Are recruitment consultants only motivated by money?

“Recruitment consultants are only motivated by money.” Really? Many recruitment consultants and potential recruiter candidates say they are really motivated by money because “It’s OK to say it in a recruitment agency – just not OK to say it in other interviews.”

So it seems that it’s an industry standard that all recruitment consultants are deeply motivated by the cash the industry can offer. And there is a lot of cash, there’s no denying it. But is that assertion really true? Is money what gets everyone in the industry out of bed in the morning? And a bigger question again is whether or not money in itself a real motivator? 

In Dan Pink’s interesting TED talk on motivation, he makes the point that studies show that money has the opposite effect on people. People need and want money but when engaging in an activity solely for the purpose of money and rewards – it can have an effect you wouldn’t think.

Think about it. Can you really imagine running to work every day for a company that says to you all they want to do is make cash and that’s all that matters to them? Can you see some of the iconic brand names out there saying this to their market and their employees? 

Yes, the purpose of a business is to generate profit. But that’s the result, the ‘what happens’ piece after you do business. It’s the ‘how’ and ‘why’ we go about making money that makes a company culture and their value system thereby deciding if it is motivating to work there or not. 

So when people say they are motivated by money – is it really the truth? Our RECRUITERS motivated by: 

• Delivering results to clients and candidates and getting recognition for it.
• The thrill of making the match between clients and candidates.
• Internal career progression. 
• Further developing on our relationships with existing clients. We love to see our clients grow and we love going on the journey with them. 
• Further developing our skills in communication, business acumen and commercial knowledge of how our clients– business work.
• Succeeding in a demanding role and in a fast-paced environment. 
• Working with a candidate who is genuinely excited about finding a perfect job in a perfect company and potentially changing their lives.
• Working as part of a great team and enjoying the work environment and relationships internally. 
• Seeing the company you are working in grow and succeed as a result of your efforts and the efforts of your teammates. 

These are the things that make doing business exciting. So what motivates you?

Want to know more? Find out everything you need to know about recruitment agencies in our handy guide.

By Brian McFadden

Brian McFadden is a director at RECRUITERS with more than 20 years in the industry.