College Grads:11 Life Skills you will learn by working in Recruitment.

One of the main issues facing fresh College grads can be a lack of ‘real life skills’ learnt through work experience, which can be hard to undertake when studying. Arguably the best thing about a career in recruiting, other than the money and culture, is that you will learn important skills that you will use for the rest of your life.

Recruiting will teach you everything you need to know about handling an effective sales process; from prospecting and developing leads, to winning business, finding the right talent, nurturing the process and then closing the sale. Recruiting, especially at Phaidon International, offers entry level candidates a truly exceptional learning opportunity.

11 of the top skills you will learn at Phaidon International that will serve you for life include:

1. Adaptability: we’re growing, exponentially. Our culture is very different to the ‘typical’ corporate environment and to academic life where there can be a set direction. Recruiting is very dynamic. Markets change constantly and adaptability is crucial to being a success within entrepreneurial environments. You will quickly learn how to think off of the beaten track, a skill useful for every aspect of life.
2. Influencing skills: here you will work with a huge plethora of individuals. You will work with senior level decision makers at Fortune 500 companies and be tasked (with training) with the challenge of getting them to change their way of thinking. An impressive and valuable skill to have once mastered.
3. Negotiation: tied in with the above. Selling a product can be hard but recruiting is a different ballgame. Trying to find a common ground that both parties are happy with when both want what’s best for them can be a tricky and precarious line to walk. Recruiting will teach you how to identify features of services, opportunities and individuals that people will most value and how to use this in your favor.
4. Interpersonal & communication skills: you will work with people of all levels from all walks of life. The different personality types that you encounter will prepare you for any future role. Knowing how to communicate effectively and clearly is essential to both the business and wider world.
5. Time management: did you find it hard to juggle socializing and studying at College? Imagine trying to manage multiple sales processes, across different time zones while working with clients and candidates that all think their need is most urgent. This is a whole different ball game. You will be trained to effectively manage your time, ensuring ensure all deals are closed and monthly targets hit.
6. Networking: the old age phrase ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ (and maximizing those connections) certainly rings true! Networking is both a low cost way of generating new business while creating connections that could be useful for years to come.
7. Persistence / resilience: especially during rejection, arguably the most important skill. It can take 7+ follow ups to secure a sale which means that it's important to remain focused and be ready to start again when things don't go your way. Hard graft in the real world is something that you cannot learn in the classroom. 
8. Patience: Recruitment will offer a rollercoaster of highs and lows and results won't always be instant. It's also a role where urgent processes can rely on other people, who themselves might be busy. You will learn how to manage both your own and other's expectations while remaining as efficient as possible.
9. Looking after others: people buy into people and this wins repeat business. Recruiting is a way to make a lot of money, but it’s also a service and it’s important to create value in the right way. Recruiting is not just about the quick win, creating genuine long-term relationships is crucial to business success.
10. Dealing with stress & pressure: studying for multiple exams is a good prelude to coping with a career in sales, undoubtedly at times one of the most stressful careers out there. Managing multiple processes while having to wait on other people to ensure you hit weekly and monthly goals is stressful. Learning how to cope with stress effectively is skill that will make the rest of your life a lot easier. This isn’t something that can be taught, this is something that you have to overcome yourself through real life experience.
11. How to play! Recruiting, at Phaidon International, embodies the phrase ‘work hard / play hard.’ Primarily, we’re here to work hard but we have a lot of fun along the way. 5* holidays, Michelin starred lunch
    clubs, sports days, pub afternoons, Rolex watches, designer handbags etc all paid for by the company. You get paid to do your job and then you get copious extra incentives – what’s not to love?

If this post has ignited some interest and you'd like to find out more please send your resume to [email protected] 

The best thing about a career in recruiting is that you don't need previous recruiting experience to do well. If you are motivated by success, like working with people and see yourself an entrepreneurial it could be the perfect role for you!