Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire
4 Reasons Why Analytical Skills are a Must for Every Recruiter

4 Reasons Why Analytical Skills are a Must for Every Recruiter

When hiring recruiters, it’s not always such an easy job.  While you can find many “recruiters” in your searches, to find a great recruiter can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack.

One of the biggest things you need to pay attention to when interviewing recruiters is their analytical skills.  Sure, people skills, sales skills, and marketing skills are all important, but without analytical skills a recruiter will often be subpar versus the Allstar recruiter you are looking for.

There are many reasons why a recruiter needs to have analytical skills.

1. Knowing candidates is key to identifying the right talent.

Recruiters with excellent analytical skills will ask the right questions when interviewing candidates.  Based on candidate responses, the recruiter will have the analytical skills to know when to further investigate a certain subject during the phone screen or interview.

This ability to analyze candidates is necessary when determining a candidate’s desires, true interest in the job, cultural fit, and actual skills.  Without this skill, a recruiter can waste hours with candidates who are not really interested or are not a good fit for a position.

2. Understanding clients is key to building successful partnerships.

Likewise, good recruiters should have the ability to quickly analyze and assess a client’s needs.

Understanding what a client is looking for beyond basic skills and requirements is something that will help a recruiter to make a successful and longterm placement with that client.

Giving a client what is desired is what will keep that client coming back for more.  If your clients know they will get what they are looking for both skills-wise and culturally, you will have a solid partnership that will continue throughout the years.

3. Assessing job descriptions is key when marketing the position.

Just blindly posting a standard job description is not enough for someone to be a successful recruiter when it comes to the marketing aspect of the job.

Recruiters must be good marketers in order to attract the right talent and advertise the position accurately.  In order to do this, a recruiter must be able to analyze the job requirements along with the benefits of the job.

Taking into factor what the appropriate talent is really looking for in a job will help a recruiter to better position the job description so that it specifically targets those candidates.  Analyzing other job descriptions online as well as interests of the demographic of candidate they are targeting will greatly help in targeting the right audience through job postings.

4. Quickly assessing resumes is a key factor when recruiting with a sense of urgency.

Last, but not at all in the least, a good recruiter knows how to quickly analyze candidate resumes and applications.

In the staffing industry, there is no time to be wasted.  If you want to beat your competition to the finish line you must have good recruiters who act with a sense of urgency throughout the entire recruiting process, especially one of the most time-consuming parts – weeding through resumes.

Recruiters with strong analytical skills should be able to quickly skim through a resume, analyzing the candidate’s background and experience.  Within a matter of minutes or even seconds, a good recruiter will have made a clear assessment of that candidate which determines if the candidate is viable for the position.

What are some other reasons why recruiters should have analytical skills? 

Julia Weeks

Julia is a skilled Recruiter with over 8 years of experience in sourcing, interviewing, and hiring within many industries globally. She works closely with hiring managers and job seekers to understand needs and desires, while offering guidance and ensuring the right fit. When not recruiting or writing, Julia enjoys spending time outside cycling, taking her dog for walks, or honing her sailing skills.