I’ve been working in the recruitment industry for more than 20 years now and I still absolutely love it. The role of a recruitment consultant provides a unique and valuable service for jobseekers, employers and society as a whole. So, what is it about working in recruitment that makes it so great?
Recruitment is a fascinating and highly consultative sale. It’s not a commodity sale – we provide solutions that solve our clients’ biggest challenge: sourcing and selecting key talent. This means that as a recruitment consultant, you have to have the ability to understand people. diverse business cultures and skill requirements quickly in order to add value. Good recruiters are indispensable for hiring managers that are struggling with the fact that good people are hard and costly to find.
There are so many facets to recruitment consulting. Quick-thinking and response times are key to great recruitment. We’ve all had boring jobs before where we’ve watched the clock. No day in recruitment is ever the same. We're in the people business and ‘the unexpected’ in human behaviour is a given but it’s also exciting. When you’re dealing with people’s careers and clients’ hard-earned cash, you need to be at the top of your game to succeed. This ensures you’ll never have a boring day again.
The recruitment industry has grown massively in the last few years and it’s still growing. If you are the best in recruitment, expect a six-figure package. The sooner you ramp up, the sooner your dreams will become a reality. Bear in mind, however, it’s not for the faint-hearted or the lazy. Competition is fierce and our clients expect the best. Hence, why we only hire the best people. Sometimes we see the potential in people from a different industry to succeed. Other times, we hire based on their historic performance as recruitment consultants.
Being a good recruitment consultant opens many doors for your career. Many consultants veer into account management, talent acquisition, selection and assessment, CRM and database management, advertising and online marketing, business development, HR and much more. It’s a diverse and challenging role and you'll be working with clients in different industries, in different parts of the world. You’ll develop your skills in communication, relationship management, time management and negotiation, which are invaluable no matter what career path you choose.
Recruitment is exciting and it tests you in controlling and prioritising tasks. There will be ups and downs, so you need to be level-headed and mindfully mature. If you can’t handle it at its worst, you don’t deserve it at its best! Representing candidates in competition to get a role can be a win/lose situation. The trick is having enough of these situations happening at the same time to make sure you have a happy result at the end of the month. This involves skills, hard work and a sprinkling of good luck, which really is an attitude in our eyes – think lucky, be lucky.
When it comes to recruiting, it’s all about teamwork. It’s fun when a team coordinates and works well together to grow a market. Busy offices, busy phones, busy interview rooms and lot of socialising. If communication is your thing, recruitment is the place for you. Your colleagues are likely to be outgoing, vivacious, somewhat opportunistic, street-smart and fun with their finger on the pulse. It’s an interesting crowd to mix with.
This is arguably the best bit. You get to ask a lot of people a lot of questions. You get to look inside offices, poke around companies, gather information, run up high phone bills, keep secrets, manage discreet situations and help make big decisions. You get to learn loads, although you don’t get to tell anyone except your colleagues.
Naturally, with two decades in the industry, it’s clear that I love this job so this article may seem a bit one-sided, and I suppose it is. If you’re looking for a more unbiased view with the pros and cons of working as a recruitment consultant, check this one out!
But if I’ve already sold you on working in recruitment, get in touch!
Want to know more? Find out everything you need to know about recruitment agencies in our handy guide.
Number seven photo by Jase Bloor on Unsplash
