Working in sales myself Ive often thought recruitment consultants have an even more pressurised job than I do. They certainly seem to work very long hours for the money.
They tend to be a bot ruthless also.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
My experience
used to work at a recruitment consultancy - I wasn't a consultant, I did their marketing but I do have a pretty good idea of what goes on and I know people who have been consultants in various companies.
First of, the title Recruitment Consultant is a rather grand title for what is essential a sales job. You are selling your company's service to potential clients and then selling the idea of the job to candidates. It is likely to involve cold-calling so you must be confident and thick-skinned.
Previous experience in recruitment isn't at all necessary with most companies. Previous sales experience would normally be beneficial or another indication that you have the right sort of personality to succeed like jobs that involved working with people. Alternatively, you could find an agency that specialised in jobs in an area that you have worked, which might give you a way in. One of my friends went to see an agency to register with them to find a job and they offered him a job in their company as a Consultant - he didn't have any relevant experience but is confident and likeable, which is probably more important than anything else.
It can be very rewarding finanically, but it can be a very stressful job. Starting out, you would most likely be on a fairly low basic salary with the majority of your income being commission, which is only if you are successful. Many recruitment companies also tend to have a high turnover of staff - people are easily got rid of if they don't meet their targets.
And in times of recession, recruitment companies are hit badly so now may not be the right time to get into it.
First of, the title Recruitment Consultant is a rather grand title for what is essential a sales job. You are selling your company's service to potential clients and then selling the idea of the job to candidates. It is likely to involve cold-calling so you must be confident and thick-skinned.
Previous experience in recruitment isn't at all necessary with most companies. Previous sales experience would normally be beneficial or another indication that you have the right sort of personality to succeed like jobs that involved working with people. Alternatively, you could find an agency that specialised in jobs in an area that you have worked, which might give you a way in. One of my friends went to see an agency to register with them to find a job and they offered him a job in their company as a Consultant - he didn't have any relevant experience but is confident and likeable, which is probably more important than anything else.
It can be very rewarding finanically, but it can be a very stressful job. Starting out, you would most likely be on a fairly low basic salary with the majority of your income being commission, which is only if you are successful. Many recruitment companies also tend to have a high turnover of staff - people are easily got rid of if they don't meet their targets.
And in times of recession, recruitment companies are hit badly so now may not be the right time to get into it.
Not my thing
I have yet to meet an ethical, nice, genuine recruitment consultant.
After 10 years in sales an old colleague of mine, fabulous sales person she was, went in to recruitment and seemed to love it. With her great rewards, bonus etc I decided to terminate my employment with a well known logistics company and give it a go.
Well, I have never known such a bunch of back stabbers.
I hated every moment and returned to the teamwork I had known for so long.
You need to be thick skinned for this type of industry and watch your back !!!
After 10 years in sales an old colleague of mine, fabulous sales person she was, went in to recruitment and seemed to love it. With her great rewards, bonus etc I decided to terminate my employment with a well known logistics company and give it a go.
Well, I have never known such a bunch of back stabbers.
I hated every moment and returned to the teamwork I had known for so long.
You need to be thick skinned for this type of industry and watch your back !!!
Recruitment Consultant role
A recruitment consultant is the intermediary between companies seeking to recruit professional staff (The Client) and professional staff (The Candidate) seeking a career move or contract assignment. However, this process has endless variations and complications depending on such factors as the skills and experience required, the environment and career development offered and just as importantly, the personality fit. It is the executive recruitment consultant's job to facilitate this exercise for both the employer and the job seeker and to satisfy both.
A fundamental part of this process is to obtain information by talking to, and meeting with, people:
You talk to and meet potential and existing clients to find out about their business, their culture, their current and future recruitment needs, and to develop a loyal and powerful relationship with them - so that when it comes time to recruit a professional, they choose to use Michael Page. Since some clients are not aware of, or are even skeptical about the benefits of using Michael Page International, you also have to "sell" to them those benefits.
You talk to and meet job seekers to assess their skills and experiences, their career goals, and their suitability for different positions. The more information and therefore the more knowledge you have, the more opportunities you can create in bringing your clients and candidates together in a successful match or placement. And while Michael Page International has a fine name in the marketplace (don't take our word for granted - ask around) and provides considerable internal support, YOU will largely make it happen for yourself by being proactive, persistent and professional.
It is also a common view that we are in the "human resources" business, but this is inaccurate. While "professional recruitment and selection" is a vitally important component of our clients' human resources function, for us recruitment is a "sales" business
A fundamental part of this process is to obtain information by talking to, and meeting with, people:
You talk to and meet potential and existing clients to find out about their business, their culture, their current and future recruitment needs, and to develop a loyal and powerful relationship with them - so that when it comes time to recruit a professional, they choose to use Michael Page. Since some clients are not aware of, or are even skeptical about the benefits of using Michael Page International, you also have to "sell" to them those benefits.
You talk to and meet job seekers to assess their skills and experiences, their career goals, and their suitability for different positions. The more information and therefore the more knowledge you have, the more opportunities you can create in bringing your clients and candidates together in a successful match or placement. And while Michael Page International has a fine name in the marketplace (don't take our word for granted - ask around) and provides considerable internal support, YOU will largely make it happen for yourself by being proactive, persistent and professional.
It is also a common view that we are in the "human resources" business, but this is inaccurate. While "professional recruitment and selection" is a vitally important component of our clients' human resources function, for us recruitment is a "sales" business
Recruitment Consultant Role
What is the work like?
As a recruitment consultant, you would help employers to find suitable staff, and help people to find suitable jobs.
Your work may involve:
taking vacancy details from employers
‘cold calling’ companies to generate new business
interviewing and testing job seekers to build a pool of people ready to fill vacancies
matching candidates to suitable jobs
screening and shortlisting candidates before employers interview them
building good relationships with employers so that they keep using your agency
keeping in touch with job seekers on your agency’s books
meeting targets for the number of vacancies taken or the number of people placed into jobs
keeping records of clients, employers and vacancies
negotiating your agency’s fees
‘headhunting' – finding and approaching candidates for executive or specialist jobs.
You could work for various kinds of employment agency, dealing with permanent or temporary work at all levels for many industry sectors.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
Employers will ask for a good standard of education, but your skills and attitude are often more important than your academic qualifications.
Good sales skills and an excellent telephone manner are important, so you will find it useful to have experience in customer service, sales or marketing.
You may need relevant experience and qualifications to work in an agency that specialises in a particular industry such as IT, engineering or nursing. Agencies that deal with high-level executive jobs may also prefer you to be a graduate, although this is not always essential.
What further training and development can I do?
Once you are working for an agency, you will mainly develop your skills on the job. Some large agencies run their own structured in-house training programmes for new entrants.
Your training may include working towards the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Level 3 Certificate in Recruitment and Selection, or the following qualifications from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC):
Certificate in Recruitment Practice – aimed at people new to the recruitment industry
Diploma in Recruitment Practice – usually for recruitment consultants with at least a year’s experience
Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) degree in Recruitment Practice.
You can study for all of these qualifications by distance learning. The REC Certificate in Recruitment Practice is also available by short fast-track courses at study centres around the UK.
The Recruitment and Employment Federation and CIPD both offer a range of short courses to help you with your professional development throughout your career. See websites for more details about each organisation’s qualifications and training
As a recruitment consultant, you would help employers to find suitable staff, and help people to find suitable jobs.
Your work may involve:
taking vacancy details from employers
‘cold calling’ companies to generate new business
interviewing and testing job seekers to build a pool of people ready to fill vacancies
matching candidates to suitable jobs
screening and shortlisting candidates before employers interview them
building good relationships with employers so that they keep using your agency
keeping in touch with job seekers on your agency’s books
meeting targets for the number of vacancies taken or the number of people placed into jobs
keeping records of clients, employers and vacancies
negotiating your agency’s fees
‘headhunting' – finding and approaching candidates for executive or specialist jobs.
You could work for various kinds of employment agency, dealing with permanent or temporary work at all levels for many industry sectors.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
Employers will ask for a good standard of education, but your skills and attitude are often more important than your academic qualifications.
Good sales skills and an excellent telephone manner are important, so you will find it useful to have experience in customer service, sales or marketing.
You may need relevant experience and qualifications to work in an agency that specialises in a particular industry such as IT, engineering or nursing. Agencies that deal with high-level executive jobs may also prefer you to be a graduate, although this is not always essential.
What further training and development can I do?
Once you are working for an agency, you will mainly develop your skills on the job. Some large agencies run their own structured in-house training programmes for new entrants.
Your training may include working towards the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Level 3 Certificate in Recruitment and Selection, or the following qualifications from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC):
Certificate in Recruitment Practice – aimed at people new to the recruitment industry
Diploma in Recruitment Practice – usually for recruitment consultants with at least a year’s experience
Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) degree in Recruitment Practice.
You can study for all of these qualifications by distance learning. The REC Certificate in Recruitment Practice is also available by short fast-track courses at study centres around the UK.
The Recruitment and Employment Federation and CIPD both offer a range of short courses to help you with your professional development throughout your career. See websites for more details about each organisation’s qualifications and training
Being a good recruiter
In order for someone to be good as a recruitment consultant they require a blend of several types of skills, without these the role can be very demoralising and unsuccessful.
It is not hard to land yourself a role in recruitment, after all recruitment is a sales role and therefore does not necessarily require a strong academic background. But for many being a good recruitment consultant is incredibly difficult - so I will try to explain why it is so difficult and how you can position yourself to be the best possible success you can be. Remember as with any other sales positions the 80/20 role generally applies. So 80% commission will be earned by 20% of the sales team, if you want to be part of that 20% then read on and hopefully you can fine tune your recruitment skills.
This is more prevalent in agency side recruitment as there is a whole other breed of recruiters whom work internally and on-site for clients/Recruitment Process Outsourcing companies. The same attributes will still be relevant for both types of consultant but it is a slightly different role meaning a slight difference in approach and behaviour. I will go through some areas of differentiation though and tips for both types of consultant.
Firstly, let's explain why the role can be difficult. Recruitment consulting can be very boring, mundane and repetitive on a day-to-day basis, I'm not really selling this to you am I!
