The Definitive Guide: How To Become A Recruitment Consultant

What is a Recruitment Consultant?

• Job Description

  A job as a recruitment consultant is very much like having a Sales role. You will need to be able to sell a job to a candidate as well as sell a candidate to an employer. You can earn a lot of commission in this industry, so hard work really does pay off and you will be expected to hit targets. It can be stressful at times, but extremely satisfying when you match a person to the perfect role (and when you check your bank balance).
  
  Recruitment is needed in all business sectors, so you could end up working in something you are really interested in – for example, engineering, IT, finance or education.
  
  You’ll be working in a high-pressured environment so you’ll need to be energetic, confident, target driven and outgoing to reach success in this career.

• Hours of Work

  You’ll be working office hours, usually between 8-6 depending on the company that you work for. You are likely to be working around 35-40 hours per week.
  
  Because you will be working towards targets and earning commission, you may need to work extra hours such as evenings, early mornings and weekends when you are trying to hit targets – although the standard hours are office hours, you shouldn’t be reluctant to work long hours when it’s needed.
  
  It is normal in this career to have to stay late to contact people that you could not get hold of during the day.

• Main Responsibilities

  So, what will your main responsibilities be as a Recruitment Consultant?
  
  Duties typically include:

  • Posting job ads
  • Contacting companies and clients via phone, telephone and face to face
  • Giving feedback on CV’s and preparing clients for interviews
  • Coaching candidates on how to improve applications and interview techniques
  • Advertising vacancies
  • Headhunting – finding suitable candidates
  • Creating and maintaining databases
  • Registering candidates
  • Organising interviews
  • Conducting interviews
  • Requesting references

Key Recruitment Consultant qualifications

Do you have the qualifications to get the job?

You can get into this career straight out of university with a degree from any discipline. It may be preferred to have knowledge in the sector that the recruitment company operates in – for example engineering. A postgraduate degree isn’t usually necessary but if you have one then it will only increase your chances of landing yourself a job.

It is also possible to get into this career with a foundation degree or a HND. If you have the right skills and personality, you might not need to have a degree. Some employers prefer experience to qualifications and if you can show off your sales skills, drive and perseverance in the interview stages then you will have a good chance of getting the job. It all depends on the employers and what they are looking for.

How to become a Recruitment Consultant?

Now that you know what a Recruitment Consultant does, how do you become one?

You can either start as a trainee recruitment consultant, or if you have recently graduated, you can take part in a grad scheme. In both instances, you will be trained up and taught everything you need to know to have a successful career in recruitment – the rest is up to you.

If you want some experience under your belt before applying, you could do an internship. It is beneficial to have some experience on your CV, although you will receive training on the job. Work experience in sales or customer service is also useful to get into the recruitment industry.

How to develop your Recruitment Consultant career?

A promotion will depend on how much money you are bringing in.

If you are meeting all of your targets and going above and beyond to put the hours in, you will impress the management and you are more likely to be promoted. The next step up the ladder is to become a senior recruitment consultant and then once you’ve put the work in and proved yourself, who knows, you could progress to recruitment manager.

Career Opportunities

• You can find some of the best Recruitment Consultant roles with brands such as The Ned, Escape Hunt, Carnival UK and many more.

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