A Day in Recruiter’s Life
Recruitment is a critical job in any firm, requiring an elegant balance of strategy and human contact. It entails recognizing great talent, building relationships, and, ultimately, making critical decisions that influence a company's future. But what is their typical day like, and what are their primary duties and responsibilities? To find out more, we are talking with Kerli Kudo – the Senior Recruiter at Stafferty Estonia.
Kerli, let’s begin with a simple question – what are your primary responsibilities as a recruiter?
“As a recruiter, I am responsible for my clients and candidates. My task is communicating with clients, identifying their needs, and keeping them informed about the process. I prepare job postings, conduct targeted searches to find suitable candidates, organize interviews with candidates and present suitable candidates to the client.”
How do you source and attract candidates for open positions?
“I always create attractive job postings to catch the attention of candidates. When conducting a targeted search, I send potential candidates an engaging but short letter that should attract attention. Networking with professionals on LinkedIn is also very important.”
Can you walk us through the typical process for reviewing resumes and screening candidates?
“The most important thing is to ensure that the candidate meets the client's expectations and requirements listed in the job advertisement. Then I agree on the first round of interviews with suitable candidates, where we discuss the nature of the position and the candidate's previous experience and skills.”
How do you assess a candidate's fit for a particular role?
“I evaluate the suitability of candidates based on these indicators: assessment of the skills, experience, and qualifications according to job requirements, as well as their personality, work style, and values to determine how they would fit with the team and company culture.”
What strategies do you use for keeping in touch with candidates throughout the hiring process?
“I always let the candidates know at the end of the first-round interview about the feedback process. Then I ask the candidates for feedback after the interview with the client to find out how it went and how they liked it. Until the end of the process, I occasionally contact them and provide or receive information.”
Can you describe a particularly challenging recruiting situation you've faced and how you handled it?
“There was a complex project where we were looking for a new Country Manager for the company. As it was a high-level position and candidate motivation and skills were particularly important, it took many interviews before we found a suitable candidate. After six months and 15 presented candidates, the project ended successfully – we found the right employee with the necessary experience and motivation, who accepted the offer. As the company was very satisfied with the result, they immediately turned to us with a new project to increase the team, and reliable and professional cooperation was established between us and the client. “
Can you present any strategies or tools you use to help ensure diversity and inclusion in your hiring process?
“It is important to add candidates to the database so that you can contact suitable candidates again for new projects, which can help close them much faster. It is also crucial to adapt to the role during the interview – ask relevant questions and share the right information.”
Lastly, what advice do you have for job seekers who are looking to stand out in the application process?
“I recommend always aligning CVs with the job ad – highlighting the skills and experience necessary for that position. Adding a brief description of the main tasks of each work experience is important. The CV should be simple and short, but informative. During the interview, I advise talking about important experiences in the context of the specific position, highlighting special skills, and demonstrating motivation throughout the application process.”
