Recruitment consultant job profile

Recruitment consultants need great people skills and the drive to chase high on-target earnings (OTE) and performance related bonuses

They are responsible for attracting candidates for jobs and matching them to temporary or permanent positions with client companies. You'll build positive relationships in order to gain a better understanding of your clients' recruitment needs and requirements.

Working as a recruitment consultant, you'll attract candidates by drafting advertising copy for use in a range of media, as well as by networking, headhunting and through referrals. You'll screen candidates, interview them, run background checks and finally match them to clients.

You also provide advice to both clients and candidates on salary levels, training requirements and career opportunities.

Responsibilities

As a recruitment consultant, you're the vital link between clients and candidates. The role is demanding and diverse. It involves:

using sales, business development, marketing techniques and networking to attract business from client companies
visiting clients to build and develop positive relationships
developing a good understanding of client companies, their industry, what they do, their work culture and environment
advertising vacancies by drafting and placing adverts
using social media to advertise positions, attract candidates and build relationships
headhunting - identifying and approaching suitable candidates who may already be in work
using candidate databases to match the right person to the client's vacancy
receiving and reviewing applications, managing interviews and tests and creating a shortlist of candidates for the client
requesting references and checking the suitability of applicants before submitting their details to the client
briefing the candidate about the responsibilities, salary and benefits of the job
preparing CVs and correspondence to forward to clients regarding suitable applicants
organising interviews for candidates as requested by the client
informing candidates about the results of interviews
negotiating pay and salary rates and finalising arrangements between clients and candidates
offering advice to both clients and candidates on pay rates, training and career progression
working towards and exceeding targets that may relate to the number of candidates placed, a value to be billed to clients or business leads generated
reviewing recruitment policies to ensure effectiveness of selection techniques and recruitment programmes.

Salary

Salaries vary across sectors and locations, but typically include a basic salary plus a performance-related bonus or commission. This can either be an individual, team or branch bonus. Basic salaries are highest in London.

Some vacancies advertise high OTE (on-target earning) salaries even for trainees. Promise of an initial high salary depends on your sales performance.

Trainee recruitment consultants start on a basic annual salary of £15,000 to £20,000.
Recruitment consultants' average salaries are around £22,000 to £28,000, with senior consultants earning in the region of £28,000 to £35,000, excluding bonuses or commission.
Managers with 10 to 15 years' experience can earn more than £40,000 (excluding bonuses or commission).
Once bonuses and commission are included, the total average salary can increase to £38,000 for consultants and £60,000+ for managers.

Other benefits include training, a company car, mobile phones, laptops, pension schemes, social functions and end-of-year rewards for the top billing consultant or department.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Your working day will cover the core hours of 9am to 5pm but working longer hours is common and may include early starts and evenings.

Self-employment or freelance work is possible, but only for consultants who have expert knowledge of a specialist sector. Career breaks are possible in certain circumstances but are uncommon due to the dynamic nature of the sector.

What to expect

The role can be challenging, but also exciting as the profession is fast-paced, target driven and demanding.
Work is office based but time is also spent outside the office, meeting with clients and interviewing candidates, therefore a smart personal appearance is important.
Opportunities exist throughout the UK, although more jobs are available in London.
Travel within the working day may be required to meet with clients.
Overseas travel is less common unless you are working within travel-related industries or for a niche market. Overseas work is possible, however, with large companies that have overseas branches.

Qualifications

Recruitment consultant roles are open to graduates regardless of degree subject. Rather than specific qualifications, employers value drive, experience, skills and abilities, as well as the determination to succeed. Applying to an agency that specialises in a market or industry related to your degree subject, for example IT or engineering, may increase your chances.

Entry with an HND or foundation degree is possible. Entry without a degree is possible for those with relevant experience, skills and abilities.

Postgraduate study is not essential and you will probably find that relevant experience and skills are more useful.

Skills

You'll need to show evidence of the following:

excellent interpersonal and communication skills
sales and negotiation skills
a goal-orientated approach to work
the ability to handle multiple priorities
problem-solving ability
the ability to meet deadlines and targets
ambition and the determination to succeed
tenacity
confidence and self-motivation
time management and organisational skills
teamworking skills
creativity.

You must also enjoy working in a high-pressure environment and the responsibility that comes with it.

Work experience

Experience in sales, marketing or any customer-oriented role is useful for starting a career in the recruitment industry. Active membership of student societies also shows that you have the necessary communication skills to succeed.

Recruitment consultancies often accept applications from those without recruitment industry experience, if they demonstrate the right combination of skills and personal qualities.

Employers

Almost 150,000 people work in recruitment consultancy. The industry provides services to all business sectors, including IT, teaching, finance, engineering and logistics.

Employers range from national and international recruitment agencies to small local firms, and from specialist sector-specific agencies to those that recruit for many sectors.

Large consultancies, such as Adecco, Randstad and Michael Page have branches worldwide and cover a range of sectors including marketing, accounting and secretarial and IT.

Medium-sized consultancies usually have branches nationwide, while small consultancies often have just one office providing a broad-based service to a variety of local employers.

Look for job vacancies at:

Some agencies specialise in recruiting for recruitment positions (known as recruitment to recruitment or R2R).

It may also be worth contacting agencies on a speculative basis.

Professional development

On-the-job training is offered to trainee consultants in their first few months. Larger firms offer induction or skills training for new staff members entering as trainee recruitment consultants.

Short courses on specific aspects of the industry, run in-house or by external training providers, may cover:

business planning
designing an assessment centre
employment law
headhunting
interviewing skills
negotiation and sales techniques
psychometric assessment
running a payroll.

Some large recruitment consultancies provide career development programmes for graduates wanting to progress quickly.

Commercial training providers offer short courses specific to the skills required in the industry. Personal development training for members is also run by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

Professional qualifications are available through CIPD and REC. Courses are undertaken while working in the recruitment industry, rather than as a requirement to entry.

For example, REC offers the Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing, the Level 3 Certificate in Recruitment Practice, the Level 4 Diploma in Recruitment Management and the Level 5 Diploma in Recruitment Leadership.

Membership of a professional body is useful for networking and for access to a range of industry news and resources.

Career prospects

Recruitment consultants start work in the industry as trainees, working in a branch within a small team.

As the role is target driven, progression largely depends on achieving and exceeding set targets. Career development depends on the size and structure of the employing agency and, if working for a small company, you may need to change employer or location to progress. The ability to sustain a strong performance is vital.

Progression from consultant is usually to senior consultant or account manager. Progression to team leader or to managerial positions, such as branch manager, requires additional people management and financial skills. For large organisations with many branches, it may be possible to move into area and regional management.

It's also possible to develop your own market, become involved in training new recruits or specialise in a specific area, such as executives, or a specific industry.

Membership of the REC or the CIPD may be useful for career development and networking opportunities.

The role of a recruitment consultant can be used as a platform to build experience and contacts to move in to other areas like human resources (HR), training and other sales and management roles.

Recruitment consultant