Tips to get a job as a recruitment consultant
6 minute read
By Alex Mcauley on
Recruitment is a high-pressure industry. If you're thinking about becoming a recruitment consultant, it's important that you know what you're getting into. Recruiters work in the market of temporary jobs and contracts. It can be challenging and stressful at times, but if you are passionate about helping people find their dream job and love challenges, then this is for you. Working as a recruitment consultant also means putting your own CV at risk. Companies will be less inclined to hire you as an employee, if they think that you could use your insider knowledge to poach their staff. However, if you're ready to take on this challenge and put your best foot forward, keep reading for our expert advice on how to get a job as a Recruitment Consultant.
Know the basics of Recruiting
A recruiter is a salesperson who connects people who are looking for work with employers who have job openings. If you're in the business of recruiting, you might work for a company that's staffing up or be self-employed and work with a wide variety of clients who are hiring. You might also recruit people for temporary or full-time positions. Recruiters review resumes, conduct phone interviews and conduct face-to-face interviews to help their clients hire the best candidate for the job. When you're just getting started as a recruiter, you'll likely work on a small basic salary plus commission, which means you only earn good money if you get a placement. You and the hiring manager may agree on a percentage of the employee's first year salary. If you have to interview several candidates before you get an offer, you may earn less in the short term, but you'll earn more if you get the job filled quickly. Employers often hire recruiters to find candidates for hard-to-fill positions, such as technical jobs, engineering jobs or management positions.
Network, Network, Network
If you want to work as a recruiter, it will be helpful to meet people in the HR and recruitment industry. Networking is key and you should always be on the lookout for new connections. Join professional networks like LinkedIn and attend events hosted by recruitment organizations. You can also build relationships with hiring managers by offering your services as an unpaid recruiter. You can also use your personal network and ask your friends and family if they know anyone who is hiring. You never know where you might find your next lead. You should put yourself out there and meet as many people in the industry as possible. You never know who might be able to help you get your foot in the door.
Be proud of your past
If you've worked in a field that is relevant to the job you want now, don't be ashamed to talk about it. Your past experiences can be a huge asset and show hiring managers that you've grown and learned from your past endeavours. If you worked as a waiter while you were studying, don't be embarrassed to talk about it. Everyone has to start somewhere and most employers won't care as long as you can show them that you've grown and learned from your past experiences.
Don't get discouraged
Even if you've applied to hundreds of jobs, you may not be getting the response that you're looking for. It's important to stay positive and be patient. It can take a while to find your next placement and it's important that you don't get discouraged along the way. It's helpful to keep a journal and write down your accomplishments and the goals that you have for yourself. This can help you stay focused and positive. Some recruiters say that it usually takes about 100 applications before you get your first job offer. It's important to stay positive and be patient. If you're getting discouraged, make sure you talk to someone you trust. You may also want to reevaluate your strategy.
Know your worth
Before you start applying to jobs, you need to understand how much you're worth. You can do this by researching the average salary for your job in your area and industry. Remember to add 10-15% to this number before you start applying for jobs to account for the cost of living in your area. Although it's important to be realistic with the salary you're expecting, you don't want to price yourself out of the market. You should aim to negotiate a higher salary once you've been offered a job. Most employers will be open to negotiating your salary, but you'll need to know how to approach the conversation.
Be flexible, but be honest
You want to show hiring managers that you're willing to travel or move to another city if needed, but you also need to be honest about what is realistically possible for you. If they ask you if you're willing to travel and you know that travelling would be extremely difficult for you due to family or health reasons, you'll need to let them know that. If you are absolutely passionate about finding work and have the skills to do the job, you will find a way to make it work. You may need to be more flexible with the type of jobs you'll take on, the salary you'll accept, and where you'll be willing to work from. Employers are looking for people who are flexible.
Be honest with yourself
You may love the idea of being a recruiter, but if you aren't good at it, it's not worth pursuing. If you aren't an outgoing person or aren't good at selling yourself and your skills, you may want to reconsider this path. You want to be able to look in the mirror every day and feel good about what you do. You don't want this job to end up making you miserable. If you aren't comfortable cold-calling people or selling your services, this may not be a good job for you. You also want to make sure that you are honest with yourself about how much time you'll need to spend finding new jobs for people. This can often be a full-time job on its own and you'll need to be honest with yourself about how much time you can commit to this and still have a balanced life.
Conclusion
If you're ready to take on a challenge and put your best foot forward, recruitment might be the industry for you. It's important to know the basics of recruiting, build connections, stay positive, know your worth, be flexible, and be honest with yourself to get a job as a recruiter.