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Recruiter skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Tonya Courtois,

Dr. James Lampley

Some of the most important hard skills a recruiter can possess include creating job descriptions, performing background checks, and tracking and meeting Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines. Experience in the healthcare industry is also a plus for recruiters

When it comes to soft skills, recruiters should have excellent communication skills. Recruiters will need to communicate with a high volume of candidates , so great communication skills are crucial.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical recruiter skills. We ranked the top skills for recruiters based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.0% of recruiter resumes contained applicant tracking systems as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a recruiter needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 recruiter skills for your resume and career

1. Applicant Tracking Systems

Here's how recruiters use applicant tracking systems:

Moved candidates through the interview and selection process by coordinating with hiring managers and utilizing existing applicant tracking systems.
Conducted extensive recruiting as sole recruiter accountable for filling Contract and Direct Hire opportunities and applicant tracking systems.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how recruiters use customer service:

Focus on financial/customer service/laboratory/staffing/scheduling positions.
Conducted general customer service and clerical/administrative duties

3. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how recruiters use human resources:

Contract assignment providing recruitment and administrative support to VP of Human Resources in a fast-growing food product research and development organization.
Perform general Human Resources responsibilities including the administration of compensation and benefit programs, employee development and performance management.

4. Linkedin

Here's how recruiters use linkedin:

Conducted passive recruiting through social media websites including LinkedIn, Facebook, and various member/chapter associations at colleges and universities.
Dedicated Research Professional, Recruiting, Administration, Organization & Candidate Resume Warehousing of LinkedIn accounts.

5. Healthcare

Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of a person's health by the diagnosis and treatment of a person's injury, illness, or any other disease. Healthcare is a basic necessity of human life and is the responsibility of the country's government to ensure that each person gets healthcare. Providing healthcare is the job of certified health professionals that includes doctors, surgeons, nurses, and other physicians. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, dentistry, therapy, and health training all come under healthcare. Healthcare plays a vital role in the country's economy and its development.

Here's how recruiters use healthcare:

Developed employee referral events and increased Xerox Business Services HealthCare Call Center employment brand throughout the Northern Colorado community.
Assisted in training new recruiters - Placed qualified candidates in Scientific, Engineering, Professional Services, and HealthCare industries.

6. Background Checks

Here's how recruiters use background checks:

Conducted reference or background checks on job applicants and oversee exit interviews and ensure that necessary employment termination paperwork is completed.
Conducted in-depth interviews and performed thorough, professional reference and background checks to ensure well-qualified candidate placement.

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7. Recruitment Process

Here's how recruiters use recruitment process:

Managed the recruitment process which included identifying, interviewing, evaluating and hiring candidates as well as working with educational headhunters.
Ensured timely and accurate information processing by maintaining an applicant database associated with the recruitment process for open positions.

8. Source Candidates

Here's how recruiters use source candidates:

Source candidates through a variety of methods including company internal/external website, social media networking, specific niche groups/affiliations and referrals.
Source candidates for corporate-wide professional and general labor positions in manufacturing, logistics and engineering and other areas as assigned.

9. PowerPoint

Here's how recruiters use powerpoint:

Presented and prepared PowerPoint presentations on various topics to educated colleagues in the office and operated WebEx technology for conference calls.
Created and delivered multimedia and PowerPoint presentations geared towards motivating and inspiring students to explore possible career fields.

10. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how recruiters use excellent interpersonal:

Demonstrate initiative, creativity, and excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
Fostered and developed candidate and client relationships through excellent interpersonal skills.

11. Work Ethic

Here's how recruiters use work ethic:

Source resumes to select most qualified candidates and interview candidates to better assess qualifications, personal characteristics and work ethic.
Interviewed candidates to better assess qualifications and ascertain personality, personal character, and work ethic.

12. Recruitment Strategies

Here's how recruiters use recruitment strategies:

Build relationships with hiring managers and department directors by presenting recruitment strategies as well as cultivate and maintain candidate and manager relationships
Develop and monitor statistical reports to efficiently develop recruitment strategies, yield effective client management, and forecast referral opportunities.

13. Reference Checks

Here's how recruiters use reference checks:

Reviewed applications for employment, conducted interviews and professional reference checks, extended job offers, and facilitated new-hire paperwork.
Managed candidate interview process, evaluated skill level, managed offer process, conduct reference checks and salary recommendations.

14. EEO

Here's how recruiters use eeo:

Participated in the development and/or implementation of EEO, compensation and benefit programs/procedures.
Facilitate and provide organizational diversity; including maintaining EEO and Affirmative Action programs.

15. Open Positions

Open positions may refer to a potential investment trade, where the trade has been established and recognized but has not yet closed. This is common for many investors holding a great deal of stock but have not yet sold those shares; however, there is considerable risk in holding multiple open positions given the market fluctuation.

Here's how recruiters use open positions:

Recruited manufacturing/engineering professionals for open positions.
Reviewed resumes and phone screened candidates for interest, availability, salary expectations, relocation requirements and match for open positions.

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What skills help Recruiters find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on recruiter resumes?

Tonya Courtois

Recruiting Manager, Emmaus Homes

To be most attractive to us a resume should be more than just a list of a person's work history and the skills they acquired while they occupied each role. A resume that will stand out to us, is a resume that tells us how a candidate problem-solved during their tenure at each job. We are also looking for candidates who closely align with our core value system. A one size fits all resume is not a best practice. Candidates should do their homework and clearly and specifically identify past behaviors that demonstrate they share our values. Resumes should be full of well-written examples of how they added value.

What recruiter skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. James Lampley

Professor, East Tennessee State University

I would encourage a graduate or graduate student to use the gap year experience to learn a new marketable skill or to work with under-served groups. Learn how to do something that not a lot of people can do.

What technical skills for a recruiter stand out to employers?

Ryan Smolko

Associate Director, Career Center, Muhlenberg College

Technical skills vary by industry and the technical skills needed today are not those that will be needed five or even one year from now. Adaptability is key to staying relevant in their career both now and in the future. O*Net is a great resource for students to see technical skills commonly used in their jobs of interest.

The technical skills everyone should be continually working on are Excel/Tableau and Canva/PowerPoint. Working with large amounts of data is almost universal in today's economy regardless of industry or position. You can also have the best data in the world but if you can't present it in a dynamic way it won't be seen which is why being well versed in presentation and design tools can be a big advantage.

Do you want to know more?

List of recruiter skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a recruiter resume and required skills for a recruiter to have include:

Applicant Tracking Systems
Customer Service
Human Resources
Linkedin
Healthcare
Background Checks
Recruitment Process
Source Candidates
PowerPoint
Excellent Interpersonal
Work Ethic
Recruitment Strategies
Reference Checks
EEO
Open Positions
Career Fairs

Phone Screens
Interview Process
Taleo
Strong Time Management
Recruitment Efforts
HRIS
Facebook
Twitter
ATS
Phone Interviews
Quality Candidates
Payroll
Schedule Interviews
Conduct Interviews
Business Development
Selection Process

Professional Organizations
In-Person Interviews
Cold Calls
Market Research
ICIMS
Interview Candidates
Screen Candidates
Excellent Candidate
Ofccp
E-Verify
Candidate Tracking
Develop Strong Relationships
Develop Recruitment Strategies
I-9

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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