Top 5 Books Every Recruiter Needs to Read

As a recruiter, it’s your job stay at the forefront of the industry. To excel, you need to understand the best hiring practices and the latest trends in the ever-changing business world. Books are a great way to stay ahead of the competition, and help you hire the best talent possible.

Here are 5 books every recruiter should read in 2016.

Thinking Fast and Slow

(By: Daniel Kahneman )

Thinking Fast and Slow is an award-winning book written by Daniel Kahneman that takes you on a tour of the mind to help you better understand the way you think.

According to the author, a mind has two thinking systems. System 1 is emotional, fast and intuitive, while System 2 is deliberate, slower more logical. Knowing and understanding these two systems can help you better understand why you make the decisions you make, and how you can use these systems to your advantage when hiring new candidates.

Kahneman reveals instances when you can and can’t trust your intuition, and how you can maximize the benefits of slow thinking. You’ll find a lot of practical insights in this book, and scenarios when you can use these different thinking systems to your advantage in the workplace.

Rework: Change the Way You Work Forever

(By: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson )

Written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, Rework will get you thinking differently about the business world. The two authors are the founders of the 37signals software company, so they know a thing or two about running a successful business.

The premise of this book is that any person can be in business. Tools that were out of reach to the everyday person are now easily accessible, and technology is now reasonably priced. In other words, any person can start a business, and do so without working a tremendous amount of hours and using up their entire life savings.
If you’re looking for a fresh perspective on the business world and to gain a better understanding of the minds of entrepreneurs, this book should be at the top of your must-read list. You can use this knowledge to help you better recruit candidates whose goals are in line with the company’s.

Nudge

(By: Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein )

Nudge, written by Thaler & Sunstein, takes another look at how we make decisions, but it also takes a look at why candidates are motivated to do the things they do. And the key thing that recruiters will take away from this book is that you can use what the authors call “choice architecture” to nudge your candidates and employees towards making the best decisions possible – or the decisions you want them to make.

The Power of Habit

(By: Charles Duhigg )

While Nudge will give you insight into why candidates make certain decisions and how to influence employee behavior, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg will help you better understand how habits work.
And we all know the key to being successful is to form good habits.

The Power of Habit will not only explain why habits exist, but how you can change them.

Think Like a Freak

(By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner )

From the authors of Freakonomics, Think Like a Freak will change the way you think. You’ll learn how to be more productive, more creative and rational. How? By following a new problem-solving blueprint.

Changing the way you think and solve problems can help you better find talented candidates, and think outside the box when resolving issues in the workplace.