Below are 5 things that make me a smart recruiter:

5. Know your role as a recruiter. Our role is to work for the client and as an advocate for the candidate. This means that if someone isn't right for your client no matter how much you like them doesn't matter. Helping people, especially in times like these, is a nice thought though we are not social workers. When we do find who we feel is the right candidate however it is up to us to be an advocate for them and convince the client to meet and hire them.

4. I see recruiting as a Contact Sport. The more (quality) contacts you make and the more tools you use to make those contacts the more likely you are to win - use everything, call people, text them, chat with them, tweet them, facebook them, use linkedin, get referrals to introduce you and then get referrals from your candidates if they are not interested or get rejected. Be more aggressive than the competition. Recruit like the Steelers and Ravens play defense.

3. Collaborate. If you're on recruitingblogs chances are you've realized that the way we connect and recruit are evolving and the internet is playing a huge role. When I first got into the business I didn't want anything to do with recruiters from other firms or corporates unless they were going to give me business. Today things are different, make friends, network, and learn from your competitors, share candidates, share sourcing methods.

2. Go Beyond. To be a smart recruiter - no to be a great recruiter you need to go beyond the boards and go beyond the job description and beyond the resume. It's fine to use the job boards for active candidates - there are good people there, Monster is one of the top 50 brands in the world last I heard but don't stop there. Go beyond the boards, Google, Facebook, Linkedin, referrals, zoom info, blogs, etc. Go beyond the job description -visit the client and think of them holistically, the culture, the environment, their unique selling points, why people thrive and why they sometimes fail. Go beyond the resume - meet and "see" the person, what motivates them, what makes them unique, what kind of people are they most likely to gel with and what type of culture are they likely to fit in.

1. Intuition. Some call this EQ, Emotional Quotient which is basically the ability to understand people's emotions and motivation and behavior. This is the number one reason I am a smart recruiter, I have a high EQ, a sixth sense regarding who will fit in a certain role and environment.