So, you’re thinking about starting a career in recruitment. But you’re likely wondering if it’s a good choice. Is being a recruitment consultant is hard? Do recruiters make good money?
I’ve been working in recruitment for around 10 years. And it does have its perks. You can earn serious money in a short period of time. I know people who make more money in a month than you would in a whole year. However, you likely won’t hit 6 figures during your first years. Don’t get me wrong, you could land a diamond of a client and hit the jackpot. Nevertheless, before making your decision, here’s brief on what recruitment involves.
What is Recruitment?
Recruitment comprises an interconnected cycle of processes including sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and choosing the best candidates for an organization. A recruitment career is intellectually challenging, dynamic, rewarding and opens doors to a variety of career choices. Most recruitment consultants tap into account management, CRM and database management, talent acquisition, HR, business development, and online marketing.
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I can almost hear what you’re thinking. “A recruitment career sounds great. Why aren’t more people considering it as a career path? What’s the catch?” Stay with me. The catch is that because you’re working with people and impacting their lives, recruitment’s a highly volatile and challenging career. Not many can handle the pressure and stress of closing a client who’s undecided. Your earnings are literally in your client’s hands. So, although it has its rewards, you’ll also find downsides. But guess what. With the right training and skills, you can easily overcome them and achieve great financial results. Stay with me and by the end of this article, you’ll make the right choice.
Is Recruitment a Good Career?
Recruitment can be tough, but at the same time highly rewarding, and exciting. Over the past ten years, I’ve interviewed and worked with a wide range of clients. I’ve encountered multiple difficult situations but also landed gold mines.
Are you asking yourself: is recruitment a good career? Keep reading and you’ll find out the answer.
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Throughout your entire career as a recruiter, you’ll enjoy thorough training and the possibility to acquire new skills at your desk. You’ll continuously grow. And not just when you’re starting out. If you combine the skills you’ve learned with dedication and hard work, you’ll achieve great results.
With the right attitude and real passion, you can get ahead of the game quickly. For example, from being a part-time recruiter for a corporation, you could easily become a full-time Talent Acquisition Manager.
On top of that, a recruitment career provides great earning possibilities. With an uncapped commission, you can enjoy the rewards of closing large clients. And commissions are separate from your base recruitment salary.
I know it already sounds fantastic, but bear with me…
Because you’re dealing directly with people, whether by finding a new job for someone or helping a business owner hire the perfect candidate, you have a huge impact on their lives. Even after 10 years in this career, I still get excited after finding someone a great job.
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Technology has disrupted the recruitment sector. But not in a bad way, stick with me… Tools such as LinkedIn are making it easier for recruiters to identify and screen candidates for clients. As the largest online professional platform, as a recruiter, you can also use LinkedIn to learn more about new techniques. This will help you stay ahead of the game. What’s best, digital advances are making it much easier to communicate and build relationships with candidates around the world. You won’t be facing geographic limitations.
Despite some standard formulas in the sector, the best recruiters are innovative thinkers. But how do you do that? I’m not talking about reinventing the wheel. Analyze what your competitors are doing and put your own spin on things. Improve your skills and you’ll provide the best services to your clients.
A recruitment job is a bit like running your own business. Once you master the right skills and you’re fully trained, you can manage your own clients’ database. You enjoy your own success but also have the support of the corporation you’re working for. It’s a win-win situation.
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Do Recruiters Make Good Money?
A recruiter can have a variety of titles including Talent Acquisition Manager or HR Expert. And they slightly differ in duties and responsibilities. But it comes down to identifying the best candidates for the jobs available. In the US, as of May 2018, Human Resources Specialists made $60,800 a year on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the UK, the average annual recruitment salary for this job was about $38,000, according to PayScale. And in Canada, a Human Resources Specialist earns, on average, $42,000, as reported by PayScale. Stay with me now, it’s a start. With the right training, you’ll quickly land huge clients for increased earnings.
Is Being A Recruitment Consultant Is Hard?
Here’s something we can both agree on. Any career you choose has its ups and downs. But if you’re following your passion and you’re dedicated to your career, you’ll find that every challenge is an opportunity to grow.
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I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that the best things are the hardest to achieve. If you’re great at what you do, the incentives are worthwhile. As a recruiter, you can enjoy perks such as trips abroad, lunches at high-class restaurants, amazing holiday allowances, and high commissions.
