What is Recruitment? Advice for newbies entering the world of Recruitment...

So, I have been dealing with several candidates recently who are looking to start their career in recruitment. It brought me back to when I was starting my search and the prep I received. In all honesty, I had no idea what I was getting myself in for but thank god I love it.

I wanted to give a bit of an overview of what your first year in recruitment/expectations would be for someone starting out, it’s hard to wrap your head around and let’s face it, the first year is always the hardest. I can almost guarantee that you will wonder if you have made the right move but whatever you do, don't give up!

The question we get is - What is recruitment? I wanted to write a blog explaining exactly what the role will entail as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant in your first year and what to expect - the good, the bad and the ugly!

What is the role of a Trainee Recruitment Consultant?

You will be taught how to become a 360 (full cycle) Recruitment Consultant. This will involve being taught how to build your own database of clients (businesses/companies) and candidates (job seekers) - the most exciting thing about this is it's like running your own business within a business. You will be building your knowledge within a specialist market sector (I will put below the different sectors we recruit into) and become a specialist within that industry.

What sectors can you recruit into?

The most confusing thing about starting your career in recruitment is, where do you start? What sectors do what? Am I going to be able to understand certain terminologies? The answer is yes! It takes perseverance but, the key is to know you are never going to be an expert entirely but to understand the basics of the roles you recruit for and be confident. Over time you will build your confidence up!

Sectors in Recruitment (this is what you will be recruiting for);

• IT
• Construction
• Civil Engineering
• Executive Search
• Animal Health
• Education
• Healthcare (NHS and Private)
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Finance & Accountancy
• Property
• Real Estate
• Life Sciences

What do agencies look for in candidates with NO recruitment experience?

• Motivation - are you motivated by money? Nice holidays? Lifestyle?
• Do you have a need or a want to work and make money? If so, why?
• A background either in Telesales (B2B OR B2C), any kind of sales, Estate Agency, Recent Graduates, Retail etc…
• Can you elaborate on why you want to work in recruitment? What drives you as an individual?
• Ambition - Do you want to manage a team? Do you want to earn big numbers?
• Confidence is KEY - Recruitment is all about building relationships and being knowledgeable on your market sector and to do all of this requires the ability to pick the phone up and speak to people, most of the time who are MD's or Managers of large businesses
• Able to demonstrate you are competitive – whether this is sales related or sports outside of work or just anything that can evidence you have a competitive streak
• Can you evidence working to targets in your previous role or just general life?
• Clients love candidates that put effort and thought into their search – a LinkedIn profile would be a great start with a blurb on why you want to get into recruitment! Detail is key!

Key responsibilities of a Recruitment Consultant/Trainee Recruitment Consultant;

• Research on new clients - You will spend 90% of your time on the phone, cold calling and introducing your specialisms to businesses
• Being pro-active in the first year - this means researching and understanding your client base. Working S.M.A.R.T and turning leads and cold clients into repeat business and active clients.
• Resourcing your own candidates for different job roles - This will be on the job boards, LinkedIn, through your own network (which you will build over time), vetting job seekers over the phone etc…
• Writing adverts to attract talent
• Recruitment isn't a 9-5 job. It takes determination, hard work and persistence. It takes time and trust. Over time it does get easier as you build your client and candidates base, and your reputation in the market.

Lastly, a little tip from me – let your personality shine through. I always used to worry when I first started that people won’t take me seriously unless I spoke a certain way or said certain things and the reality is, people, buy from people. 90% of my candidates and clients (I hope) know where they stand and trust I will do a good job for them. Make sure you call people when you say, have an honest approach, and people, no matter the level will really appreciate and respect you as a consultant in the industry.

If you are someone reading this and intrigued to understand who is hiring in your local area, Harrison Sands recruitment through the whole of the UK, call me on 07788363857 for chit chat ??