With the end of the year quickly approaching, it’s a good time to start planning for professional development for recruiters in 2024. This is too often an area that gets overlooked or gets pushed lower on the priorities list. As recruitment tools and entire recruitment landscape continue to change at a breathtaking pace, it’s important to dedicate time to getting better at your craft. Here are some areas of professional development to consider:
Artificial Intelligence
Arguably the biggest disruptor since job boards (or perhaps even earlier than that), AI’s impact on recruitment continues to expand. Good recruiters are learning which AI tools are most effective and they can best be deployed to eliminate repetitive tasks, shore up weaknesses, improve the candidate experience, and more. We’re all hearing that AI will destroy the recruiting profession, but as many people have said before me: AI won’t put you out of business, but another recruiter using AI effectively might.
ATS Training
You’re likely paying for more features than you’re using. Is there training available that can teach you how to use some of these features? Another option is process-oriented training to improve efficiency. This could include better use of automation, refresher training, or mapping out better systems for your desk. You may find integration options that can help improve CRM functionality, marketing automation, data scraping or other benefits.
Writing
Writing effective job descriptions is one of the most important tasks recruiters face. Your job description needs to attract the right candidates AND lead them to take action – no small feat, especially if writing isn’t your strong suit or takes up too much time. There are AI tools like Jasper that can help with this or you can look for trainers like Kat Kibben (among others).
Sales and Phone Training
Recruiting is sales and most people in sales spend a fair amount of time in training. This is a key area of professional development for recruiters, especially as tactics that may have worked in the past are less effective now. Recruiters must consistently relearn how to utilize the phone and other sales skills to develop new business, whether that is clients or engaging hard-to-find candidates.
Where to Find Professional Development for Recruiters
There are a number of resources available including:
- Online training—Looked at LinkedIn and other online learning platforms, webinars, and self-paced video options
- In-person training—In-house training, workshops, seminars and other options
- Informal peer education—Social media groups and informal meet-ups, whether virtual or face-to-face can be an invaluable way to share knowledge with and among peers
- Certifications—A number of organizations offer professional certifications, such as NAPS, AIRS, SHRM in addition to sourcing or platform certifications
- Conference and Events—Near and dear to my heart are professional conferences and events that offer training and education on a wide range of topics