Recruitment and sales have a lot in common, but what really sets them apart? The similarities between sales and recruitment come down to what you do in the day-to-day job. You generate interest, overturn objections, sell the benefits, and close the proposition. Then rinse and repeat.

A simple strategy that enhances success both in sales and in recruitment, is to be clear about what you can offer that the candidate or client may not be able to get anywhere else.

For sales recruiters, the thing that most separates you from your competitor is your culture. This is true whether you work for a recruiting company or by yourself. Culture is the unique personality of a company. It is this quality that determines how the company treats candidates and corporate clients, as well as how they are going to represent both of these parties.

Success in both recruitment and sales is dependent on relationships. It is important for the sales recruiter to establish a good relationship with the candidates; thus fostering the sales candidate’s trust that the recruiter will take care of their best interests.

On the other hand, a salesperson is successful when they are able to close a sale and/or get the contract signed by their client in order to seal a deal. For this to happen, he/she needs to establish a solid relationship with their potential client. In most cases, this relationship is formed at the cold-call stage and culminated as the deal gets sealed.

Just as it is essential for a salesperson to know their product, it is also important for sales recruiters to know the job that they are sourcing candidates for. This is helpful because what you communicate to the candidate within the first few minutes of interaction will determine whether they are going to stick around or walk away.

The ‘inverted pyramid’ method is very effective in these cases. This is where the recruiter provides the most vital information first and then works their way down to less crucial information. This way, the candidate is immediately captivated by what you are sharing with them, and they are more likely to stick around and hear more.

When it comes to sales in recruitment, there are two main camps: candidates and clients. In other words, these are two main groups of people to which recruiters sell. Understanding the similarities between recruitment and sales enables recruiters to incorporate into their skill set, some of the very qualities that they look for among sales candidates.