While cold calls and rolodexes were all the rage in the 90s, recruiting has evolved tremendously in the past decade. Now it’s all about focusing on relationship building, using state-of-the art tools, and becoming a strategic piece of the business. Recruiting and recruiters themselves are becoming modern and dynamic professionals more than ever.

But when you think about it, what does being a modern recruiter actually entail day-to-day?

We asked three industry leaders, Jennifer Candee at SAB Miller, Mathew Caldwell at Mozilla, and Olivier Lambel from SSI Pacific (former Ecetera Head of People and Culture), what a modern recruiter means to them and they shared key criteria that they look for in recruiters today. Hearing their responses in the video above, we discovered four consistent themes:

1. Going beyond typical HR
   All three believe that modern recruiters have a wide variety of skill sets. Olivier shares that modern recruiters are a new jack-of-all-trades and know marketing, sales and analytics. Jennifer agrees, saying that some of the best recruiters come from a marketing or even psychology background.
   
   As we shared last month, the modern recruiter is part artist and part scientist. On the “right-brain” side, modern recruiters are intuitive, channelling their ability to think differently through matchmaking and marketing. However, they still need to tap their “left-brain” to become more analytical and research-focused.
   
   
2. Recruiting is marketing
   More on the creative side, Jennifer sees that talent acquisition has become very similar to marketing. “Recruiters have to have a branding mindset and be communications-focused, because they are a voice of the company,” Jennifer explains. Just as marketers communicate the value of a product or service to customers, recruiters have to communicate the value of a company or job to a candidate.
   
   We agree. 82% of talent acquisition leaders believe employer brand has a significant impact on ability to hire great talent, and top talent is 56% more likely to care about finding the right culture. In our guide to modern recruiting, we strongly encourage you channel your inner marketer and promote your talent brand like a marketer promotes their products.
   
   
3. Strategic partners
   In the past, recruiting was more transactional. Now, talent acquisition has become more strategic and recruiters have become true business partners. “I tell my team to be partners to their customers,” says Mathew. “The hiring managers are their customers, and recruiters enable business success for these customers.”
   
   Not only do modern recruiters need to partner with their hiring managers at the beginning of the hiring process, they also need to partner cross-functionally to fully drive business success. When it comes to employer branding, it’s important to involve your marketing teams as well as your employee base to brand your company as a great place to work.
   
   
4. Making an impact
   A bonus theme we heard directly and indirectly from all three is the need to want to change peoples lives. “I love my job because I want to an impact on peoples lives and see them flourish and develop,” explains Olivier. Modern recruiters also have a sense of altruism. They are emotionally invested in their candidates. Not only does a candidate’s success help the company succeed, it also demonstrates how well you launch individuals into their career paths.

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