The Importance of Industry Knowledge in Recruiting

Why is industry knowledge important?

One of the most common problems in the recruiting and HR industries today is a lack of understanding about the jobs they're trying to fill. A clear picture of what the job consists of is crucial for finding and sourcing top talent. After all, when recruiting, would you want to present hiring managers with a candidate who understands how to fill out a template, or with one who knows how to build his own? If you don't understand your industry, you might wind up making just that mistake.

Each industry has its own terms, specialties, and inscrutable acronyms, which is why it's so important for every recruiter to immerse and educate themselves in the industry they/them are recruiting for. Even if someone is recruiting for every type of job under the moon in any given day, it's more difficult, but still important to understand the industries they recruit for with regularity.

Knowing an industry makes a huge difference in recruiting — it helps you find top talent, and match those workers up with the right companies. After all, one of the greatest compliments a recruiter can get from a candidate is that they are impressed with the level of understanding of what they do. This complement means the talent will respect you for life and may even end up being a great ongoing pipeline for future referrals just like them.

How can you begin learning? Industry professionals in industries as varied as marketing, accounting, project management, software development and more are uploading free “tutorial” videos on the subject of “how to” in their jobs all the time. Many companies are starting to create company branding videos to familiarize potential candidates with not only company culture but industry expectations for team members.

Even if you're a general recruiter, taking a few minutes to watch a video or two on the industries you're searching for can be a huge asset when you're looking to close top talent. If nothing else, it will help significantly when talking to a great candidate on the phone, as you’ll be able to bridge the connection quickly and build a long-term working relationship.