How do I Become a Retail Recruiter?

A retail recruiter is a person who recruits qualified candidates to fill jobs at retail companies. This person may recruit people to work on the sales floor, manage employees in a retail shop, or fill executive-level jobs. Essentially, a retail company may turn to a recruiter for filling any job it has available. Many people work toward the job of retail recruiter by gaining retail and human resources knowledge and experience. Others earn college degrees and then enter specific training programs for retail recruiting.

In preparation to become a retail recruiter, a person may attend college and obtain a four-year degree in human resources, business, consulting or a related field. Aspiring recruiters may benefit from courses that involve psychology, workplace law, business and office management, and coaching. There is no specific educational requirement for becoming a retail recruiter, however. In fact, many people work their way up to recruiter positions, starting with entry-level positions and gradually advancing to a human resources position that leads to recruiting.

A person who wants to become a retail recruiter will typically benefit from spending time familiarizing himself with the retail industry. This includes not only the different types of jobs in the industry, but also the hiring practices. This may prove helpful when the time comes to seek out retail job applicants to fill jobs. The aspiring retail recruiter may also take some time to learn about such things as employee rights and affirmative action.

Learning how to evaluate resumes and job applications can be key for a person who wants to become a retail recruiter. For example, a person interested in this field may learn how to look for certain keywords in resumes and application packages. He may also learn the laws regarding application screening and checking an applicant’s background and references.

Sometimes retail recruiters take training courses designed specifically to prepare them for working as a recruiter. Others may receive on-the-job or pre-job training from a company that hires recruiters. Some people may even learn important recruiting techniques from books and Web sites.

Aspiring retail recruiters can begin looking for work by answering help-wanted ads placed in newspapers and on online job boards, submitting his resume to hiring companies. Some people also take a proactive approach by researching recruiting firms and sending letters of intent and resumes to their human resources departments. Sometimes candidates also can get helpful contacts from college career counselors and professors.