The type of character required to be successful as a consultant must be prepared for this and deal with that aspect of the role. On the flip side it can come with much reward; you actually deal with people everyday giving you a great insight into human nature. You can earn high commission, probably earn salaries not nearly possible in other positions at a very young age; making a deal gives you a good buzz and sense of fulfilment when a candidate is truly grateful for (helpful to) your assistance in finding a new role. Therefore if you are considering going into a career in recruitment take note of the above. Really have a look at yourself and ask yourself if it is really what you want to do, then assess whether you have the right background to succeed. I'm not saying if you don't have every attribute naturally you can't succeed but then if you are willing to work hard and learn new skills you will be successful. The basic background behaviourally to be a good consultant is determination, the ability to listen, resilience, honesty, pro-activity, monetary drive (not with everyone but it will help) and competitiveness.
The two that are most important here are determination and the ability to listen, without these two you will find life very difficult.
So you think you have the behavioural attributes and you are keen to start a career in recruitment, now let's assess the skills you can develop on the job and tips to be successful. If you are working as an agency side recruiter you will be exposed to much more of a sales position and with a sales position comes hard targets/high expectations to deliver. You will be expected to develop business from scratch (most of the time) and start making money for your employer as soon as possible.
Right, before you start your role do as much research as to your market, companies in the market and the skills profile to the type of person you will be recruiting on a day-to-day basis. The more you do at this point the faster you will hit the ground running. On starting, make sure you develop a disciplined day plan designed every morning/evening, break up the day into segments and make sure you stick to this. It is very easy to get sidetracked, but keeping focus is very important to being a success, the more focus you have the more identity you have for what you want to achieve which will mean better results. Be open and honest with everyone you deal with and treat people with respect, if you really do stay in recruitment for years you will be surprised how many times you will come across the same people, so remember what goes around comes around.
When developing new business, try to do something different and stand out from the crowd. I would say this is one of the ways you can really put yourself in that 20% of high achievers, don't just pick up the phone and mindlessly cold call. Do your research; read industry press, websites regarding fast growth companies, attend networking events in your sector, market your services via email in a way recipients will open their mail - use headings such as "as discussed" etc. You see you have to be slightly clever about doing things, if you employ a variety of tactics and work hard I guarantee you will see a healthy reward. The reasons for failure are on your shoulders ultimately, if things aren't happening for you then CHANGE your tactics.
I have really focused on the agency side consultant, so let's look at how to be a good on-site recruiter. You will be less sales focused from a new business perspective but still will feel the pressure of targets. To be good in this market you must be much more consultative and client facing (you may sit with a client), with the ability to multi-task successfully as often you will have a wide range of open requirements. You will be dealing with recruiters yourself so the ability to communicate effectively to them and handle other stakeholders in the process is important. On-site recruiters need to balance the use of external agencies and resourcing by their own methods successfully, as they are judged not only on filling roles but cutting costs - not making as much money as possible like an agency consultant. You should be communicative, open for trying new resourcing methods and pro-active in your approach.
Hopefully this provides an overview of what makes a good recruitment consultant and the little tips that could help you be more successful. Remember like any job it is not easy being successful, but if you have the drive and ambition to succeed then you can make anything happen.
It is not hard to land yourself a role in recruitment, after all recruitment is a sales role and therefore does not necessarily require a strong academic background. But for many being a good recruitment consultant is incredibly difficult - so I will try to explain why it is so difficult and how you can position yourself to be the best possible success you can be. Remember as with any other sales positions the 80/20 role generally applies. So 80% commission will be earned by 20% of the sales team, if you want to be part of that 20% then read on and hopefully you can fine tune your recruitment skills.
This is more prevalent in agency side recruitment as there is a whole other breed of recruiters whom work internally and on-site for clients/Recruitment Process Outsourcing companies. The same attributes will still be relevant for both types of consultant but it is a slightly different role meaning a slight difference in approach and behaviour. I will go through some areas of differentiation though and tips for both types of consultant.
Firstly, let's explain why the role can be difficult. Recruitment consulting can be very boring, mundane and repetitive on a day-to-day basis, I'm not really selling this to you am I!
The type of character required to be successful as a consultant must be prepared for this and deal with that aspect of the role. On the flip side it can come with much reward; you actually deal with people everyday giving you a great insight into human nature. You can earn high commission, probably earn salaries not nearly possible in other positions at a very young age; making a deal gives you a good buzz and sense of fulfilment when a candidate is truly grateful for (helpful to) your assistance in finding a new role. Therefore if you are considering going into a career in recruitment take note of the above. Really have a look at yourself and ask yourself if it is really what you want to do, then assess whether you have the right background to succeed. I'm not saying if you don't have every attribute naturally you can't succeed but then if you are willing to work hard and learn new skills you will be successful. The basic background behaviourally to be a good consultant is determination, the ability to listen, resilience, honesty, pro-activity, monetary drive (not with everyone but it will help) and competitiveness.
The two that are most important here are determination and the ability to listen, without these two you will find life very difficult.
So you think you have the behavioural attributes and you are keen to start a career in recruitment, now let's assess the skills you can develop on the job and tips to be successful. If you are working as an agency side recruiter you will be exposed to much more of a sales position and with a sales position comes hard targets/high expectations to deliver. You will be expected to develop business from scratch (most of the time) and start making money for your employer as soon as possible.
Right, before you start your role do as much research as to your market, companies in the market and the skills profile to the type of person you will be recruiting on a day-to-day basis. The more you do at this point the faster you will hit the ground running. On starting, make sure you develop a disciplined day plan designed every morning/evening, break up the day into segments and make sure you stick to this. It is very easy to get sidetracked, but keeping focus is very important to being a success, the more focus you have the more identity you have for what you want to achieve which will mean better results. Be open and honest with everyone you deal with and treat people with respect, if you really do stay in recruitment for years you will be surprised how many times you will come across the same people, so remember what goes around comes around.
When developing new business, try to do something different and stand out from the crowd. I would say this is one of the ways you can really put yourself in that 20% of high achievers, don't just pick up the phone and mindlessly cold call. Do your research; read industry press, websites regarding fast growth companies, attend networking events in your sector, market your services via email in a way recipients will open their mail - use headings such as "as discussed" etc. You see you have to be slightly clever about doing things, if you employ a variety of tactics and work hard I guarantee you will see a healthy reward. The reasons for failure are on your shoulders ultimately, if things aren't happening for you then CHANGE your tactics.
I have really focused on the agency side consultant, so let's look at how to be a good on-site recruiter. You will be less sales focused from a new business perspective but still will feel the pressure of targets. To be good in this market you must be much more consultative and client facing (you may sit with a client), with the ability to multi-task successfully as often you will have a wide range of open requirements. You will be dealing with recruiters yourself so the ability to communicate effectively to them and handle other stakeholders in the process is important. On-site recruiters need to balance the use of external agencies and resourcing by their own methods successfully, as they are judged not only on filling roles but cutting costs - not making as much money as possible like an agency consultant. You should be communicative, open for trying new resourcing methods and pro-active in your approach.
Hopefully this provides an overview of what makes a good recruitment consultant and the little tips that could help you be more successful. Remember like any job it is not easy being successful, but if you have the drive and ambition to succeed then you can make anything happen.
Is recruitment for you
Becoming a Recruitment Consultant By Rich Wooten
They are many entry routes to recruitment.
Some of them are very unusual. In fact there are no standard routes. Take my route for instance, I graduated in electronics after a few years of floating about in jobs I decided to go contracting.
As I felt I couldn’t commit to a company on a permanent basis. After, a few extensions to the contract, I spoke with the agency looking after me to say that I’d be interested in technical sales and whether they covered that. They were interested in my technical background and asked if I be interested in becoming a recruitment consultant.
The rest, as they say, is history.
So what qualities do you need?
Well there are no formal qualifications, no natural progression into the trade, there is no training that can prepare you. The only things you need is to be able to think quickly on your feet, to be able to sell, have a nose for gossip, an ability to talk to people and get them to open up, a desire to win and to be able to take many, many knock backs.
Why would you want to be a recruitment consultant?
There is only one reason…… Money. There is no other business (other than Politics) where someone with no qualifications can make a lot of money. There are very few people who get into this business with honourable intent of wanting to help people.
So what’s it like?
It a very tough job, in fact one that you are never able to switch off, for example I am always listening to people to hear what they do for a living and if it’s relevant to me either them as a candidate or who they work for.
In the first two years you can expect low pay, and bad conditions. For example in the first year you can expect to work 10 or 12 hours days. After a few years in the business you are able to relax but you can never take your foot off the pedal as there is always some young buck ready to take your place.
The are a lot of highs and a lot of lows. But the highs are very high and the lows, very low. For example the day your client calls you to say that they are cutting heads in the business and the first to go are your 10 contractors.
So what’s the first step?
In IT recruitment the first entry point is as a resourcer.
A resourcer spends his/her time calling candidates try to fill jobs and you’ll be there long after the consultants have gone home or swanning off early to play golf with a client.
Then you’ll move up to Consultant where you’d start to bring in Clients. That’s when life gets really tough. One thing to bare in mind is that 60% of all people that enter recruitment leave within the first year.
They are many entry routes to recruitment.
Some of them are very unusual. In fact there are no standard routes. Take my route for instance, I graduated in electronics after a few years of floating about in jobs I decided to go contracting.
As I felt I couldn’t commit to a company on a permanent basis. After, a few extensions to the contract, I spoke with the agency looking after me to say that I’d be interested in technical sales and whether they covered that. They were interested in my technical background and asked if I be interested in becoming a recruitment consultant.
The rest, as they say, is history.
So what qualities do you need?
Well there are no formal qualifications, no natural progression into the trade, there is no training that can prepare you. The only things you need is to be able to think quickly on your feet, to be able to sell, have a nose for gossip, an ability to talk to people and get them to open up, a desire to win and to be able to take many, many knock backs.
Why would you want to be a recruitment consultant?
There is only one reason…… Money. There is no other business (other than Politics) where someone with no qualifications can make a lot of money. There are very few people who get into this business with honourable intent of wanting to help people.
