Return to BlogThe Ultimate Reading List For High Performing Recruiters
If you’re looking to improve as a recruiter, it’s going to take a lot more than building your personal brand on LinkedIn and booking extra client meetings.
The development opportunities for anyone in recruitment are limitless, you just have to tap into and hone the right resources that will work for you.Â
We’ve taken the time to speak to the Recruitment Mentors community, as well as undergo our own research to compile the ultimate reading list for high performing recruiters!
You’ll see that we’ve broken down each book into categories, so you can easily find what will work best for you.
The Rich Recruiter - Andrew Leong
Great for: Junior Recruitment Consultants
Reading difficulty: Easy
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle
What’s it about?
“Whether you’re new to recruitment, an experienced recruiter or a struggling recruiter, The Rich Recruiter is a step by step guide on how rich recruitment consultants achieve their success. The Rich Recruiter has been written specifically for recruitment consultants working for recruitment agencies. Therefore, it has remained completely true to the industry.”
The Rich Recruiter is a whistle-stop, ultimate guide to those who are in the earlier stages of their career. Although this book is marketed to those at all levels, it’s found to work particularly well for Junior Consultants as well as Mid-Level Consultants who have experienced a dip in billings/motivation and need some extra advice.
The three things you will learn:
- How to win new clients, even in a competitive market
- How to write, structure and target winning e-shots that pull in jobs
- How to successfully negotiate and close deals that’ll maximise your fee rate while creating a win-win situation
Think And Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
Great for: All career stages
Reading difficulty: Intermediate
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle, Audible
What’s it about?
“Think and Grow Rich is the most important financial book ever written. Napoleon Hill researched more than forty millionaires to find out what made them the men that they were. In this book he imparts that knowledge to you.”
Think and Grow Rich is one of the most famous self-help/motivational non-fiction books ever made. There are thirteen rules in this book to follow, and the beauty of this book is it’s one you can refer back to no matter what stage of your career you’re at.
The three things you will learn:
- The core 13 principles of financial success
- How to implement specific strategies to earn more money
- Traits and skills you can hone to make yourself a better salesperson
Money - Rob Moore
Great for: All stages
Reading difficulty: Difficult
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle Audible
What’s it about?
“In a world which increasingly feels like it revolves around money, it’s easy to feel like the gap between the money you earn and the money you need to live the life you want is just too great.Â
If you’re not where you want to be in your life with money and wealth, then it’s important to close the gap and get on track to creating the success that you want. Learn how to understand money, make more of it, and live the life you deserve”.
Money is a book that covers practically everything to do with money: how to invest it, how to respect it and how to not let it consume your life.
Money is a huge factor in every recruiters life, and this book highlights many theoretical and factual research on Money, as well as how mindset and how you value yourself and your time can impact how much money you make.
It’s a dense read, but one that any recruiter can take value from, especially if education around money is something that you lack.Â
The three things you will learn:
- How to have a healthy relationship with the money you earn
- The importance of an abundance-based mindset
- The slow and steady route to developing wealth
The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek
Great for: Anyone who is a manager or business owner
Reading difficulty: Intermediate
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle, Audible
What’s it about?
“In The Infinite Game, Sinek applies game theory to explore how great businesses achieve long-lasting success. He finds that building long-term value and healthy, enduring growth – that playing the infinite game – is the only thing that matters to your business.”
The Infinite Game is a book which is perfect for those who are in leadership roles, and want tangible insight and advice on leading teams, sustaining them and building trust. Sinek provides actionable takeaways throughout the book, and he’s known for his unique approach and stance to team building.Â
The three things you will learn:
- How to be emotionally available to your team without sharing too much personal information
- How to build trust with teams over time
- How to become a better leader
The Obstacle Is The Way - Ryan Holiday
Great for: Anyone who is a manager or business owner
Reading difficulty: Intermediate
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle, Audible
What’s it about?
“With a simple change of attitude, what seem like insurmountable obstacles become once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Ryan Holiday, who dropped out of college at nineteen to serve as an apprentice to bestselling ‘modern Machiavelli’ Robert Greene and is now a media consultant for billion-dollar brands, draws on the philosophy of the Stoics to guide you in every situation, showing that what blocks our path actually opens one that is new and better.”
The Obstacle Is The way is a motivational and inspiring book which focuses on mindset, attitude and how you approach business and life. Holiday draws on his own experiences to create a memorable and life-changing novel.
The three things you will learn:
- Why the ego is truly the enemy
- How to apply simple practices to your day to day life to become better
- How to change your attitude to evoke positive change
How To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Great for: All career stages
Reading difficulty: Intermediate
Accessible on: Paperback, Kindle, Audible
What’s it about?
“Millions of people around the world have improved their lives based on the teachings of Dale Carnegie. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, he offers practical advice and techniques, in his exuberant and conversational style, for how to get out of a mental rut and make life more rewarding.”
How To Win Friends And Influence People is another timeless book that can be read by pretty much anyone – not just recruiters. It’s one that offers a ton of insight, without feeling like you have to trawl through too much information to get to the point.
The three things you will learn:
- How to increase your popularity, which can be applied to winning clients
- How to become a better speaker both privately and publicly
- How to influence to your advantage
What books do you think we’re missing that have had the biggest impact on your career as a recruiter? Leave a comment below!