One of the most crucial roles in the company is that of the recruiter.

Almost everything starts with and comes from the recruiter’s ability to plan and execute recruitment strategies that can attract the right talent and retain the top ones. 

This is why it is crucial for an organization to invest in the recruiters’ learning and development program. When recruiters are properly trained, companies reap the rewards.

In this article, we are going to discuss the basic components of a recruiter training program.

1. Objectives

Every program requires certain objectives. 

Objectives provide the direction of the training and ensure all else aligns with what the organizational goals are.

When it comes to identifying the objectives of recruiter training, you must take into consideration the overall objectives of your company’s recruitment policy.

According to Yoder (1996), a recruitment policy aims to:

• find and hire the person most suited for a job position
• reduce recruitment costs
• craft offer for career growth and security
• facilitate growth and development
• retain top employees
• prevent favoritism any malpractices

The objectives listed above will guide you in identifying your own objectives for recruiter training. The list can serve as your framework.

For example, if you want to trainer a recruiter on finding and hiring the right person for a job, then you can plan for a training program that best addresses this need. 

You may target more than one objective in a training for as long as there are ample activities and sufficient know-how. Take a look at the guidelines constructed by Top Echelon on the goals pursued by recruiters:

• Specific: Set what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it.
• Measurable: Measure what you want to achieve and stay on track.
• Achievable: Check whether the goal is within your capability to achieve.
• Reasonable: Aim for the goals that are relevant and worth the recruiter’s time.
• Time-based: Establish a timetable for your goals.

When deciding on which of these objectives to prioritize, you can base your decisions on the results of your needs assessment and evaluation.

2. Methodologies

Methods for recruitment go through changes in order to adapt to the recent trends.

Every now and then, recruiters need to be updated with the latest information and strategies that work under a certain method of recruitment.

Some traditional methods include the following:

• Advertising
• Networking
• Referrals
• Walk-in Applications
• Written Applications

There are also innovative recruitment methods. Here are some of them listed by Harver:

• Inclusive job advertisements
• Programmatic advertisements
• Video interviews
• Leveraging the gig economy 
• Engaging with passive applicants
• Text messaging
• Social media
• Virtual Reality

Notice that the list consists of methods that are outtakes of the traditional ones, but the innovative recruitment methods use advanced technology and value social nonconformity.

What is important in recruiter training is that you discuss the changes and trends with the trainees and conduct simulations in order to gauge the trainer’s ability to navigate the recruitment methods.

3. Skills

Skills can be trained.

If any of your recruiters struggle with a particular skill necessary to achieve recruitment goals, then the best way to solve the problem is to incorporate skills training in your recruitment training program.

But what are the necessary recruitment skills?

Toggl has listed down 14 skills every recruiter must have which include the following:

• Attention to detail
• Marketing skills 
• Relationship building skills
• Multitasking skills
• Time management skills
• Patience
• Listening skills
• Confidence
• Body language skills
• Teamwork skills
• IT skills
• Being target-driven
• Reliability

Recruiters are expected to model what an ideal candidate is so they are expected to be skillful in all possible aspects.

Incorporating skills training is vital for the company to be able to train recruiters on representing the company and observing the best recruitment processes during interviews and even networking events.

4. Tech and Tools

According to 68% of recruiting professionals, investing in new recruiting technology is the best way to develop recruiting performance. 

The reason why recruiters can achieve great results from their recruiting efforts in a short amount of time is the use of technology appropriate for the task at hand.

Some recruiters lack technological expertise so they resort to the old ways of recruiting processes like manual data gathering, cold calling, and even plain job posting.

Many remain oblivious about the use of chatbots and virtual reality in recruiting. While that is acceptable for now, when it comes to creating powerful presentations or optimizing processes through software applications, it is very helpful if recruiters are knowledgeable. 

If your company employs a specific software for recruitment, conduct a recruiter training program that orients your recruiting professionals and allows them to have first-hand experience of the tool. It will be to your advantage if you have people who can use technological advancements like this with ease.

5. Courses

Recruiter training programs can be subdivided into micro-courses about recruitment.

It helps a lot when your recruiters or trainees are involved in choosing which course is the most helpful to them. Those who are given this freedom turn out to be more engaged with the training and in return, they become more productive.

You can make your own courses or you can also take advantage of courses that are available for free or at a certain fee. What you can do is you can pre-select the training courses relevant to your goals as a company and then include your people in the decision-making on which ones work best for them.

Some considerations in choosing a training course can be unlocked by answering these questions prepared by the Society for Human Resource Management:

• Can you repeatedly do the training?
• Does it address the needs and problems of your organization?
• Can you measure the trainee’s progress?
• Can it break the bad habits of the recruiters?
• Can the participants feel the value of the training?

There are also certification programs being offered to train those who aspire to be a recruiting professional on the following areas:

• Talent acquisition
• Hiring and recruitment strategy
• Employer branding

These courses are available online. So instead of creating your own courses, you can simply enroll your people online. Reliable online courses come with pre-recorded lessons and practical assignments mirroring the reality of most recruiters.

Regardless of which route you choose for recruiter training, the most important thing is to ensure quality through preparation and consultation.

The confidence of your recruiters in your company’s training program is an important element in the success of your training.