So what’s it like?
It a very tough job, in fact one that you are never able to switch off, for example I am always listening to people to hear what they do for a living and if it’s relevant to me either them as a candidate or who they work for.
In the first two years you can expect low pay, and bad conditions. For example in the first year you can expect to work 10 or 12 hours days. After a few years in the business you are able to relax but you can never take your foot off the pedal as there is always some young buck ready to take your place.
The are a lot of highs and a lot of lows. But the highs are very high and the lows, very low. For example the day your client calls you to say that they are cutting heads in the business and the first to go are your 10 contractors.
So what’s the first step?
In IT recruitment the first entry point is as a resourcer.
A resourcer spends his/her time calling candidates try to fill jobs and you’ll be there long after the consultants have gone home or swanning off early to play golf with a client.
Then you’ll move up to Consultant where you’d start to bring in Clients. That’s when life gets really tough. One thing to bare in mind is that 60% of all people that enter recruitment leave within the first year.
My Answer
I remember thinking of doing this a while back, for a variety of reasons, one being I really just wanted a career change. So went to speak to a recruitment consultant about various paths I could take, one of which was a recruitment consultant, she advised against it and told me my talents would have been wasted.
That aside, I know a few people that work as one, and its very cut throat at times! You have to be willing to work long hours, don't mind stress and yes be driven by money and targets. You also have to be able to build up a good relationship with possible customers.
Now if you do go down this road, the only advice I am really in a position to offer is that of 'the customer'. What do I look for in a recruitment agent? Well the first thing is how they come across at first, I hate that chessy sales man patter they drivel! I am not some stupid kid and know my industry better than you in most cases, so please don't patronise me!
The next thing that really annoys me is that they are only ever interested in you when 'they' need you, they will only return calls when it benefits them and will do all they can to skin more money out you.
So i guess what I am saying is, if you do go into this career, be thick skinned for a start and try to avoid doing things like above, as when they come knocking back on the door it usually makes me go to someone else, recruitment is like anything else in this world, there is lots of competition and you generally need the customers more than they need you, as I usually get about 5 calls for the same position.
Any ways, not sure if this actually helps any at all. What steps have you taken to move into this sector, if any?
That aside, I know a few people that work as one, and its very cut throat at times! You have to be willing to work long hours, don't mind stress and yes be driven by money and targets. You also have to be able to build up a good relationship with possible customers.
Now if you do go down this road, the only advice I am really in a position to offer is that of 'the customer'. What do I look for in a recruitment agent? Well the first thing is how they come across at first, I hate that chessy sales man patter they drivel! I am not some stupid kid and know my industry better than you in most cases, so please don't patronise me!
The next thing that really annoys me is that they are only ever interested in you when 'they' need you, they will only return calls when it benefits them and will do all they can to skin more money out you.
So i guess what I am saying is, if you do go into this career, be thick skinned for a start and try to avoid doing things like above, as when they come knocking back on the door it usually makes me go to someone else, recruitment is like anything else in this world, there is lots of competition and you generally need the customers more than they need you, as I usually get about 5 calls for the same position.
Any ways, not sure if this actually helps any at all. What steps have you taken to move into this sector, if any?
Whats Recruitment Like ?
Hi All
I have come to the point in my current job where I feel I need a change; I am currently in a business development role in the security sector.
I am interested in Recruitment Consultancy as I love to sell. I like target driven work and I would hugely welcome the idea, 'the better you do the better you are paid'.
I was hoping that there are some people reading this that either work in or are connected to recruitment consultancy and can give me an idea of what it is like? What attributes are needed to succeed, realistic commission expectations etc
Thank you in advance for your comments
I have come to the point in my current job where I feel I need a change; I am currently in a business development role in the security sector.
I am interested in Recruitment Consultancy as I love to sell. I like target driven work and I would hugely welcome the idea, 'the better you do the better you are paid'.
I was hoping that there are some people reading this that either work in or are connected to recruitment consultancy and can give me an idea of what it is like? What attributes are needed to succeed, realistic commission expectations etc
Thank you in advance for your comments
What to expect in recruitment
Recruitment consultants aren’t bothered about where they place people, just that they place them!
That might be true of some agencies but not the more professional consultancies.Sales skills are important, however the most successful recruiters build long-standing relationships with their clients. It is not about the ‘quick win’ or short term gain. Relationships are built on a clear understanding of the needs of both the candidates and the clients. Placing inappropriate candidates in roles quite simply isn’t a good long-term business decision. Additionally a large proportion of agencies’ client databases are built on recommendations from those already working with them, proof of their dedication to finding candidates the right role.
Can you recruit as your first job?
Knowing the market you recruit for is very important but you will develop this over time. It doesn’t mean you have to know the nitty gritty of every role you recruit for - what you do need however, are exemplary communication skills to act as an intermediary between your clients and candidates.
Behaviours are just as important as sales skills. Badenoch & Clark conducted extensive research in partnership with business psychologists, to identify the critical competencies of their top performers. The resulting key competencies for a successful career in recruitment include:
Planning & Organisation
Attitude & Drive
Creative Thinking
Commerciality
Relationships
Teamwork
Self Awareness & Ability to Learn
Consultancies are likely to rely on competency benchmarking to find out if you have the potential on which to build to become a full consultant. They would then train and equip you with the rounded skills to be an astute consultant. Expect to benefit from theory, applied experience and project work to develop your consulting skills. Graduate training schemes are increasingly available whatever your degree subject, and offer a structured platform from which to enter recruitment if you have little commercial experience.
What can you expect to earn?
Whilst basic salaries vary between £15-20k, your earnings won’t stop there. Commission makes up a large proportion of the remuneration package, making earning potential high and uncapped. Commission can depend on the sector, the market conditions or simply the success of the individual. Badenoch & Clark operate a team commission pool, which all consultants contribute to and then receive an equal monthly share of.
Your actual earnings will therefore depend on your performance and potentially that of your team. Beware of over inflated On Target Earnings (OTE) promises – they will want a lot from you in return.
That might be true of some agencies but not the more professional consultancies.Sales skills are important, however the most successful recruiters build long-standing relationships with their clients. It is not about the ‘quick win’ or short term gain. Relationships are built on a clear understanding of the needs of both the candidates and the clients. Placing inappropriate candidates in roles quite simply isn’t a good long-term business decision. Additionally a large proportion of agencies’ client databases are built on recommendations from those already working with them, proof of their dedication to finding candidates the right role.
Can you recruit as your first job?
Knowing the market you recruit for is very important but you will develop this over time. It doesn’t mean you have to know the nitty gritty of every role you recruit for - what you do need however, are exemplary communication skills to act as an intermediary between your clients and candidates.
Behaviours are just as important as sales skills. Badenoch & Clark conducted extensive research in partnership with business psychologists, to identify the critical competencies of their top performers. The resulting key competencies for a successful career in recruitment include:
Planning & Organisation
Attitude & Drive
Creative Thinking
Commerciality
Relationships
Teamwork
Self Awareness & Ability to Learn
Consultancies are likely to rely on competency benchmarking to find out if you have the potential on which to build to become a full consultant. They would then train and equip you with the rounded skills to be an astute consultant. Expect to benefit from theory, applied experience and project work to develop your consulting skills. Graduate training schemes are increasingly available whatever your degree subject, and offer a structured platform from which to enter recruitment if you have little commercial experience.
What can you expect to earn?
Whilst basic salaries vary between £15-20k, your earnings won’t stop there. Commission makes up a large proportion of the remuneration package, making earning potential high and uncapped. Commission can depend on the sector, the market conditions or simply the success of the individual. Badenoch & Clark operate a team commission pool, which all consultants contribute to and then receive an equal monthly share of.
Your actual earnings will therefore depend on your performance and potentially that of your team. Beware of over inflated On Target Earnings (OTE) promises – they will want a lot from you in return.
Recruitment Consultant Jobs
As a recruitment consultant your days are generally spent focusing on making sales and dealing with client requirements. Getting roles, finding candidates, chasing feedback, organizing interviews, the list goes on, leaving little time to focus on the clients themselves. But with such focus on making a sale, are you inadvertently leaving your clients open to risks?
Over the past few years government legislation has tightened the regulations governing employment law, yet very few recruitment consultants are aware of the implications that theses changes have for their clients. It is shocking to think that companies are using agencies to provide services that are potentially opening them up to law suits that may cost them millions of pounds.
There have been numerous instances over the past few years which have brought home the risks faced by employers today. The most notable of which was the case of Muscat vs. Cable & Wireless Plc. In this case, a temporary worker was able to successfully sue Cable & Wireless for wrongful dismissal because the contractor was able to prove that the working situation was one of “implied employment”.
“Implied Employment” refers to a situation where a contractor working for a client through a Limited Company and a recruitment agency is treated by the client the same as a permanent employee. This includes having to organize annual leave, contract extensions and pay rises with the client directly. From a recruitment agency standpoint, this is unacceptable.
First and foremost, there is rarely a direct contract between a contractor and a client, the contract is between the contractor’s Limited Company and the agency. The agency will then have a contract with the client to provide the services of the contractor’s Limited Company, not the contractor specifically. Quite simply, any contractual negotiations, any annual leave, sick leave etc, all of this must go through the recruitment agency. Line managers who involve themselves in these conversations or behaviours are opening themselves and their companies up to some serious legal risks.
Yet many agencies do not train their consultants about these regulations or the risks that their clients face. It is understandable that managers within an organization would not be aware of the legal aspects of hiring contractors. Therefore it is the responsibility of the recruitment agency to ensure that the client is aware of the risks and that the consultant ensures that both the contractor and the managers work in such a way as to negate those risks.
Thankfully these lawsuits do not happen very often but this does not mean that recruitment consultants can continue to be complacent. These cases still happen, this behaviour still continues and clients are still put at risk because consultants are not trained sufficiently in the requirements of contract law. By no means should recruitment consultants become employment law experts, but it is important if they are working within recruitment, to understand the simple things which can be done to minimize these risks.