But because you’re always on the go, it’s difficult to find work-life balance. Especially during your first couple of years at the job. You’ll be stressed about reaching your targets, setting meetings and closing bigger clients. But as you build your client database, it does get easier. What’s more, you build resilience and you become stronger.
This business sector is incredibly competitive. You’re going up against people who have more experience, more relationships, and more clients than you. You’ll face recruiters who’re pretending to be candidates, faking CVs and keeping information from you, just to move forward. But in the long run, they never end up well. With hard work, top training and the best growth environment you’ll naturally get ahead and stand out from the competition.
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Working as a recruitment consultant changes your trust in people and you become skeptical. Let me clarify. During my career, I’ve heard many excuses from people who didn’t attend an interview or didn’t take my call. I’m not saying some weren’t genuine, but when a candidate tells you that the same relative died twice, you lose sympathy.
You could view it from a positive perspective as you become less naive. Also, as a recruiter, people you meet will judge you. Let me elaborate. Recruiters are usually seen as realtors or lawyers who keep calling you. They have an image problem. That’s because society labels them as aggressive salespeople, in sharp suits, who are only motivated by commissions.
Working in Recruitment Pros and Cons
As someone who’s been a recruiter for 10 years, I won’t hide that it’s a roller coaster ride. Some will say you’re selling your soul, while others will swear it’s the best career choice. To tell you the truth, you’ll experience working in recruitment pros and cons. Let me walk you through them.
Pros:
Depending on your role and the organization you’re working for you can earn huge commissions if you land big clients. But not when you’re just starting out. You should develop an impressive skill set including problem-solving, communication, empathy, negotiation, event management, and relationship building. Whatever direction you choose, these skills will help you both on a personal and professional level.
The most rewarding part of being a recruiter is helping candidates find their dream jobs. Most of the time, you’re completely shifting their lives for the better. So, it turns out that a recruiter is not all about the money. Honing the art of improving people’s lives will make you a greater professional. What’s more, problem-solving is key to a long career in recruitment. When you solve the challenges your clients are facing, it’s lucrative but also incredibly fulfilling.
Cons:
A recruiter must coordinate two parties, the employer and the job candidate. You’ll usually deal with issues such as candidates abandoning the process or clients changing a meeting time or date for an interview. It’s your responsibility to communicate these situations to both parties. What’s worse is you’ll also have to handle situations when a client rejects your candidate. All you can do is learn more about what your client wants so you can pinpoint the perfect candidate.
Being a recruiter can be a grind. But I’m sure you’re with me when I say all things worth doing are hard. It’s the nature of the business. You’ll rarely have the perfect candidate email their CV to you.
You’re likely wondering if you have the right DNA to be a recruiter. Here’s the bottom line. Recruiting is all about people. It’s very much like matchmaking. You must match the right candidate with your client’s job to make them both happy. So, you’re making 2 sales. And to pull it off, you need the right training. If you can make compelling arguments and you can empathize with your candidates, you’ll get the job done.
Is Recruitment career for Me?
What’s more, recruiting is multifaceted. You must be able to multitask and think on your feet. There’s no boring or average day in recruiting. You’ll be meeting new candidates, following up on referrals, strategizing with your team, negotiating, onboarding candidates, and sending job offers. So, what’s my point? If you’re a person who has good time-management and you know how to break down huge tasks to reach your target, recruiting is right for you.
Although leadership is a vague term, as a recruiter, you’re actually leading people. Your end goal is to find great jobs for all your candidates. You’re helping people market themselves and their skillset to land perfect jobs. As you’re working with people, it can be challenging. That’s because people are unpredictable. And it’s where you’re leadership skills apply. You must drive our candidates towards the end goal. For example, if you’re the person people come to for advice, you’re more likely trustworthy and trained. Your candidates and clients will trust you have their best interests at heart.
And the best part is you’ll enjoy significant financial incentives. Besides the satisfaction of genuinely helping people improve their lives, compensation is the most rewarding in recruitment. It’s a highly lucrative career path. The more successful you are at your job, the more money you’ll earn. What’s more, you’ll quickly be climbing up the corporate ladder. It’s one of the few careers, which offer the possibility of getting promoted two or three times during a year.
It all boils down to identifying if you have the right skills to be a recruiter. So, if you’re a charismatic leader, an innovative thinker, and great communicator, recruiting is a great career path for you.