A Day in Recruiter’s Life

• #Recruitment

The recruiter’s job is crucial in any company, requiring an elegant balance of strategy and human contact. Recruiters must discover talent, build relationships, and ultimately make important decisions that affect the future of the company. But what does their typical day look like, what are their main duties and responsibilities? To find out more, we talk to Daiva Kanopkienė – Senior Recruiter at Stafferty Lithuania.

Daiva, let's start with a simple question - what are your main responsibilities as a personnel selection specialist?

"The most important responsibility, in my opinion, is to find out the client's needs for an open position: to delve not only into the specifics of the position itself but also to find out what the client is like, what kind of new team member they expect, what type of manager, what kind of candidate would be easier to fit into the client's company. It is also important to find and recommend to the client the most suitable candidate for the position they are looking for, and to offer the candidate the most suitable position and the new employer."

How do you find and attract candidates for open positions?

"First of all, I use my personal network, and recommendations, then I use Stafferty's database of potential candidates, and even later – social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, various CV portals, and the database of the Public Employment Service and so on."

Could you tell us how the process of reviewing resumes and selecting candidates usually goes?

"It would be difficult to tell because everything depends on the particular position for which you are looking for the potential candidates. Each selection is very individual."

How do you assess whether a candidate is suitable for a certain position?

"Firstly, after opening a resume or profile, I carefully review and evaluate it, then arrange a short telephone interview, and finally, I am done forming an image of the candidate during the job interview. After the job interview, I make a short assessment and choose which candidates to present to the client and which not to.”

What strategies do you use to stay in touch with the candidate throughout the selection process?

"In my opinion, the most important factor is sincere communication – the candidate must understand that you sincerely care about him, then communication will go smoothly during the entire recruitment process. I try not to leave the candidate in the dark and inform him at each stage how he or she is doing, and what stage the candidate is currently at. If the client is on vacation or away during the process, I inform the candidates about this."

Have you encountered a difficult personnel selection situation? How did you solve everything?

"The very first thought that came to mind is a selection when we were looking for candidates whose native language is Romanian, who also speak English at least at the B1 level, who live in Lithuania, and who want to work in sales.

The selection was certainly not easy, because there are few Romanian or Moldovan sellers living in Lithuania (I learned during this process that their languages are quite similar), and on the other hand, how to check their Romanian language level? Because neither I nor the client himself speaks Romanian.

Then I came up with a language test method in the form of a game, which both the candidates and the client liked. I interviewed potential candidates in Russian or English, and checked their Romanian language as follows: I wrote a broad question with the help of the Google Translate program, asked the question in Romanian with the help of audio translation, and the candidates answered my questions in English or Romanian."

Can you tell us what strategies or tools you use to ensure diversity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process?

"As I mentioned before, all processes are very different from one another and depend on the position itself: one strategy is used, for example, to find a Production Manager, but a completely different one is used to find a Senior Accountant. I do not use such templates or guidelines myself, so I have no idea that such things exist at all."

What advice would you give to job seekers who want to stand out in the application process?

"The most important things I can advise are to show initiative, not to slander former employers, no matter how the working relationship ended, and not to boast excessively about personal and professional achievements. Before applying for a new position, it is a good idea to research the company itself – this way, the candidate can ask more specific questions and perform better in the job interview. It is also important to communicate and cooperate with the recruitment specialist – the recruiter and the candidate have the same goal.

As for the selection process itself, I highly recommend that you prepare well for the job interview: create a calm environment for the remote interview, choose the right outfit, set accurate salary expectations, and do not change them.