Firstly, consultants should always read the contracts which go out to their contractors. If at any point a contract uses terms like “the employee” or “the team” this can be considered implied employment. The contractor must always be referred to as “the Limited Company” or “the Company”. That is because the contract is with the Limited Company, not the individual contractor, hence the presence of the right of substitution clause.
It needs to be reinforced that any contractual negotiations or annual leave must go through the agency. As the contract is between the agency and the client, the contractor and the client have no legal grounds to make these negotiations, only the agency can negotiate with the client on behalf of the Limited Company.
It is recommended that recruitment consultants understand the basics of the IR35 regulations. These are all laws which govern the industry that you work in and can have a direct impact on your working life.
Over the past few years government legislation has tightened the regulations governing employment law, yet very few recruitment consultants are aware of the implications that theses changes have for their clients. It is shocking to think that companies are using agencies to provide services that are potentially opening them up to law suits that may cost them millions of pounds.
There have been numerous instances over the past few years which have brought home the risks faced by employers today. The most notable of which was the case of Muscat vs. Cable & Wireless Plc. In this case, a temporary worker was able to successfully sue Cable & Wireless for wrongful dismissal because the contractor was able to prove that the working situation was one of “implied employment”.
“Implied Employment” refers to a situation where a contractor working for a client through a Limited Company and a recruitment agency is treated by the client the same as a permanent employee. This includes having to organize annual leave, contract extensions and pay rises with the client directly. From a recruitment agency standpoint, this is unacceptable.
First and foremost, there is rarely a direct contract between a contractor and a client, the contract is between the contractor’s Limited Company and the agency. The agency will then have a contract with the client to provide the services of the contractor’s Limited Company, not the contractor specifically. Quite simply, any contractual negotiations, any annual leave, sick leave etc, all of this must go through the recruitment agency. Line managers who involve themselves in these conversations or behaviours are opening themselves and their companies up to some serious legal risks.
Yet many agencies do not train their consultants about these regulations or the risks that their clients face. It is understandable that managers within an organization would not be aware of the legal aspects of hiring contractors. Therefore it is the responsibility of the recruitment agency to ensure that the client is aware of the risks and that the consultant ensures that both the contractor and the managers work in such a way as to negate those risks.
Thankfully these lawsuits do not happen very often but this does not mean that recruitment consultants can continue to be complacent. These cases still happen, this behaviour still continues and clients are still put at risk because consultants are not trained sufficiently in the requirements of contract law. By no means should recruitment consultants become employment law experts, but it is important if they are working within recruitment, to understand the simple things which can be done to minimize these risks.
Firstly, consultants should always read the contracts which go out to their contractors. If at any point a contract uses terms like “the employee” or “the team” this can be considered implied employment. The contractor must always be referred to as “the Limited Company” or “the Company”. That is because the contract is with the Limited Company, not the individual contractor, hence the presence of the right of substitution clause.
It needs to be reinforced that any contractual negotiations or annual leave must go through the agency. As the contract is between the agency and the client, the contractor and the client have no legal grounds to make these negotiations, only the agency can negotiate with the client on behalf of the Limited Company.
It is recommended that recruitment consultants understand the basics of the IR35 regulations. These are all laws which govern the industry that you work in and can have a direct impact on your working life.
Using a recruitment agency
Overly long response time or drawn-out feedback after submission of a CV, or following first and second interviews, can swing a candidate's upbeat and positive impression to one that's negative and filled with disappointment. “Our experience tells us that when a candidate feels neglected, he or she will take things personally and will most possibly blame the company. Although poor recruitment procedure may not be representative of the entire way in which the company operates, the candidate will certainly fail to read it that way,” says Viv.
Using a recruitment agency will go a long way in helping to manage this reputation. A professional and efficient recruiter knows how to co-operate with the company and will facilitate the process. Even when things can't be speeded up, the recruiter should stay in touch with the candidate and keep him or her informed of progress and of reasons why it is taking so long. The recruiter will sustain the candidate's morale and manage expectations, both negative and positive.
The value of the recruitment agency is not to be judged by the quantity of CV's forwarded, but by their quality. Also to be considered is the time that the agency has spent over the years, weeding out candidates not to be presented due to a variety of factors such as poor work ethic, poor attitude, dishonesty and lack of relevant skills.
When a recruitment agency is truly selective, it should submit a maximum of five relevant CV's of candidates who would be ideally suited to the job and to the culture of the company.
“Before we submit our final list of suitable CV's, we spend a good deal of time interviewing, reference checking, liaising and maintaining the company's good reputation. This elimination/selection process takes up a substantial amount of 'man hours', and it saves you as company many hours of reading unsuitable CV's and interviewing unsuitable candidates,” says Viv.
Using a recruitment agency will go a long way in helping to manage this reputation. A professional and efficient recruiter knows how to co-operate with the company and will facilitate the process. Even when things can't be speeded up, the recruiter should stay in touch with the candidate and keep him or her informed of progress and of reasons why it is taking so long. The recruiter will sustain the candidate's morale and manage expectations, both negative and positive.
The value of the recruitment agency is not to be judged by the quantity of CV's forwarded, but by their quality. Also to be considered is the time that the agency has spent over the years, weeding out candidates not to be presented due to a variety of factors such as poor work ethic, poor attitude, dishonesty and lack of relevant skills.
When a recruitment agency is truly selective, it should submit a maximum of five relevant CV's of candidates who would be ideally suited to the job and to the culture of the company.
“Before we submit our final list of suitable CV's, we spend a good deal of time interviewing, reference checking, liaising and maintaining the company's good reputation. This elimination/selection process takes up a substantial amount of 'man hours', and it saves you as company many hours of reading unsuitable CV's and interviewing unsuitable candidates,” says Viv.
Recruitment Agencies- The Experts
As a Recruitment Consultant, one of the objections that is constantly thrown by prospective clients is "why should we use you when we can do everything that you can, and for free".
Well, you probably can, but it's certainly not for free!
What it costs you to fill a role yourself
Many people think that because they are using the existing resources of their company to fill a role, that it's free.
This is not the case.
Even if your company has an active HR department that includes a recruiter, the cost of it will be billed to you; and there are some things that the HR department cannot do, so your time will become involved.
So, your time (and the cost of that time) starts to be involved in the cost of hiring the right person. You need to review resumes and interview candidates. If you've got no HR department, or choose to handle everything directly, then you also have to screen the original applicants.
Then there is the initial preparation - writing the job ad, uploading it to the internet or putting it in the newspaper.
You need to screen applicants, and also take telephone enquiries about the position. Unsuccessful applicants from your first screening need to be contacted to advise them, and then you need to contact those who you want to interview, or check further, to arrange for an interview, or even just have a quick conversation with over the phone.
Even if you have somebody else do all of this, their time is still used. And while you or somebody else is doing this, they are not doing their normal work.
So - add up all the hours it takes to do all this, including interviews, second interviews, preparing letters of offer, and then look at what your hourly pay rate is, and then the lost productivity while you fill an empty position.
When it all comes down to it, it will cost you over $15,000 to do it yourself - and we're not even looking at what happens when you make a mistake and have to start all over again!
What does an Agency cost
Many agencies have a sliding scale of costs, depending on the role to be filled. As an average, though, 15% of the total package is the charge.
This means, that if the package is $40,000 per annum, then the cost you will pay to the agency is $6,000.
What do you get for the cost?
The agency you choose will work with you to fill the role. They will prepare all advertising (everything except newspaper display ads are included in the cost), screen all applicants, take the enquiries, and even help you to prepare a position description.
They will conduct interviews and shortlist 3 or 4 candidates for you to see. They will make the offer to the successful candidate, advise all the unsuccessful ones, and help you prepare the letter of offer.
They will also offer a replacement guarantee (usually 3 - 6 months) that if the person doesn't work out, or leaves of their own accord, the Agency will find a replacement free of charge.
How the Agency will help you
The key to getting the best results is to be prepared yourself. Get recommendations from other companies as to the agencies they have success with. There are also "co-ops" of agencies, where if you use one of the members, you, effectively, have all of them working for you, at no extra cost.
The best known of these is NPA Worldwide, based in the US, but with members all over the world.
One of the advantages of using a member of a group like NPA is that the members have to meet specific standards in service, which is a big relief!
Also check with the Recruitment Industry Association in your country. They can assist in finding a reputable agency, and can also assist in letting you know of any that there have been problems with.
When you contact the Agency, they will usually assign a Consultant to look after you and your vacancy. This consultant will usually visit you at your workplace so that they can discuss the position in detail with you, and to find out not only the sort of role, but the type of person who will fit in best within your company.
If you like, they will also help you do a HR audit to refine the role, and prepare a position description.
Then, they move into their main role: filling the job. The Consultant works with the other people in their agency to prepare a job ad, and also search their own database for prospective candidates.
They screen, and shortlist. You will receive 3 or 4 resumes, and a short summary of each candidate from them. This includes the salary/wage they are looking for, and their availability.
By the time it comes for you to interview these candidates, it's more a "get to know you" meeting, as the people that the Agency has sent will have the skills to do the role.
It's important that you trust your Recruitment Agency. They will build a long term relationship with you, getting to know who you and your company are and working with you to build a workplace that people will enjoy working at.
You won't loose productivity when you have a vacancy to fill, and will find the whole process less stressful.
Recruitment Agencies are experts - and can save your company time and money in the long run
Well, you probably can, but it's certainly not for free!
What it costs you to fill a role yourself
Many people think that because they are using the existing resources of their company to fill a role, that it's free.
This is not the case.
Even if your company has an active HR department that includes a recruiter, the cost of it will be billed to you; and there are some things that the HR department cannot do, so your time will become involved.
So, your time (and the cost of that time) starts to be involved in the cost of hiring the right person. You need to review resumes and interview candidates. If you've got no HR department, or choose to handle everything directly, then you also have to screen the original applicants.
Then there is the initial preparation - writing the job ad, uploading it to the internet or putting it in the newspaper.
You need to screen applicants, and also take telephone enquiries about the position. Unsuccessful applicants from your first screening need to be contacted to advise them, and then you need to contact those who you want to interview, or check further, to arrange for an interview, or even just have a quick conversation with over the phone.
