So you want to become a Recruitment Consultant?
You’ve identified that you have a flair for sales and business development and you’re great at communicating with people. You’re comfortable in an office environment, enjoy talking on the phone and excel at negotiation. So what’s next?
When considering your next career move, you’ve probably seen adverts for roles as a Recruitment Consultant.
What does it involve and is it the career for you?
We’ve outlined some of the key benefits (and challenges!) faced by Recruitment Consultants worldwide to help you with your decision.
BENEFIT: The financial reward
As a sales orientated role, the number one benefit of Recruitment is the financial benefit. Recruitment companies will usually set you a monthly and/or annual target, and by hitting these you will be rewarded with commission on top of a good basic salary. With each role you place, your commission increases. However, this extra money is not easy to earn and certainly in a specialist Recruitment Consultancy can take time and hard work to achieve. By taking the time to grow your network as well as becoming a specialist within your own field and build lasting relationships with your clients and candidates, the rewards will be plentiful and worth the investment of time. If you like to be rewarded for hard work and dedication, Recruitment may be the perfect career move for you.
CHALLENGE: Putting in the extra hours
Anything worth having requires dedication, and in line with that, a career in Recruitment can sometimes require you to put in overtime. As it’s a predominantly target-driven role, the more you put in the more you’ll get out of it. Traditionally, Recruitment Consultants work between the core hours of 08:00 – 18:00 during the week, but sometimes longer hours may be required to ensure you speak to your candidates who may be in different time zones or only available outside of the working day. This extra time that you work can also allow you to prepare adequately for the next day or the week ahead. All of this combined improves your chances of success within the industry – meaning you’re more likely to get that promotion, pay rise or larger commission you are aiming for.
BENEFIT: Challenging and Fast-Paced
Every day can be different in Recruitment, but all days are fast paced and can be challenging. To be successful, it’s important you are prepared to work hard and be passionate about what you do. Recruitment Consultants are often juggling multiple processes at once, and that can mean being organised and ‘on the ball’ are essential to surviving the day-to-day job. Alongside being a fast-paced environment, Recruitment offices are often loud, busy places with a lot of adrenaline, excitement and activity. It’s important to remain focused on your target and the requirement in hand and enjoy it!
CHALLENGE: Dealing with competition
As Recruitment is a very sales-orientated role, there is a high level of competition within the industry. As a specialist within your chosen sector, there may be more than one Recruitment Agency who wants to speak to your candidate, or your client. The role can therefore be stressful and require you to keep on your toes at all times to make sure you are not missing out on an opportunity, and make sure the relationships you are building are strong to ensure that your contacts do not go elsewhere. If they do, the ability to deal with that rejection and continue to move forwards regardless, is key to the success of a Recruitment Consultant.
BENEFIT: The other rewards
Putting the financial benefits to one side, there are many other ways that a career in Recruitment can be incredibly rewarding. Completing a process all the way from sourcing a candidate, through briefing them on a role and gaining their interest, supporting them through the interview stages and to offer stage can be very satisfying. Knowing that you’ve made a difference to someone’s life and also the potential of the company they are joining can be very rewarding.
CHALLENGE: “The Recruiter” effect
One of the hardest aspects of working as a Consultant is the cold calling. As a fundamental part of the role, being comfortable on the phone is a primary requirement. Consultants are often required to find a way to speak to potential candidates, finding an “in” via the switchboard or getting a phone number and calling directly. Many companies provide training on how to spot Recruiters calling, and therefore can be difficult to navigate. In addition, many companies struggle to see the many benefits of using a specialist Recruitment Consultancy and won’t speak with you. Even when you have spoken to a Hiring Manager about the benefits of using your services, they can already be tied into existing exclusive contracts and not able to commit anyway. This can be frustrating, and being able to negotiate and move on from this is a vital attribute of a successful Recruiter.
BENEFIT: Moving up and expanding your knowledge
As an industry that continues to grow and move forward, there is a lot of potential for progression within Recruitment. A further reward for working hard and putting in the extra time is promotion opportunities – either towards leading a team, or developing a pool of clients of your own. Recruitment Consultants also have a wide range of transferable skills and expertise including; sales, communication, organisation, negotiation, coaching and a great understanding of HR Processes.
CHALLENGE: Stress!
As with any fast-paced and challenging career, there can be instances where the role can be quite stressful. Juggling many processes at once can be incredibly rewarding, but can also be difficult to manage and if a Consultant does not have an eye for detail and organisation things can get missed. Ensuring stages are not overlooked and that all of your contacts are happy and informed can be a difficult balancing act. Due to dealing with people, there is a lot of emotion within Recruitment which can lead to worry – especially if a process isn’t going as planned and your candidate is not excelling in the way you thought they would. It can be stressful telling a candidate they have been unsuccessful in a role and letting them down. Ensuring you are always upbeat and positive in front of candidates can be draining and takes an optimistic individual to overcome.
BENEFIT: Variety is the spice of life
No two days are the same working in Recruitment. You’ll be expected to speak to candidates in different job roles and in different territories and time zones. Handling processes globally and managing your time efficiently to maximise your opportunity to speak in those time zones is all in a day’s work. Alongside this, spending time drafting job specifications, reviewing and reformatting CVs as well as expanding your knowledge in your sector with the latest information are all expectations of a Recruitment Consultant. All of this, whilst having a great time with a team of people around you and helping candidates find their perfect next step in their career.
Are you considering a career in Recruitment?
JPS Selection are always looking for graduates and experienced Recruitment professionals to join our team. Please find more information on our current opportunities here and contact us.
