A Career in Recruitment – it’s Not for Everyone
Recruitment is like marmite, you either love it or hate it.
It’s an attractive career to get into for graduates, possibly one of the best paying roles a grad can get nowadays. With the benefit of commission, many people go for it without fully realising what being a recruiter is.
We’re going to be honest with you, it really isn’t for everyone. And it most definitely isn’t all rainbows and unicorns; yes, we love it, yes, we wouldn’t do anything else, but we also don’t want to sell an unrealistic dream.
The hours are a lot longer than the average 9-5 job. Due to candidates often not being available during those hours, you’ll only get the chance to call them either before or after. This also means meeting them can be difficult, meaning you may have to meet them at lunch time or after work. Whilst these longer hours may seem daunting at first, you’ll get used to it.
Another aspect to consider when looking to go into recruiting is you have to deal with people, all day, every day. Talking to difficult candidates and clients that are demanding and stubborn can take its toll on even the calmest of people.
Most recruiters also have to deal with the many negative connotations that surround them. It’s not often that you will hear something good said about the industry, and relatively recently – more and more recruiter bashing blogs are turning up. Business Development is obviously a large part of the job, so you will have to get used to having the phone put down on you, along with having to bite your tongue whenever something negative is said – especially online.
One point Tony wanted to mention, is that you may find it quite difficult to meet other people. His exact words were, “telling a girl you’re a recruiter is like telling her you’re the taxman”…
However, it’s not all doom and gloom! There are many positives to being a recruiter, the biggest is obviously helping place people find their dream role. Being part of someone’s career progression is massively rewarding; and you build relationships with some of the biggest influencers no matter what industry you recruit for. And if you’ve done really well, sometimes candidates and clients even send cards and little presents – everyone’s a winner!
If you ever have any questions about the world of recruitment, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. Both Dave and Tony have worked in the industry for years, and can tell instantly whether it’s for someone or not, so just give us a call or drop then an email on either [email protected] or [email protected]