Even if you have somebody else do all of this, their time is still used. And while you or somebody else is doing this, they are not doing their normal work.
So - add up all the hours it takes to do all this, including interviews, second interviews, preparing letters of offer, and then look at what your hourly pay rate is, and then the lost productivity while you fill an empty position.
When it all comes down to it, it will cost you over $15,000 to do it yourself - and we're not even looking at what happens when you make a mistake and have to start all over again!
What does an Agency cost
Many agencies have a sliding scale of costs, depending on the role to be filled. As an average, though, 15% of the total package is the charge.
This means, that if the package is $40,000 per annum, then the cost you will pay to the agency is $6,000.
What do you get for the cost?
The agency you choose will work with you to fill the role. They will prepare all advertising (everything except newspaper display ads are included in the cost), screen all applicants, take the enquiries, and even help you to prepare a position description.
They will conduct interviews and shortlist 3 or 4 candidates for you to see. They will make the offer to the successful candidate, advise all the unsuccessful ones, and help you prepare the letter of offer.
They will also offer a replacement guarantee (usually 3 - 6 months) that if the person doesn't work out, or leaves of their own accord, the Agency will find a replacement free of charge.
How the Agency will help you
The key to getting the best results is to be prepared yourself. Get recommendations from other companies as to the agencies they have success with. There are also "co-ops" of agencies, where if you use one of the members, you, effectively, have all of them working for you, at no extra cost.
The best known of these is NPA Worldwide, based in the US, but with members all over the world.
One of the advantages of using a member of a group like NPA is that the members have to meet specific standards in service, which is a big relief!
Also check with the Recruitment Industry Association in your country. They can assist in finding a reputable agency, and can also assist in letting you know of any that there have been problems with.
When you contact the Agency, they will usually assign a Consultant to look after you and your vacancy. This consultant will usually visit you at your workplace so that they can discuss the position in detail with you, and to find out not only the sort of role, but the type of person who will fit in best within your company.
If you like, they will also help you do a HR audit to refine the role, and prepare a position description.
Then, they move into their main role: filling the job. The Consultant works with the other people in their agency to prepare a job ad, and also search their own database for prospective candidates.
They screen, and shortlist. You will receive 3 or 4 resumes, and a short summary of each candidate from them. This includes the salary/wage they are looking for, and their availability.
By the time it comes for you to interview these candidates, it's more a "get to know you" meeting, as the people that the Agency has sent will have the skills to do the role.
It's important that you trust your Recruitment Agency. They will build a long term relationship with you, getting to know who you and your company are and working with you to build a workplace that people will enjoy working at.
You won't loose productivity when you have a vacancy to fill, and will find the whole process less stressful.
Recruitment Agencies are experts - and can save your company time and money in the long run
Working with recruitment firms
Given the number of people looking for new jobs today, either through choice or necessity, we thought it would be helpful to set out our views on how job seekers can best use recruiters to help them in their search. There are two main types of recruitment firms, and different ways of interacting with each.
As I said, there are two types of recruitment firms: Those that operate on a retained basis and those that operate on contingency basis. Contingency firms earn a fee based upon candidate placement.
They may present a number of excellent candidates, but unless one of their candidates is hired, they are not paid for any part of their work. Retained firms are paid by the client to conduct, on an exclusive basis, a comprehensive recruiting process to fill a specific position. Most of their fee is paid as a retainer as the work progresses. The recruitment approach they apply includes identification of a broad range of candidates, and they will therefore contact both candidates they know already, and others who they identify as potentially qualified for the role.
The big question is how these firms can help you. Due to their relationships with the client, and their fee arrangements, retainer and contingency firms differ in how they can help you.
Retained firms cannot represent you. They are paid by their client companies to find the right candidate for a position. These firms can provide immediate help to you only if they are currently working on an assignment that is appropriate to your background. Regardless of how much they like you personally, or how impressed they are with your resume, they cannot market you to companies.
Contingency firms are free to deal with any company that they believe may have an interest in your experience. For example, if you have a strong background in retail development, you may find a contingency recruiter who is willing to market your resume to firms in that business. The recruiter may have contacts with particular retail developers and may be happy to call them and present your credentials.
Your decision to choose one type of firm over the other will typically reflect your current employment situation and your level of experience. Retained executive search firms typically deal with more senior positions and can help you only if they are working on something applicable to your background. When they contact you, it is important to realize that you are only one candidate among many, and that the search process itself may take several months to complete. Even if you go through several interviews, you should not assume that you are likely to be offered the position. Therefore, if you need to find a new position in the immediate future, do not rely on a single retained executive search firm to help you.
If you are currently employed and simply wish to hear about opportunities that may be appropriate for you, submit your resumes to executive search firms that specialize in your field. Since these firms work only on an exclusive basis, no firm will be working on the same set of assignments as any other firm, and so you should get your information to all appropriate firms.
As I said, there are two types of recruitment firms: Those that operate on a retained basis and those that operate on contingency basis. Contingency firms earn a fee based upon candidate placement.
They may present a number of excellent candidates, but unless one of their candidates is hired, they are not paid for any part of their work. Retained firms are paid by the client to conduct, on an exclusive basis, a comprehensive recruiting process to fill a specific position. Most of their fee is paid as a retainer as the work progresses. The recruitment approach they apply includes identification of a broad range of candidates, and they will therefore contact both candidates they know already, and others who they identify as potentially qualified for the role.
The big question is how these firms can help you. Due to their relationships with the client, and their fee arrangements, retainer and contingency firms differ in how they can help you.
Retained firms cannot represent you. They are paid by their client companies to find the right candidate for a position. These firms can provide immediate help to you only if they are currently working on an assignment that is appropriate to your background. Regardless of how much they like you personally, or how impressed they are with your resume, they cannot market you to companies.
Contingency firms are free to deal with any company that they believe may have an interest in your experience. For example, if you have a strong background in retail development, you may find a contingency recruiter who is willing to market your resume to firms in that business. The recruiter may have contacts with particular retail developers and may be happy to call them and present your credentials.
Your decision to choose one type of firm over the other will typically reflect your current employment situation and your level of experience. Retained executive search firms typically deal with more senior positions and can help you only if they are working on something applicable to your background. When they contact you, it is important to realize that you are only one candidate among many, and that the search process itself may take several months to complete. Even if you go through several interviews, you should not assume that you are likely to be offered the position. Therefore, if you need to find a new position in the immediate future, do not rely on a single retained executive search firm to help you.
If you are currently employed and simply wish to hear about opportunities that may be appropriate for you, submit your resumes to executive search firms that specialize in your field. Since these firms work only on an exclusive basis, no firm will be working on the same set of assignments as any other firm, and so you should get your information to all appropriate firms.
The Recruitment Agency Requirements
Recruitment agencies are used by large employers who wish to "spread their net" as widely as possible when recruiting graduates or specialists, and by smaller ones which do not have the personnel resources to carry out their own recruitment. Employers expect agencies to put forward candidates with specific qualities or abilities related to the job. This can restrict opportunities for new graduates without significant work experience - some agencies specify six months experience in a relevant field.
The work is a mixture of sales and HR recruitment and selection activities. It is fast moving and well paid and an increasingly popular choice for graduates.
PROFILE: Recruitment Consultant
INVOLVES: Matching job-seekers with employers' vacancies. Assessing candidates' skills & employers' requirements. Liaison with recruiters & potential candidates (either of whom may contact you or be contacted by you initially) & acting as the link between them.
EMPLOYERS: Recruitment agencies; Selection divisions of management consultants.
RELATED JOBS: personnel manager; careers adviser, media sales representative.
SATISFACTIONS: Involvement with people; insight into different businesses; helping clients to obtain a good job.
NEGATIVES: Pressure to meet targets.
SKILLS: Verbal & written communication, persuading, negotiating, listening.
ADVANCEMENT: Promotion to manage a team - branch - area or to work with clients at higher levels of seniority, e.g. executive search.
DEGREE: Any degree subject acceptable but business/personnel related degrees may be useful. Relevant subjects for specialist consultants, eg Accounting, Law.
VACANCY SOURCES: National press; Trade press, e.g. Professional Recruiter; Interviewer; Selection
TIPS: Need to present a businesslike appearance & show knowledge of the commercial world. Some previous work experience may be helpful
The work is a mixture of sales and HR recruitment and selection activities. It is fast moving and well paid and an increasingly popular choice for graduates.
PROFILE: Recruitment Consultant
INVOLVES: Matching job-seekers with employers' vacancies. Assessing candidates' skills & employers' requirements. Liaison with recruiters & potential candidates (either of whom may contact you or be contacted by you initially) & acting as the link between them.
EMPLOYERS: Recruitment agencies; Selection divisions of management consultants.
RELATED JOBS: personnel manager; careers adviser, media sales representative.
SATISFACTIONS: Involvement with people; insight into different businesses; helping clients to obtain a good job.
NEGATIVES: Pressure to meet targets.
SKILLS: Verbal & written communication, persuading, negotiating, listening.
ADVANCEMENT: Promotion to manage a team - branch - area or to work with clients at higher levels of seniority, e.g. executive search.
DEGREE: Any degree subject acceptable but business/personnel related degrees may be useful. Relevant subjects for specialist consultants, eg Accounting, Law.
VACANCY SOURCES: National press; Trade press, e.g. Professional Recruiter; Interviewer; Selection
TIPS: Need to present a businesslike appearance & show knowledge of the commercial world. Some previous work experience may be helpful
Working In Recruitment
Recruitment is widely recognised as a rewarding and lucrative career option.
Recruitment Consultancies vary vastly and it is important that prior to approaching consultancies you have an idea about what kind of organisation you want to work for and why you think you would be suited to a career in recruitment.
What Will You Be Doing?
Recruitment is very much seen as a sales role and your day as a recruitment consultant will be spent 'selling' in many different ways.
Firstly as an ambassador of your company's services you will be expected to approach clients on behalf of your company and sell the services of the company. This is called a variety of things - marketing, canvassing, cold calling, or business development. One thing you should be very aware of prior to going into recruitment is that a large proportion of your time will be spent in this way - either on the telephone or face to face, and if this part of the role does not appeal to you then recruitment will not be the right career for you.
