I'm a Recruitment Consultant. AMA

[Seth]

And have been for 20 years. Ask me anything.

I have applied for a job as a recruitment consultant. What interview tips would you give me if I was offered an interview?

what qualifications do you need to do your job?

Why do so few companies handle their own recruitment any more, especially the larger ones?

I have just been made redundant after 14 years in the same job.

Not planning on getting a new job until October/ November time.

Would you recommend I see a recruitment consultant and what advice would you give me?

My concern is that anecdotally my experience with any recruitment or job agency/ consultant is that it’s all about the money they’ll be making, rather than actually helping me to find the right position.

I am really worried tbh and would like to know how a recruitment consultant would be able to help me.

What area of work/industry do you deal with?

Hi sorry. On holiday and have had limited time to respond.

Newname

The biggest mistake people make when applying for this job is that they say they are a people person , like helping people etc. This things are all true but it can be a really tough job so giving examples of when you have been really resilient , how you respond to challenges, examples of when you have built up relationships with challenging people , succeeded in the face of adversity etc will all show more than that. Plus really reading up on the companies values and reflecting back and showing that you hold similar values too will help. Good luck !

User146

It varies massively. When I started in this job I just went on a grad scheme with one of the large companies. You needed a degree of sorts but it wasn't important in what. Now days I would say that a a lot of successful people are career changers. They have a strong work ethic and are going into it with their eyes open. A raw grad can find it all a bit daunting. More and more I would say that it's becoming much more about your personality and ethic rather than a degree or relevant experience.

Karting
Good question! I think thAt there is so much competition for the right people in any industry that a lot of large companies see it as a necessary thing to do. In the 'olden days' companies used to place an ad in the Guardian (or similar) or industry press but the whole process of recruitment is changing so much.. even in the space of 1 year there is so much new technology, ways to network , the way people look for jobs (virtually always now on mobile apps rather than actual websites) and even the large companies were overwhelmed and unable to keep up. So sooner outsource it and pay someone else to focus on the recruiting so they can just focus on the business. Also it was traditionally the role of HR to deal with recruitment. The role of an HR person / team is so big now and so much more complex that it makes sense for HR to focus on that and have a separate team (in house but increasingly an outsourced team) to focus on the recruitment.

Itchy.
Mod you mind me asking what industry you work in? They are all so different and it really depends on whether your field has a skills / candidate shortage or wether there are plenty of candidates but less jobs.

In answer to your question., I am very aware of the fact that there ate so many bad recruitment consultants and companies out there. It gives the industry such a bad name and I sometimes feel as if I have to justify that I am one of the good / honest / trustworthy ones to people as so many people have had bad experiences. Yes there are ones out there who would tell you anything juT to make money but I i think most intelligent people will know when they are being falsely 'sold to' or being pressured . No decent company will ever make you feel as if the choices you are making are anyone's but your own. I see it as my job to listen to people, take on board what's important to them and present them to the right kind of companies. I build up a relationship with them and prepare Turkmen for their interviews. I guide them through the process but intimately it should be the individual who decides what they do. I thin the younger consultants from large companies get a lot of pressure put on them. If you can't trust someone then move on.

Sorry for typos. Brain clearly on holiday also!

Hercules

That did used to be something that happened but really shouldn't any more. The lead role from advertising a role to it being visible is now a matter of minutes so there is no excuse. I suspect some recruitment companies do still do it as they want to attract good candidates but it's not legal. I would say that if you hear that line once but the recruiter does seem to have other roles that might be of interest to you then it's worth sticking with them. If you just don't get a good feeling or if it happens twice with the same company then don't keep in touch.,

The best advice I can give is that if there are certain companies that you are interested in, or you work in a certain industry.. then don't think that a recruitment consultant is your only option. Send your cv in to companies even if they don't have roles on their website and send a short covering letter and cv . Many companies aren't great at advertising their roles and so many of them would rather not pay us a fee so you may stand a very good chance without going to a recruiter. Linked in is also great too.
I specialise In recruiting accountants!

Hi Seth, I'm 36, and have been thinking about moving into recruitment possibly in my sector. I'm hesitant because of my age, young kids and giving up a good wage etc. My questions

1. How much socialising/networking
2. How do you win mandates, are your key client relations with HR dept or hiring managers
3. Have u seen career changers
4. Do you need to be an extroverted sort (I'm not)

Thanks!

*career changers succeed in recruitment

Hi
I am asking on behalf of my sister...
She has a masters in English literature, is artistic, can sew and has made costumes for a travelling theatre company/weddings/kids, loves making dioramas, puppets etc.
She proof read and ghost wrote a load of case study work for a friend. She is excellent at editing.
She would love to be able to work from home and needs to earn a decent wage...
Any ideas of job suggestions for her please?

How do you develop the skill of placing people accurately? Like most people, I've had mixed experiences of using recruitment consultants to find work but two really stand out in my memory because they did actually find the ideal job for me within a staggeringly short space of time. The first I literally walked across the road from an awful temp job I'd been placed in and when I explained what I was doing she laughed and said that employer was notorious and got me something that fitted not only my skills but where I was headed almost straightaway. How do you guys do that, those of you who can? It was like witchcraft!

I get lots of emails from recruitment consultants about vacancies for jobs I was doing 20 years ago. Presumably they can see my cv online and as recruitment professionals are aware of the difference between the salary they’re offering and what the roles I’ve done for the last decade attract. They must know I’m not going to be interested. Why do they bother? Are they just the crap, desperate ones who won’t last long?

How much do employment gaps really matter? I finished a contract role in December and while the company wanted to offer me a permanent contract, I decided it wasn't the role for me. I'm taking a few months out to look after some personal stuff and will start looking for a job around late March/April. Will this be a problem?

How do you manage stress during a tough month?

How much do you earn? How does your commission structure work?

I recently had an experience with a recruiter where they were representing me for a role and I got the job offer - they knew I was having multiple interviews simultaneously and could potentially get a counter offer. Sure enough I got offer #1 via the recruiter for a job and initially accepted, next day I got offer #2 which I was more keen on. In the end I politely advised that I’d received an offer that was more interesting to me and my career and had to pull back on the acceptance of #1. Recruiter gave me a bollocking and was quite aggressive via phone and text.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you accept that a job seeker is free to do what they feel is best for them and say “that’s disappointing but good luck for the future” and move on accepting you’ve lost a commission or do you actually take offence and think it’s poor form on the job seekers behalf?