Think that a career in recruitment might be the right path for you to follow?
If you’re prepared for a fast pace environment and consider yourself a people person, then why not?!
Recruitment isn’t usually an industry that people dream of getting into and rather ‘fall’ into by chance; however, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t a career that they don’t learn to love and thrive in. After all, it can be gratifying when you manage to place a candidate; not to mention there’s good money in it too!
So if you’d like to test your hand as a recruiter, here’s where you can start.
Qualifications
You don’t need a top degree to start a career in recruitment; what you do need is a ‘can do’ attitude and a good way with people. Could you talk the ears off a stranger? Love meeting new and getting to know new people? If so, this could be the perfect career path for you. Though formal qualifications are not essential to become a recruiter, you must possess the ability to meet deadlines and targets.
Attitude
Recruitment is very target based, so you must be a driven individual to achieve your best and reach your earning potential. A positive attitude will go far, and the level of effort and commitment you put in will determine how successful you are and how much you earn in the job. It is essential that a recruiter also comes across as friendly and approachable, and are willing to listen to their clients and candidates needs; as well as being confident talkers.
Long hours
When starting out in recruitment you should be prepared to work long hours, as it certainly won’t be a matter of new business and candidates for roles being dropped at your feet, so you’ll need to invest time into finding them! Once you have been doing it for a while and built a strong network of contacts, you may be able to cut down your hours, as you can rely more on referrals and your knowledge of the industry. Outside of the time set aside for researching and networking, you will also be required to go out and meet clients and candidates, as well as screening CVs and producing job descriptions; so don’t expect your workload to be light!
Gain an understanding of the job
Before attending any interviews for recruitment jobs, it is essential that you have an idea about the recruitment process and what would be required of you in the role. You must be able to demonstrate that you understand all of the responsibilities of sourcing and contacting candidates, to creating job descriptions and holding interviews.
Network
The key to quick and efficient recruitment is building a broad network of professionals within the industry you are hiring into. Not only will this cut down the time you spend sourcing candidates, but you can also call upon your contacts for referrals, speeding up the process and improving the quality of candidates significantly. Networking is also essential for finding new business and maintaining relationships with clients, so it’s a necessary skill for budding recruiters.