Secondly you will be required to 'sell' to your candidates (the people who come to you to find a job). Again this is in many forms - writing advertising copy, interviewing candidates, briefing them about jobs registered with you.
With both of these aspects of sales you will need to build up a rapport with the individuals concerned and forge a business relationship. Communication skills, particularly listening skills are key. Subtlety and the ability to empathise with the needs of your clients and candidates make the difference between a successful and a not so successful consultant.
Hard Work
Nobody ever got rich working from nine to five, and if you want the rewards that recruitment has to offer you have to be prepared to work for them. This can often mean early starts and late finishes, working through lunch and being prepared to go the extra mile to meet the needs of your clients and candidates. Recruitment is a highly competitive industry and you need to put in the hours to stand out from the crowd.
Day to Day
Words used to describe a successful recruitment consultant
Good communicator & listener
Target driven
Lateral thinker
Solution finder
People person
Think on feet
Relationship builder
Hard worker
Sales person
Diplomatic
Persuasive
Organised
Efficient
Assertive
Tenacious
Flexible
Innovative
Team player
Straightforward
Down to earth
Depending on the organisation you work for, what is expected of you on a day-to-day basis will vary.
Most organisations will require you to work within a team and to be set individual and team targets. The attainment of these targets will form the structure of your working day.
You will be expected to make calls to clients to win business, once you have this business (jobs to work on) you will need to source candidates by advertising, using the existing database of candidates and asking existing candidates for recommendations.
These candidates then need to be interviewed by you to ascertain their suitability for the role and submitted to the client. You will very often have to advise candidates on the content/layout of their cv, their interview technique and their face-to-face presentation skills.
Often you will need to 'sell' the attributes of a particular candidate to a client, and then book the candidate in for interview.
The candidate will need to be briefed carefully prior to the interview, and feedback gained after the interview from both client and candidate.
From this point offers may be made, salaries, contracts and terms negotiated.
If the candidate is being offered a permanent role, you may have to advise them on the best way to handle their resignation and sort out a start date with them.
Sounds straightforward doesn't it?! Remember - these are people that you are dealing with and people are the most difficult product to sell as they have a tendency to change their minds part way through the process, withhold information and take advice from sources other than you! In order to deal with this 'product' you will need to have great communication skills, and put the client and candidate at ease. You will need to balance the needs and priorities of the candidates and the clients, plus think about where your fee is coming from. You need to have a good balance of commercial, professional and people skills.
Recruitment Consultancies vary vastly and it is important that prior to approaching consultancies you have an idea about what kind of organisation you want to work for and why you think you would be suited to a career in recruitment.
What Will You Be Doing?
Recruitment is very much seen as a sales role and your day as a recruitment consultant will be spent 'selling' in many different ways.
Firstly as an ambassador of your company's services you will be expected to approach clients on behalf of your company and sell the services of the company. This is called a variety of things - marketing, canvassing, cold calling, or business development. One thing you should be very aware of prior to going into recruitment is that a large proportion of your time will be spent in this way - either on the telephone or face to face, and if this part of the role does not appeal to you then recruitment will not be the right career for you.
Secondly you will be required to 'sell' to your candidates (the people who come to you to find a job). Again this is in many forms - writing advertising copy, interviewing candidates, briefing them about jobs registered with you.
With both of these aspects of sales you will need to build up a rapport with the individuals concerned and forge a business relationship. Communication skills, particularly listening skills are key. Subtlety and the ability to empathise with the needs of your clients and candidates make the difference between a successful and a not so successful consultant.
Hard Work
Nobody ever got rich working from nine to five, and if you want the rewards that recruitment has to offer you have to be prepared to work for them. This can often mean early starts and late finishes, working through lunch and being prepared to go the extra mile to meet the needs of your clients and candidates. Recruitment is a highly competitive industry and you need to put in the hours to stand out from the crowd.
Day to Day
Words used to describe a successful recruitment consultant
Good communicator & listener
Target driven
Lateral thinker
Solution finder
People person
Think on feet
Relationship builder
Hard worker
Sales person
Diplomatic
Persuasive
Organised
Efficient
Assertive
Tenacious
Flexible
Innovative
Team player
Straightforward
Down to earth
Depending on the organisation you work for, what is expected of you on a day-to-day basis will vary.
Most organisations will require you to work within a team and to be set individual and team targets. The attainment of these targets will form the structure of your working day.
You will be expected to make calls to clients to win business, once you have this business (jobs to work on) you will need to source candidates by advertising, using the existing database of candidates and asking existing candidates for recommendations.
These candidates then need to be interviewed by you to ascertain their suitability for the role and submitted to the client. You will very often have to advise candidates on the content/layout of their cv, their interview technique and their face-to-face presentation skills.
Often you will need to 'sell' the attributes of a particular candidate to a client, and then book the candidate in for interview.
The candidate will need to be briefed carefully prior to the interview, and feedback gained after the interview from both client and candidate.
From this point offers may be made, salaries, contracts and terms negotiated.
If the candidate is being offered a permanent role, you may have to advise them on the best way to handle their resignation and sort out a start date with them.
Sounds straightforward doesn't it?! Remember - these are people that you are dealing with and people are the most difficult product to sell as they have a tendency to change their minds part way through the process, withhold information and take advice from sources other than you! In order to deal with this 'product' you will need to have great communication skills, and put the client and candidate at ease. You will need to balance the needs and priorities of the candidates and the clients, plus think about where your fee is coming from. You need to have a good balance of commercial, professional and people skills.
So you want to work in recruitment ?
Recruitment is all about matchmaking - between an organisation looking for an employee and an individual looking for a permanent or temporary job. So, if you like a challenge and the idea of selling doesn't turn you into a gibbering wreck, maybe it's time you released the headhunter within.
Graduates usually enter the profession as trainee consultants and can expect to earn £14K-£20K, rising to £28K-£54K two to three years later.
We asked some experts for advice on how you can become a professional matchmaker.
AN EMPLOYER SAYS ...
Andrew Shellard, operations manager, south-west and Wales, Manpower
There isn't one thing that would make a graduate extra-special in respect of their qualifications - we look at interests and aspirations.
What we find sometimes is that graduates use recruitment as a fast-track mechanism to move into other areas, so we're looking for an indication of career aspirations and longevity. It boils down to the type of experience you have had in commercial environments.
Ideally, you would have temped for a high-street agency, because that gives you a great deal of insight into the recruitment marketplace. Also, we'll see that you've taken time out during your studies to demonstrate that you're keen to work in recruitment.
The key thing, beyond any qualification, is attitude. With recruitment, there's a large element of sales and customer service, so you need to be somebody who can converse well and hold themselves in a presentation. You certainly need to be people-orientated, because our clients are the mainstay of the business. As well as being a strong individual, you need to be able to work within a team environment as there are deadlines and targets to be met. It's not just a case of having conversations with people.
We strongly advise any student looking to get into recruitment to undertake a temporary assignment. Manpower offers assessments that help people to identify particular skills - information a graduate can use when they're applying for a permanent role.
A UNIVERSITY SAYS ...
Liz Wilkinson, head of careers service at Royal Holloway, University of London and part of The Careers Group, University of London
Recruitment is an increasing area of interest for new graduates, attracted by its image as a fast-paced people business. Relevant work experience is a great advantage. Top of the list would be ground-level experience as a temp. You can use that as a door-opener to build relationships with agency staff, which may lead to an offer of work within the agency itself.
Another valuable addition to your CV would be sales experience, as recruitment consultancies are target-driven environments. A couple of months of commission-based sales can be a good way to prove to yourself and the employer that you enjoy chasing and closing the deal with customers.
You need to prove you have derived good people skills from your work experience or spare-time activities. Recruitment consultants need to sum up people astutely and assertively negotiate deals. So, look to accumulate evidence of firmness and objectivity.
Recruitment consultancy is a competitive business, so a proven interest in customers and profit, perhaps through your degree options, perhaps through membership of a student business society, will strengthen your application.
Graduates usually enter the profession as trainee consultants and can expect to earn £14K-£20K, rising to £28K-£54K two to three years later.
We asked some experts for advice on how you can become a professional matchmaker.
AN EMPLOYER SAYS ...
Andrew Shellard, operations manager, south-west and Wales, Manpower
There isn't one thing that would make a graduate extra-special in respect of their qualifications - we look at interests and aspirations.
What we find sometimes is that graduates use recruitment as a fast-track mechanism to move into other areas, so we're looking for an indication of career aspirations and longevity. It boils down to the type of experience you have had in commercial environments.
Ideally, you would have temped for a high-street agency, because that gives you a great deal of insight into the recruitment marketplace. Also, we'll see that you've taken time out during your studies to demonstrate that you're keen to work in recruitment.
The key thing, beyond any qualification, is attitude. With recruitment, there's a large element of sales and customer service, so you need to be somebody who can converse well and hold themselves in a presentation. You certainly need to be people-orientated, because our clients are the mainstay of the business. As well as being a strong individual, you need to be able to work within a team environment as there are deadlines and targets to be met. It's not just a case of having conversations with people.
We strongly advise any student looking to get into recruitment to undertake a temporary assignment. Manpower offers assessments that help people to identify particular skills - information a graduate can use when they're applying for a permanent role.
A UNIVERSITY SAYS ...
Liz Wilkinson, head of careers service at Royal Holloway, University of London and part of The Careers Group, University of London
Recruitment is an increasing area of interest for new graduates, attracted by its image as a fast-paced people business. Relevant work experience is a great advantage. Top of the list would be ground-level experience as a temp. You can use that as a door-opener to build relationships with agency staff, which may lead to an offer of work within the agency itself.
Another valuable addition to your CV would be sales experience, as recruitment consultancies are target-driven environments. A couple of months of commission-based sales can be a good way to prove to yourself and the employer that you enjoy chasing and closing the deal with customers.
You need to prove you have derived good people skills from your work experience or spare-time activities. Recruitment consultants need to sum up people astutely and assertively negotiate deals. So, look to accumulate evidence of firmness and objectivity.
Recruitment consultancy is a competitive business, so a proven interest in customers and profit, perhaps through your degree options, perhaps through membership of a student business society, will strengthen your application.
