I have worked in recruitment for over a decade, which is an amazing achievement since I still tell people I am under thirty…..
I will be honest, when I first got into “the business”, I didn’t really know what recruitment was. I applied because the job advert said I could earn lots of money. Two years out of University with a piling amount of debt, loads of money sounded really good.
My experience prior to recruitment was working with children with special needs. I always remember my interviewer saying ‘I can’t believe I am putting a care assistant forward for second interview.’ I was surprised because surely the emphatic nature of a ‘carer’ would work well with people who were looking for a job?
Imagine my surprise when I found out being a recruiter also involved sales….
And it does.
Being a recruiter encompasses a diverse range of skills, from sales ability, to compassion, to a strong business understanding. You need to be able to get your foot in the door, coach candidates to their true abilities and be able to talk about the economy and your niche area with M.D’s and Directors of all business sizes.
It is not a job for the faint hearted.
But it is a great job for those with a big heart.
To this day, I get an enormous thrill telling successful candidates that they have secured their next job, that their hard work at interview paid off and they are onto bigger and better things. I also still feel the sickening lurch of breaking bad news to those who didn’t quite make it this time, I think the day I don’t feel that compassion will be my last day in the office.
I am often asked if the sales bit is hard,
It is not easy….
However, I have never excelled at being the ‘don’t take no for an answer’ type of salesperson. Instead I focus on the long term relationship, what we can offer potential clients outside of a typical recruitment service. How can we add value to their organisation? If you look for the long term relationships and provide an outstanding service every time, your clients will stick with you and refer you on to their peers.
Makes selling much easier when people refer you.
I love finding new clients and bringing them into the partnership we offer.
And candidates?
The lifeblood of every recruitment business. Candidates make this job funny, rewarding, and at times a wee bit distressing. My father brought me up with the saying…
Nowt as strange as folk
That proverb has sat with me, as I never fail to be surprised by people I meet in this role. Candidates make the role engaging, and over the years I have been privileged enough to turn some of them into lifelong friends.
So if you are sitting there, wondering what you can do with a mix of skills, a desire to be successful, and yes – you can earn a fair whack of money if you do the job well. It may be time to check out recruitment as a career. Our industry grew rapidly again last year, and as a sector we need new blood.
All you need is a desire to give superb service to everyone you encounter on the road to finding someone a new role. An ability to talk and sell, and build relationships. A sense of humour – I have never met a recruiter without one, and a work hard nature.
Success does not come without grafting for it.
Any questions let me know, if you want to know more about working where I work, click on the link and find out more.