One of the most difficult jobs in the IT world is the job of the technical recruiter.

This person is given a job description, a list of required skills and educational background and an overview of the culture at the hiring organization and told to get qualified candidates in 24 hours. Piece of cake, right?

Recruiters spend their days on the phone, talking to candidate after candidate. They call candidates they’ve placed in the past and know well as well as candidates who’ve never heard of the IT staff augmentation firm. Some of the candidates they call are looking for a new engagement and others need to be persuaded to think about a new project.

It’s not a job for everyone. We know because we train people for the job.

We conduct a unique and intense 15-week training program to staff our Technical Recruiter positions. Our rigorous program includes training in Boolean search techniques, OFCCP compliance, technical capability assessment, and other skills. It also includes practice sessions and several weeks of actual job experience.

It’s not an easy program to complete, and it’s even more difficult just to get in. A recent class of eight recruiters was chosen from more than 150 applicants, 56 of whom made it through the screening process to the interview stage.

Getting into and completing our recruiting program takes drive, determination, and a capacity for hard work. That’s what potential recruiters bring to us.

At the same time, selecting and training Technical Recruiters obviously takes a lot of effort on our part, and we obviously feel it’s worth it. We’ve been conducting our own training class since 2007.

It’s the best way to make sure our clients and our candidates are always working with someone who knows and loves what they’re doing. Because they’re doing one of the most difficult jobs in the IT world.