Using a recruitment agency for recruitment jobs
Why use a recruitment agency?
People go to recruitment agencies when they are changing their jobs, as one of the ways to find work alongside networking, cold-calling and looking for vacancies, because:
- agencies are free for the job-seeker – the employer pays the agency
- an agency can match a company’s requirements in terms of qualifications, skills, experience and personality to the candidates on its database
- agencies know the employment market and can prepare candidates for interview
- agencies know realistic salary levels and may even negotiate on a candidate’s behalf
- agencies will guide individuals through the selection process because it is in their interests for the candidate to get the job
- being selected for interview with the potential employer by an agency means that the candidate has at least some of the qualities needed to meet the requirements of the job.
Agencies
There is no such thing as a typical recruitment agency. They vary from huge companies like Manpower and Brook Street to the small, local companies found in any telephone directory. There are also general agencies that are usually well known, and others that specialise in a particular market sector like IT or nursing. Recently, online agencies have arrived (and departed in a few cases), while the Officers’ Association, the Regular Forces Employment Association and The List (see ‘Factfile’ for contact details) should be familiar to Service leavers.
What all have in common, though, is the fact that it is illegal for anyone looking for work to be charged any fees by an agency that helps them to find it. They can be asked to pay for any services like interview training or CV writing, but not for job-finding. The recruitment agency is paid by its client – the organisation recruiting the individual (the hirer) – and this is usually a proportion, typically 15 to 40 per cent, of the first-year salary.
Recruitment agencies should not be confused with outplacement companies. The latter are paid by an individual or more usually the company they are leaving to help them to find other jobs – rather as the Career Transition Partnership does for Service leavers.
People go to recruitment agencies when they are changing their jobs, as one of the ways to find work alongside networking, cold-calling and looking for vacancies, because:
- agencies are free for the job-seeker – the employer pays the agency
- an agency can match a company’s requirements in terms of qualifications, skills, experience and personality to the candidates on its database
- agencies know the employment market and can prepare candidates for interview
- agencies know realistic salary levels and may even negotiate on a candidate’s behalf
- agencies will guide individuals through the selection process because it is in their interests for the candidate to get the job
- being selected for interview with the potential employer by an agency means that the candidate has at least some of the qualities needed to meet the requirements of the job.
Agencies
There is no such thing as a typical recruitment agency. They vary from huge companies like Manpower and Brook Street to the small, local companies found in any telephone directory. There are also general agencies that are usually well known, and others that specialise in a particular market sector like IT or nursing. Recently, online agencies have arrived (and departed in a few cases), while the Officers’ Association, the Regular Forces Employment Association and The List (see ‘Factfile’ for contact details) should be familiar to Service leavers.
What all have in common, though, is the fact that it is illegal for anyone looking for work to be charged any fees by an agency that helps them to find it. They can be asked to pay for any services like interview training or CV writing, but not for job-finding. The recruitment agency is paid by its client – the organisation recruiting the individual (the hirer) – and this is usually a proportion, typically 15 to 40 per cent, of the first-year salary.
Recruitment agencies should not be confused with outplacement companies. The latter are paid by an individual or more usually the company they are leaving to help them to find other jobs – rather as the Career Transition Partnership does for Service leavers.
Perks of the Job
Perks of the Job
Starting salary, location and your actual job may be major factors when choosing to accept a position, but they are not the only ones. Perks can come in all shapes and sizes, giving greater satisfaction and improved financial benefits. Here are a few you might have to think about; after all, sometimes it’s the little things that count.
Pension
Don’t be fooled into thinking a pension is something to worry about when you hit 30. The sooner you start saving the better, and if your company is offering a generous pension scheme then it would be wise to take advantage of it at the earliest opportunity. Do get some research done before you sign up, though, to ensure it offers a favourable reward as you might be better off seeking out a pension from elsewhere.
Company car
If your job requires a lot of travel, you could be rewarded with a company car to aid getting around the country. Don’t get too excited though. Company cars are rarely BMWs or Mercedes for entry level jobs and you will still be hit by a tax bill. On the plus side, you probably won’t have to pay for road tax, servicing or running repairs. If you’d rather not have to rely on your firm for a car you could always opt for a car allowance which helps pay for your own vehicle.
Freebies
The days of free beer from bar work or free leftover food from your café may be gone, but that does not mean you won’t get anything useful. To keep employees happy, there are a range of free services that you could be offered. Free gym membership is a popular option as it helps keep staff fit and healthy. Free eye tests and healthcare are other options that help keep a workforce ready and able. Anyone sick of making sandwiches might be attracted to a job that offers a cooked dinner during the lunch hour. Thinking of them as mini bonuses to your salary will put a smile on your face.
Golden hello
A “golden hello” or joining bonus can be great to get you started and help clear a few niggling debts before you get that first pay packet. These are common for teachers and can be offered as incentives to leave one job for another. Graduate recruiters often use them to appeal to a wide audience who may need to relocate to join their company. Payments range from £500 to £11,000 but the median payment is about £1,500. You're most likely to get one from the financial and legal sectors.
Further training sponsorship
Looking to develop your career by studying while working? Many businesses view further training as a vital part of employee development and will send you on all expenses paid course. For example, if you find yourself in top flight management consulting you could win sponsorship for a highly-rated and expensive MBA. But you could also request a course yourself. Assessing what skills you need to help perform better and presenting them to your line manager are a good way of arguing your case if you are not offered any.
Holiday entitlement
Generally you will get four weeks (20 days) paid holiday per year. This can increase depending on company policy, and very often does if you work somewhere long enough. Unpaid periods off for longstanding employees are becoming increasingly popular too, giving you the chance to travel for a few months or have an extended holiday to return relaxed and refreshed.
Flexible working hours
Fed up with arriving at the office everyday at 9am and leaving at 5pm? Well you can’t avoid putting in the hours every week, but you may get the chance to vary them. Some firms allow employees to put in extra time one day and take it off on others: you could work until 5.30pm from Monday to Thursday and go home at 3pm on Friday to start the weekend early. It can open up the opportunity to shape the week to suit your needs.
Working abroad
If you work for an international company, there may be opportunities to move to a foreign office either temporarily or perhaps permanently. If this is something that interests you , it might be best to ask prospective employers whether this might be an option before you sign a contract and discover you will be chained to a basement office at Land’s End.
Starting salary, location and your actual job may be major factors when choosing to accept a position, but they are not the only ones. Perks can come in all shapes and sizes, giving greater satisfaction and improved financial benefits. Here are a few you might have to think about; after all, sometimes it’s the little things that count.
Pension
Don’t be fooled into thinking a pension is something to worry about when you hit 30. The sooner you start saving the better, and if your company is offering a generous pension scheme then it would be wise to take advantage of it at the earliest opportunity. Do get some research done before you sign up, though, to ensure it offers a favourable reward as you might be better off seeking out a pension from elsewhere.
Company car
If your job requires a lot of travel, you could be rewarded with a company car to aid getting around the country. Don’t get too excited though. Company cars are rarely BMWs or Mercedes for entry level jobs and you will still be hit by a tax bill. On the plus side, you probably won’t have to pay for road tax, servicing or running repairs. If you’d rather not have to rely on your firm for a car you could always opt for a car allowance which helps pay for your own vehicle.
Freebies
The days of free beer from bar work or free leftover food from your café may be gone, but that does not mean you won’t get anything useful. To keep employees happy, there are a range of free services that you could be offered. Free gym membership is a popular option as it helps keep staff fit and healthy. Free eye tests and healthcare are other options that help keep a workforce ready and able. Anyone sick of making sandwiches might be attracted to a job that offers a cooked dinner during the lunch hour. Thinking of them as mini bonuses to your salary will put a smile on your face.
Golden hello
A “golden hello” or joining bonus can be great to get you started and help clear a few niggling debts before you get that first pay packet. These are common for teachers and can be offered as incentives to leave one job for another. Graduate recruiters often use them to appeal to a wide audience who may need to relocate to join their company. Payments range from £500 to £11,000 but the median payment is about £1,500. You're most likely to get one from the financial and legal sectors.
Further training sponsorship
Looking to develop your career by studying while working? Many businesses view further training as a vital part of employee development and will send you on all expenses paid course. For example, if you find yourself in top flight management consulting you could win sponsorship for a highly-rated and expensive MBA. But you could also request a course yourself. Assessing what skills you need to help perform better and presenting them to your line manager are a good way of arguing your case if you are not offered any.
Holiday entitlement
Generally you will get four weeks (20 days) paid holiday per year. This can increase depending on company policy, and very often does if you work somewhere long enough. Unpaid periods off for longstanding employees are becoming increasingly popular too, giving you the chance to travel for a few months or have an extended holiday to return relaxed and refreshed.
Flexible working hours
Fed up with arriving at the office everyday at 9am and leaving at 5pm? Well you can’t avoid putting in the hours every week, but you may get the chance to vary them. Some firms allow employees to put in extra time one day and take it off on others: you could work until 5.30pm from Monday to Thursday and go home at 3pm on Friday to start the weekend early. It can open up the opportunity to shape the week to suit your needs.
Working abroad
If you work for an international company, there may be opportunities to move to a foreign office either temporarily or perhaps permanently. If this is something that interests you , it might be best to ask prospective employers whether this might be an option before you sign a contract and discover you will be chained to a basement office at Land’s End.
CV Preparation
CV Writing
Overview
Your single most important marketing tool is your CV and its primary purpose is to secure you an interview. It is vital, therefore, that it should list your best selling points in as accessible and logical a manner as possible. It is highly likely that your CV will be one of many, possibly hundreds, that a recruiter or consultant has to read through in an extremely short space of time. It is not unlikely that, at the screening stage, its initial reading may amount to little more than a cursory glance, perhaps lasting a mere 30 seconds.
It is vital, therefore, that your CV is well presented and clearly structured, with the most relevant information on the first page and readily identifiable.
Make the most of your gaps
In effect, the perfect CV should act as an aid to the reader, directing their focus to the qualification criteria they are looking for and the key points that differentiate you from any other applicants. As well as the obvious need to ensure that all spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct, the overall layout and format of each section should be such that it enables the information contained to be easily accessed and quickly interpreted.
