proactive

How often have you had a client lose a candidate because they lacked decisiveness? And how many times has a candidate cost themselves the attention of a great client because they failed to stay ahead of the curve? These are frustrating experiences, but valuable best practices for recruiters can be gleaned from these losses. It’s our job to inspire action on both the part of the client and the candidate, but if we fail to stay proactive in an industry that is migrating toward a digital landscape at an exponential rate, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Keeping your website modern with updated content, gives your clients the impression that you’re dedicated to your profession, as well as implies you plan on being there to help with their talent needs for years to come. If your site looks like it’s out of commission, visitors to your site might think you are as well.

Be Pragmatic

Having realistic ambitions and expectations should not only be included in a list of best practices for recruiters, but for anyone. Candidates want greater salaries, more competitive perks and better benefits, but they have to be pragmatic about their qualifications and the market value of said abilities. Clients want top talent at bottom dollar value. They too need to be realistic that concessions have to be made in the hunt for talent. Among best practices for recruiters, pragmatism could top the list. You can’t expect to lecture clients on the need to be proactive while your website gathers digital dust. You can’t expound the values of professionalism to candidates with a web presence that comes from the era of Backstreet Boys and Beverly Hills, 90210. And you can’t expect to not practice what you preach. 

Adam is a copy writer, content specialist and editor with Recruiters Websites, a web design firm specializing in websites for the recruiting and staffing industry.