6 reasons why recruitment is the perfect jumpstart for your career

Have you ever considered becoming a recruitment consultant? A great combination of sales, HR and finance, recruitment is the ideal platform to learn all about the business and corporate world, the labour market and all the different types of sectors and industries out there all the while developing some key skills which will be beneficial throughout your career.

Audrey Hannecart, hiring & talent manager at Walters People, outlines six reasons why recruitment is a fantastic career path to follow.

1. Develop a broad understanding of what drives businesses

The role of a recruitment consultant is to ensure the best mutual fit between organisations wishing to recruit staff and professionals seeking a career change. This is not simply a case of skills matching but one of truly understanding people and organisations. Before being able to find the right candidate for a client, you will need to thoroughly understand why they are hiring as well as what are their needs and expectations. You will need to develop a good understanding of their industry, their goals, their company culture and work environment. You will also need to stay up-to-date with changes in the market you’re recruiting in, becoming an expert on job market trends.

Audrey: "Recruitment allows you to gain a great insight into what companies do, how they work, what challenges they face and how they grow. It is the ideal career to build industry experience and contacts."

2. Become an expert in your domain

Recruitment is much more than just finding candidates who meet the requirements set in a job description. As a recruiter, your role is to become a consultant and ‘expert’ in hiring matters. You will sit with your client to define what they are looking for, but also advise them on the types of profiles they should be open to meeting and which salaries might better reflect the market today. Finding the right candidate for the job is a bit like a big puzzle. There are many things to take into consideration to match a candidate to a vacancy: skills, experience, personality, salary, career goals. You need to be able to read in between the lines and look at the big picture. Finding a candidate that fits just right with the client’s needs and the company’s work environment is for this reason very exhilarating.

"Working in recruitment is often given a bit of bad rep. Recruiters can be seen as simple LinkedIn researchers, chasing candidates which are already on the market, but it’s really not like that. As a recruiter, your job is to become a trusted specialist and provide a vital link between clients and candidates, offering advice on pay rates, trainings and career progression," says Audrey.

3. Manage your own work

Working as a Recruitment Consultant is like owning your own little business. Using sales, networking and marketing techniques, you will identify, develop and maintain your own client portfolio and target and approach suitable candidates. Once you have successfully matched a candidate to a position, you will be responsible for managing the whole recruitment process, from scheduling interviews to offering advice and negotiating salary and contract details. As long as results are produced, most recruiters also have a great deal of freedom to plan and organize their own agenda, and in some cases, remote work or part time options are also available. Your degree of independence will increase even further the higher results you are able to achieve.

"Having the freedom to make decisions and grow your own business makes for a rewarding career."

4. Make an impact

Few things in life have a bigger impact on a person than landing or missing out on a great job. The rewarding feeling of making the right placement, especially when you help someone secure the job they were really hoping to get, is one of the biggest highlights of the job.

Audrey: "Job satisfaction is high in this profession. Even if you can’t place everyone, you will still help by providing them valuable advice on how to better develop themselves, their skills and their interview techniques to help them one day secure their dream job."

Being able to solve you clients’ talent shortages or meet their needs in order for their organisation to be successful today and tomorrow is also highly rewarding. There is nothing better than being complimented for how well someone you have placed is progressing within a company.

5. Quickly progress in your career

Recruitment is fast paced and challenging. The hours can be long, and you are always competing against yourself, your colleagues and other recruiters. But the fast-paced nature of the business also allows you to evolve quickly.

Audrey: "How successful you become is ultimately up to you. If you achieve your targets and generate success, you can quickly be promoted to team leader or manager. Clear targets make progression easy to aim for and achieve."

As a recruiter, you will develop a wide range of key skills such as: communication, problem solving, negotiation, empathy and entrepreneurship. Developing these skills will benefit you throughout your life and career, no matter in which direction you decide to take it. This makes recruitment the ideal platform to fast-track your career.

6. Build a network for life

As a recruiter, you will have the opportunity to interact with hiring managers of all levels on a daily basis. You will get to meet some outstanding candidates and innovative game changers. Over time, you can even get to know your clients and candidates on a more personal level and develop strong professional bonds which will help you excel in your job.

"If you like to meet and interact with exciting and innovative people, recruitment is for you. Recruitment is about building ‘partnerships’. Establishing long-term relationships with clients and candidates is key to being a successful recruiter and one of the best parts of the job. May you one day decide to take your career in a different direction, this strong network will also open up many doors for you professionally."