What one recruitment consultant looks for in a leader

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Recently I was asked by one of my clients to design and conduct an employee survey for his company. In an industry not known for it’s advanced people practices, this employer is very proactive. He is constantly searching for ways to impress his clients. His philosophy is that this starts by impressing your employees. I learnt a lot from about leadership from this exercise. I’ve also learnt a lot about leadership from my time in the recruitment industry.

I’ve been in recruiting for a number of years. Very early on it became apparent that strong leadership is one of the key elements to retaining employees. I could talk about honesty, integrity and passion, but feel we all know these traits make for good leadership. The key to becoming a true leader is the ability to inspire others. True leaders know their strengths and weaknesses and work hard to surround themselves with great people who provide a balance to their teams. They then mould this team and challenge them to grow both individually and as a team. They make the team aware of what they are trying to achieve and give them all the tools to make it happen.

I know this seems straightforward. So why is that there such a shortage of leaders throughout industry? From my experience in recruitment, from interviewing leaders, then interviewing people who have left leaders, it’s obvious to me that some of the basics are missing.

Too many managers do not take the time to get to know who is in the team and what are their strengths and weaknesses. They expect people to achieve outcomes that are out of their reach and get frustrated by a lack of results. They also fail to keep moulding the team as it evolves and upgrading the results that are expected to be met.

The lesson I find myself learning is that for me to be effective in recruitment I need to identify true leaders and then help them mould their team. I tend to think that it is more important to know what you are getting in a person than chasing the dream of a perfect employee. I’ve seen too many recruiters focus on the positives of a prospective employee and fail to indentify the areas that need improvement. They tend to be under so much pressure to meet targets that they do not want to adversely affect the process by acknowledging a person’s weaknesses. People also tend to over sell themselves at interview which is understandable but will inevitably put them under serious pressure in their future role.

To try and identify true leaders I use a very relaxed style of interview. I have always found that scripted questions return scripted answers. If I’m interviewing you, I want to know the real you.  I find that true leaders seem to have a lack of ego and talk about the other members of their team with pride and recognise their contributions. They have genuine respect for all stakeholders within the business. True leaders tend to be constantly improving themselves and others with training and development both professionally and personally.

I always like to ask people about their key achievements within their current position. I find that high on the list of a true leader is the professional development of those around them and the ability to see the “big picture” of the business. They know where they are today but more importantly where they need to be in the future. A good indicator of an emerging leader is solid tenure to past employers and continued professional growth through external training.

Above all true leaders know that no one is perfect, including themselves.

Scott Black is Director of Black & Co. Recruitment. Read his profile on LinkedIn.

K B

Karalyn is the Founder of InterviewIQ and chief champion for all her clients. Get personal coaching to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Check out our job search booster services here>>Give me smarter ways to find a job .

Tagged as: Interview Tips, Recruitment consultants, secrets from recruitment consultants