Ask someone who’s been in the industry for years why they chose recruitment and the odds are they’ll tell you they ‘fell into it.’ No-one ever dreamt of being a recruitment consultant when they grew up and teenagers weren’t beating down the doors of their local recruiter to secure that first, all-important work experience placement.
Fast-forward to 2014 and it’s a different picture – for the first time school leavers, second jobbers and graduates have their heart set on a trainee recruitment consultant role in the City and here are just a few reasons why.
Why London's recruitment sector is booming
There are big bucks to be made in recruitment
It’s no longer a secret that a successful trainee recruitment consultant can make a lot of money. Most recruiters offer a generous starting salary of £18,000 to £22,000….but it doesn’t stop there. With generous bonus structures and uncapped earning potential, it’s a fast-track way to pay off student debt, book your dream holiday or kit out your swanky new London pad.
Working for a recruiter in the HR industry also quite literally brings with it lots of benefits. Good holiday, pension and life insurance tend to come as standard but there’s also gym membership, mobile phone packages, cinema concessions and shopping discounts. All these little additions really make your package go further.
There’s fast-track career progression
For some go-getters, two-year graduate schemes are losing their appeal. If you’re great at your job and you’re achieving results, why be tied down by schemes that potentially dictate your career progression? Recruitment offers talented and hungry individuals the opportunity to be a master of their own destiny.
If you’re good at your job you can quickly climb the career ladder and reap the financial rewards. Many large recruiters also have in-house learning and development teams, giving you ample support and training throughout every stage of your career.
You don’t need a degree to make it to management
A degree is not a prerequisite for securing a job as a trainee recruitment consultant as it’s the skills and experience that you have that will set you apart at interview stage. If you’re driven, tenacious, a team-player and have good attention to detail you could well excel in recruitment.
Many customer service reps with good people and phone skills along with sales executives who are familiar with hitting targets stand out from the candidate crowd. Speak to any big recruiter and you can bet your bottom dollar that many of their senior management team don’t have degrees and they’ve worked their way up from grass roots level.
You can work hard, play hard in London
The draw of the big smoke has never been stronger. The jobs market in London is booming post-recession and City bars are once again brimming with young Tech, Finance and Recruitment professionals after a busy day at the office. It’s the perfect lifestyle for those who want to balance an exciting and rewarding career with a great social life.
