5 tips for boosting voice and visibility

Taking your recruitment career to the next level

During his latest REC masterclass series , the inimitable Greg Savage laid down the gauntlet for seasoned staffing and recruitment professionals: “How do you stay hungry and avoid becoming quietly complacent?”. 

It is easy for careers to ‘flat-line’, for minds to close, for inertia to set in or – more damaging still – for burn-out to occur. Greg Savage’s recommendation is to keep moving forward by refreshing the ‘skills briefcase’ by changing things up and doing something different. And enhancing external recognition for your expertise and unique insight is one way of re-energising your recruitment career.

Based on the feedback and experiences of recruitment professionals within REC Professional membership, here are 5 tips for boosting voice and visibility: 

1. Be clear on the why? Focusing on external recognition takes time and energy, so the end goal and underlying motivation must be clear. And for most recruitment professionals the driver is as follows: It is a way of standing out and increasing personal impact. With the employment landscape constantly evolving, clients and candidates want to work with recruiters who are recognised as experts in their field. 
    

2. Harvest unique insight Recruiters are in daily contact with employers and candidates. This is an unbelievable source of unique insight, particularly with regards to evolving needs of businesses and expectations of workers. Making the most of this frontline intelligence was a theme of the Greg Savage masterclasses; it is a means of enhancing reputation, it is a goldmine of content and intelligence! 
    

3. Tap into the latest data Recruiters have access to regular data and research, from the REC and other sources. Using this to seed ongoing conversations with clients and candidates is a way of nurturing relationships. This timely content is also a ‘bounce-off’ point that recruiters can build on with their own reflections and lived experiences through social media posts, online forums and other channels.
    

4. Be a voice  There are so many employment-related hot topics: new skills needs, youth employment, the impact of AI on future of jobs, evolving working patterns, sectoral disruption, immigration policy…. you name it! Recruiters make an impact by infusing these debates with practical insight. And having a view on social, economic and labour market priorities is a means of amplifying the industry’s collective campaigning voice as well as a means of boosting individual visibility and personal impact.
    

5. Do it well  Creating a ‘personal brand step-change’ can re-energise your career and build influence and trust. It can also drain time and create reputational risks as well as door-opening opportunities. So, if you’re going to do it, do it well! This includes identifying training and coaching support – particularly linked to communication skills – that will fuel the progression journey. Creating new habits – for example around self-reflection, actively seeking feedback and nurturing peer to peer networks – are further provisos for continuous improvement.  

Past success is not a predictor of future success. Which is why learning new skills and trialling different approaches are front of mind for many established recruitment professionals. And boosting voice and visibility can be an integral part of the career renewal and reboot process; as well as delivering tangible benefits for individuals and for the business, it’s energising, empowering and lots of fun. Get out there!