One final point to remember is that your CV is likely to form the framework for any interview and you can expect to be asked to elaborate on, justify or defend any statements made in your application. Consequently, it is important that you feel comfortable with your CV and ensure that its contents are both honest and accurate. Whilst you should always aim to present any information in a positive way, be careful to avoid huge exaggeration or any fabrication whatsoever.
Structure and content
Since a recruiter will look at the beginning first, you should make sure the most relevant information is at the beginning of the first page. It is crucial that you think carefully about what the qualification criteria are for each employer and how closely you can match yourself to these.
As an (under)graduate your education is likely to be your strongest selling point and therefore it is this that should come first. If, for whatever reason, you feel your professional experience is more relevant and impressive, then you may wish to put this ahead of your academic details.
All good CVs are simple, succinct and logically structured to enable any reader to find the information they require within seconds. Consequently, sentences need to be short, factual and to the point using 'power' words (see Key Words) and keeping others such as 'and', 'the', 'I' and 'we' to a minimum, as words that are redundant only dilute the point being made. One method is to do several drafts, each time going through to make sure every phrase earns its place and deleting as many words as possible without changing a sentence's overall meaning.
Identify main selling points and the key competencies/skills that the employer is looking for.
Examples of selling points: working for a well-renowned employer, good experience in a particularly rare skill set, size of projects, particularly relevant qualifications, etc.
Be self-analytical and clear about yourself and what your main selling points are compared to other candidates. Problem solving is very important in all career areas. Define your problem solving skills, relating them, as far as possible, to your job target. With this in mind, prepare lists of your skills and achievements.
The most common contents include:
Personal Details
(Name, Date of Birth, Contact Details, Nationality - Work Permit if relevant)
Education and Qualifications
(Degree back to GCSEs):
The full title of your degree and university and any significant exam results should suffice, although any modules or projects of particular relevance to the application could be included.
Secondary School and A/AS Level subjects and grades:
GCSEs - subjects and grades, though if pushed for space, just mention Maths & English, plus any relevant subjects
For people looking for careers in technology, it is usual to include a comprehensive and clear summary of the IT applications and systems you have worked with. Avoid long lists of technologies you may have come across, however, and only mention those you have significant experience in. If you know the employer is after a particular skill then mention it and how much experience, but be honest!
Work Experience/Responsibilities
Identify the qualities being sought and think about the skills you needed for, and gained from, your previous experiences. These can be professional, technical and personal, but it is important that they are relevant and detailed in short, bullet-pointed statements. Make clear what your individual contribution was using positive language and include your responsibilities and achievements. Back everything up with quantifiable facts, such as size of budgets and teams managed and results achieved, to make your skills tangible.
Achievements
Think carefully about which examples you include in this section, as employers may deduce a lot from your choice about your motivations and what you regard as important. Employers are only interested in your most recent achievements, so don't mention that you were milk monitor at primary school! If an employer reads about something you did seven years ago, they might wonder why you haven't done anything more impressive since then.
Extra-Curricular Activities
This section on hobbies and interests not previously covered should be kept short (3-4 lines), such as membership of and positions of responsibility in sports teams, drama societies etc. Any information should have a purpose, ideally showing skills relevant to the role and saying something of interest about yourself.
Relevant Skills & Interests
Driving licence details, courses attended, foreign languages and IT (include level of proficiency).
References
Unless requested, references need not be given at the initial application stage and a simple "references available on request" should suffice. Employers will ask for references if and when they need them.
Design & presentation
There is no one absolute CV structure, as CVs with certain biases will suit particular formats - the CVs of a recent graduate and a professional with several years experience will be necessarily different. There is also the simple matter of the personal tastes of both the applicant and the recruiter, where a degree of individuality can serve to make a CV uniquely interesting from other more mundane offerings, yet too much artistic licence is likely to be detrimental. The basic rule to always bear in mind is substance before style. However attractive or artistically inspired your CV may look, it will be your selling points that set you apart and get you an interview request, not the way in which they are presented.
Nevertheless, the old adage that first impressions count is particularly pertinent with regard to CVs. At a glance, your CV must appear ordered, readable and pleasing to the eye, with sections and headings clearly marked. It is imperative that potential employers don't waste precious time trying to locate certain information, as this will frustrate them and make them even less likely to read through those details placed towards the end of your CV.
The principal objective is to present your skills and experience as effectively as possible, detailing the key points in a succinct and logical manner. Where applicable, dates should be included to show the duration of particular activities or placements and organised in reverse chronological order within each section. In particular, you should be careful not to leave any significant lapses of time (3 months+) unaccounted for, as for all a potential employer knows you could have been in prison!
Good Luck
Overview
Your single most important marketing tool is your CV and its primary purpose is to secure you an interview. It is vital, therefore, that it should list your best selling points in as accessible and logical a manner as possible. It is highly likely that your CV will be one of many, possibly hundreds, that a recruiter or consultant has to read through in an extremely short space of time. It is not unlikely that, at the screening stage, its initial reading may amount to little more than a cursory glance, perhaps lasting a mere 30 seconds.
It is vital, therefore, that your CV is well presented and clearly structured, with the most relevant information on the first page and readily identifiable.
Make the most of your gaps
In effect, the perfect CV should act as an aid to the reader, directing their focus to the qualification criteria they are looking for and the key points that differentiate you from any other applicants. As well as the obvious need to ensure that all spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct, the overall layout and format of each section should be such that it enables the information contained to be easily accessed and quickly interpreted.
One final point to remember is that your CV is likely to form the framework for any interview and you can expect to be asked to elaborate on, justify or defend any statements made in your application. Consequently, it is important that you feel comfortable with your CV and ensure that its contents are both honest and accurate. Whilst you should always aim to present any information in a positive way, be careful to avoid huge exaggeration or any fabrication whatsoever.
Structure and content
Since a recruiter will look at the beginning first, you should make sure the most relevant information is at the beginning of the first page. It is crucial that you think carefully about what the qualification criteria are for each employer and how closely you can match yourself to these.
As an (under)graduate your education is likely to be your strongest selling point and therefore it is this that should come first. If, for whatever reason, you feel your professional experience is more relevant and impressive, then you may wish to put this ahead of your academic details.
All good CVs are simple, succinct and logically structured to enable any reader to find the information they require within seconds. Consequently, sentences need to be short, factual and to the point using 'power' words (see Key Words) and keeping others such as 'and', 'the', 'I' and 'we' to a minimum, as words that are redundant only dilute the point being made. One method is to do several drafts, each time going through to make sure every phrase earns its place and deleting as many words as possible without changing a sentence's overall meaning.
Identify main selling points and the key competencies/skills that the employer is looking for.
Examples of selling points: working for a well-renowned employer, good experience in a particularly rare skill set, size of projects, particularly relevant qualifications, etc.
Be self-analytical and clear about yourself and what your main selling points are compared to other candidates. Problem solving is very important in all career areas. Define your problem solving skills, relating them, as far as possible, to your job target. With this in mind, prepare lists of your skills and achievements.
The most common contents include:
Personal Details
(Name, Date of Birth, Contact Details, Nationality - Work Permit if relevant)
Education and Qualifications
(Degree back to GCSEs):
The full title of your degree and university and any significant exam results should suffice, although any modules or projects of particular relevance to the application could be included.
Secondary School and A/AS Level subjects and grades:
GCSEs - subjects and grades, though if pushed for space, just mention Maths & English, plus any relevant subjects
For people looking for careers in technology, it is usual to include a comprehensive and clear summary of the IT applications and systems you have worked with. Avoid long lists of technologies you may have come across, however, and only mention those you have significant experience in. If you know the employer is after a particular skill then mention it and how much experience, but be honest!
Work Experience/Responsibilities
Identify the qualities being sought and think about the skills you needed for, and gained from, your previous experiences. These can be professional, technical and personal, but it is important that they are relevant and detailed in short, bullet-pointed statements. Make clear what your individual contribution was using positive language and include your responsibilities and achievements. Back everything up with quantifiable facts, such as size of budgets and teams managed and results achieved, to make your skills tangible.
Achievements
Think carefully about which examples you include in this section, as employers may deduce a lot from your choice about your motivations and what you regard as important. Employers are only interested in your most recent achievements, so don't mention that you were milk monitor at primary school! If an employer reads about something you did seven years ago, they might wonder why you haven't done anything more impressive since then.
Extra-Curricular Activities
This section on hobbies and interests not previously covered should be kept short (3-4 lines), such as membership of and positions of responsibility in sports teams, drama societies etc. Any information should have a purpose, ideally showing skills relevant to the role and saying something of interest about yourself.
Relevant Skills & Interests
Driving licence details, courses attended, foreign languages and IT (include level of proficiency).
References
Unless requested, references need not be given at the initial application stage and a simple "references available on request" should suffice. Employers will ask for references if and when they need them.
Design & presentation
There is no one absolute CV structure, as CVs with certain biases will suit particular formats - the CVs of a recent graduate and a professional with several years experience will be necessarily different. There is also the simple matter of the personal tastes of both the applicant and the recruiter, where a degree of individuality can serve to make a CV uniquely interesting from other more mundane offerings, yet too much artistic licence is likely to be detrimental. The basic rule to always bear in mind is substance before style. However attractive or artistically inspired your CV may look, it will be your selling points that set you apart and get you an interview request, not the way in which they are presented.
Nevertheless, the old adage that first impressions count is particularly pertinent with regard to CVs. At a glance, your CV must appear ordered, readable and pleasing to the eye, with sections and headings clearly marked. It is imperative that potential employers don't waste precious time trying to locate certain information, as this will frustrate them and make them even less likely to read through those details placed towards the end of your CV.
The principal objective is to present your skills and experience as effectively as possible, detailing the key points in a succinct and logical manner. Where applicable, dates should be included to show the duration of particular activities or placements and organised in reverse chronological order within each section. In particular, you should be careful not to leave any significant lapses of time (3 months+) unaccounted for, as for all a potential employer knows you could have been in prison!
Good Luck
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