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Being a Recruitment Consultant encompasses a wide variety of responsibilities to ensure a smooth running recruitment process for employers and job seekers. A great Recruitment Consultant can turn these responsibilities into major company successes through knowledge, training and personal development.

Ever wondered what it takes to be a Recruitment Consultant? Take a look at our top tips below:

Do I need any qualifications?

You don't necessarily need a degree to become a Recruitment Consultant, however if you have a Certificate in Recruitment Practice or a CIPD qualification then you may stand out more than others. Both of these qualifications are important in recruitment as is proves that you have the knowledge and understanding of the industry and the role. 

However, if you don't have the above then you just need honesty, to be computer literate, excellent telephone manner, ability to multi-task and work in a busy and pressurised environment and to also be committed and have an eagerness to learn. 

What does the job entail?

• Sourcing candidates via job boards and using a CV search to find relevant candidates
• Matching candidates skills and experience to relevant jobs
• Conducting interviews, over the phone and face to face and putting candidates forward for jobs
• Formatting or writing CVs
• Business development - calling companies to acquire new business
• Meeting your clients
• Liaising with clients and organising interviews
• Negotiating with clients and candidates on job offers
• Negotiating with clients on terms of business and fees
• Providing feedback on CV's and interviews
• Informing candidates if they have been unsuccessful or successful
• Competing against other agencies
• Registering candidates up to the agency
• Giving candidates and clients advice

Recruitment Consultants salary:

This all depends on what type of industries you work in, the location of the agency and also how much the employer wants to pay. Trainee Recruitment Consultants start on a basic salary of £15,000 to £20,000. Recruitment Consultants' average salaries are around £22,000 to £28,000. Senior Consultants can earn between £28,000 to £35,000 excluding bonuses or commission.

Is there growth in this industry?

There is growth within the recruitment industry. If you have just started out then you can work your way up to a senior/management level or if you are experienced then you can work your way up to directors/operations level. If you show that you are hard-working and committed and also have the right training you can achieve this. 

Hard working

The recruitment industry has become more demanding, you are expected to stay late, go the extra mile and stay happy at the same time. You may be thinking “how do I manage my time?”, simple. In order to get what you want, you need to put in the hours. You need to be committed, devoted to working out of hours, focused and go the extra mile.

As much as the work is repetitive, no day is the same. You need to remember to stay enthusiastic, be happy and most of all smile while you dial! The most important thing is to remember how to prioritise and organise yourself, without doing this your day will become very disruptive. You will find yourself speaking to lots of people about many different things. Always make sure you live up to your expectations.

Once you have made your first placement then you are officially in the world of recruitment.

Communication skills

As a Recruitment Consultant you will spend most of your days on the phone, meeting people and emailing. This is a key part of the job as you need to keep in constant contact with clients and candidates. You will forever be sharing information, interviewing candidates, referring candidates, asking questions and most of all building good relationships.

Keeping in contact with clients and candidates is good practice, this makes you look professional and it also gives you a good reputation. This will also make clients and candidates remember you, this is what makes them come back to you. Always take an interest in both parties needs, this will help you search and look out for relevant jobs and candidates. The more you listen, the more you will learn.

Personality fit

Due to the nature of the job people believe that you need to be sales driven, competitive and target orientated. These are the main factors of the job but you do also need to be confident, sociable, open minded and willing to go the extra mile. Day to day you will be dealing with people from all backgrounds, you need to be a good judge of character, able to find desired candidates for clients and be able to identify people personally.

Having the right personality for this job is crucial. Recruitment isn’t for the faint hearted and it is a very demanding industry. You will have to deal with the longest and probably the most hardest months of your life but once you are over that hurdle you can accomplish anything. Always remember that you only get a bad reputation if you didn’t live up to what you promote!

Knowledge on the market

Having true knowledge is a massive part of a Consultants role. You need to choose a market, research the market and understand your clients and candidates desires. Consultants gain their recruitment knowledge by understanding what their clients and candidates want. Take the time to meet face to face and take an interest in what their desires are. You need to be able to understand the market you are working in and what it requires.

In recruitment you will learn something new every day, whether it’s a new job title or a new type of software, this will help your knowledge grow and soon you will know everything about the market you recruit for. This is when you become an ‘expert in your field’. By specialising yourself as a ‘Specialist Recruiter’ you will only attract clients and candidates from your preferred industry, this is what makes you stand out from others as you have all of the required knowledge on one specific industry.

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Contact our specialist Recruitment Consultants on 01353 880253 | 01223 628740 or email admin@busybeerecruitment.co.uk