Recruitment consultant

As a recruitment consultant you'll be responsible for matching candidates with temporary or permanent jobs, working closely with client companies who are seeking new recruits.

You'll build positive and mutually beneficial relationships in order to gain an understanding of your clients' needs.

You'll need to secure candidates by drafting job adverts for use in a range of media, as well as by networking, headhunting, and through referrals. Potential candidates will then be interviewed, tested, and have background checks run before matching with the client.

You'll also work on bringing in new clients to the agency to help with their staffing requirements.

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

Responsibilities

As a recruitment consultant you'll need to:

• use sales, business development, and marketing techniques - as well as networking skills - to attract business from client companies
• visit clients to develop positive relationships
• have a good understanding of client companies, their industry, what they do, their work culture and environment, and the type of employer they're after
• advertise vacancies by drafting and placing adverts, which may be printed or posted to online job boards
• use social media to advertise positions, attract candidates, and build relationships
• identify - or 'headhunt' - and approach suitable candidates who may already be in work
• use candidate databases to match the right person to the vacancy
• receive and review applications, manage interviews and tests, and create a shortlist of candidates for the client
• request references and check the suitability of applicants before submitting their details
• brief the candidate about the responsibilities, salary, and benefits of the job
• prepare CVs and correspondence to forward to clients regarding suitable applicants
• organise interviews as requested by the client, and inform candidates of the outcome
• negotiate salaries and finalise arrangements between clients and candidates
• offer advice to both clients and candidates on pay rates, training, and career progression
• work towards, and exceed, targets that may relate to the number of candidates placed, a value to be billed to clients, or business leads generated
• review policies to ensure effectiveness of selection techniques and recruitment programmes.

Salary

Income varies across sectors and locations but typically includes 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.

• Trainee recruitment consultants - with less than a year of experience - can expect to start on a basic annual salary of around £20,000, which may be enhanced by bouses or commission.
• More experienced consultants can earn between £30,000 and £33,000, with senior consultants earning up to £39,000, excluding bonuses or commission.
• Managers with over 15 years of experience can earn more than £40,000, excluding bonuses or commission. Once bonuses and commissions are included, the total average salary can increase further.

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

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 typically cover the core hours of 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but it's common to begin early in the morning or work evenings.

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

What to expect

• The role can be challenging due to sales targets, but also exciting as the profession is fast-paced and can be financially rewarding.
• Work is office-based, but time is also spent outside off-site, meeting with clients, interviewing candidates, and attending events, so a smart appearance is important.
• Opportunities exist throughout the UK, though more jobs are available in large cities.
• Overseas travel is less common unless you are working within travel-related industries or for a niche market. However, international work is possible with large companies that have branches outside the UK.

Qualifications

You can become a recruitment consultant with any degree, but subjects that are particularly useful include:

• business
• human resources
• marketing
• public relations.

While some recruitment agencies cover numerous sectors, others specialise in one particular industry or market. It can be helpful to have a degree related to that area if you want to secure a job with them. For example, specialist agencies exist within IT, healthcare, engineering, science and pharmaceuticals.

Entry with an HND or foundation degree is also possible. Recruitment consultant employers may value drive, experience, skills, and determination to succeed, rather than specific qualifications.

It can be possible to begin in a recruitment agency in an admin role and then work your way up.

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

Skills

You'll need to show:

• excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• sales and negotiation abilities
• a goal-orientated approach to work
• the ability to handle multiple priorities
• problem-solving capabilities
• the ability to meet deadlines and targets
• ambition and the determination to succeed
• 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

Employers want to make sure you have the necessary skills for the role, so they value relevant work experience. It’s possible to move into a recruitment consultancy role via a different industry, such as:

• sales work
• marketing and PR
• customer-oriented roles
• administrative roles.

You can get experience through part-time or contract work. There are also summer placements available in areas such as sales and marketing.

Active membership of student societies also shows you have the necessary communication skills to succeed in the fast-paced world of recruitment.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Recruitment agencies provide services to all business sectors, including IT, teaching, finance, engineering, logistics, science, and pharmaceuticals.

Employers range from national and international recruitment agencies to small, local firms. There are also specialist sector-specific agencies and those that recruit for numerous industries.

Large consultancies, such as Adecco, Randstad, and Michael Page have branches worldwide, covering a range of sectors.

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

Look for job vacancies at:

• People Management Jobs
• 4 Recruitment Jobs
• Michael Page

Some agencies specialise in hiring for recruitment positions - known as 'recruitment to recruitment' or R2R - such as Rec2Rec Search.

It may also be worth contacting agencies on a speculative basis. Many roles can also be found on general job sites.

Professional development

On-the-job training tends to be offered in the first few months. Larger firms typically offer inductions or skills training if you're new. Smaller firms may rely on mentoring from colleagues or shorter in-house training.

Short courses on specific aspects of the industry are available and may be offered by your employer or through external training providers. These may cover:

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

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

It's advisable to become a member of a relevant professional body, such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) or the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC). They can help support your professional development, as well as offer relevant training.

Professional qualifications are available that you can study while employed. For example, the REC offers the following:

• Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing
• Level 3 Certificate in Recruitment Practice
• Level 4 Diploma in Recruitment Management
• Level 5 Diploma in Recruitment Leadership.

Completing these can aid your career development and show you're working at a particular level.

The REC also offers training in areas such as recruitment law and compliance, as well as starting up your own recruitment agency.

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

Career prospects

As the role is target-driven, progression as a recruitment consultant largely depends on achieving - and exceeding - set targets and goals.

Career development is based on the size and structure of your employer, and, if working for a small company, you may need to change employer or location to progress. The ability to sustain a strong performance throughout your career is vital.

The next step up from consultant is usually to senior consultant or account manager. Progression to team leader or 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 consultants, or specialise in a specific area or industry. With significant experience and strong contacts, you might even be able to set up your own agency.

A career as a recruitment consultant can be used as a platform to build experience and contacts to move into other areas, such as human resources, training, or sales and management roles.