what is a recruitment consultant?
A recruitment consultant mediates between a client company and a job-seeker to find a good fit between the two. The job contains an inherent sales component, as you are selling the client to the candidate and vice versa. Furthermore, you must operate as a salesperson when promoting your services to paying clients. A client pays for your ability to act on their behalf and find ideal employees for their opening.
As a recruitment consultant, you communicate with client companies and job seekers. If the candidate has a question surrounding the recruiting process, you liaise with the company to answer the job seeker's inquiry.
You also need to understand an employee's position in the client's company. The client depends on you to shortlist candidates and suggest the best fit. Therefore, you need to help them find reliable employees who can transform their business.
Many recruitment consultants work in human resources to gain experience. Your role has a strong sales component that differs from conventional sales jobs. You don't need to convince someone that they need your product. Clients and candidates are attentive to your work and are anxious to close a deal. With companies constantly searching for high-quality personnel, there is no shortage of work. Growth opportunities abound as there are levels to the recruiting field. A driven recruitment consultant will go from entry-level sourcing management to finding top executives for major corporations.
Would working as a recruitment consultant suit your people skills and negotiation abilities? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a recruitment consultant role.
average salary of a recruitment consultant
According to National Careers, a recruitment consultant earns an average salary of £16,000 at entry-level. When you gain experience, your earnings can increase to £40,000. Apart from basic wages, a recruitment consultant also enjoys various benefits like housing and transport allowances. Most companies offer opportunities to increase your earnings through overtime pay and yearly bonuses. Some recruitment consultants are paid on commission and earn an agreed percentage of the salary of any employee they recommend successfully to a company.
what factors affect a recruitment consultant's salary?
As a recruitment consultant, your salary varies based on experience, skills and location. A recruitment consultant in an entry-level position earns less since they have limited experience and skill. As you build your experience, more clients trust you with recruitment, which increases your commissions and basic salary. Your employer and the types of employees you recruit also affect your salary. For instance, if you recruit top-level executives for your clients, you will likely earn more than recruiting entry and middle-level staff. Your compensation package is better if your salary includes commissions for successful job placements. The location also affects your earnings. Large cities with huge demand for employees increase the demand for recruitment consultants, which translates to better earnings.
types of recruitment consultants
Recruitment consultants differ depending on the companies they work for and the payment method. Some of the common recruitment consultants include:
- in-house recruitment consultants: as a recruitment consultant, you can work in-house and focus on recruiting for one company. You headhunt potential employees, conduct interviews and onboard new workers.
- external recruitment consultants: you work for a human resource consultancy firm. Your job is to find employees for different clients. That means you spend most of the year writing job descriptions, advertising vacancies, shortlisting and interviewing potential candidates.
- contingency recruitment consultants: as a contingency recruitment consultant, you receive payment when a successful candidate is hired. You receive a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary.
working as a recruitment consultant
As a recruitment consultant, your primary duties are to provide clients with the best candidate for their position while maximising closing rates for your agency. Want to find out more? Read on for information about your career prospects and a typical day as a recruitment consultant.
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recruitment consultant job description
Some of the duties and responsibilities of a recruitment consultant include:
- creating a recruitment strategy: you will plan how to source candidates and which sites to advertise on for the best pool of candidates.
- screening resumes: after advertising a vacancy, you will receive resumes from various candidates. Your job is to screen the resumes and identify candidates that are the best fit for the position. While you can use an applicant tracking system, you will also screen some CVs manually before shortlisting candidates.
- conducting assessments: before a candidate proceeds to the interview stage, you will conduct screening to test their aptitude and other assessments. You can use the assessment results to shortlist candidates.
- performing interviews: you will perform pre-screening interviews to reduce the number of applicants before planning the interview. You can conduct interviews with the hiring manager of the client company and other stakeholders to ensure you decide on the best candidate for the position.
- completing background checks: you will need to complete background and reference checks before making a job offer. You can complete the reference checks yourself and find a reputable firm to complete a background check.
- communicating necessary information to candidates: throughout the recruitment process, you will communicate with candidates about interview dates and outcomes.
- negotiating contracts: you will present a job offer to a candidate and discuss the job responsibilities and salaries. You represent the company during the negotiations and ensure both the candidate and company are satisfied with the job offer.
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work environment
As a recruitment consultant, you work in human resource consultancies or large companies, so you will be working in an indoor office environment. The indoor work settings are usually well lit and air-conditioned. Sometimes, you have to attend workshops and job fairs to find potential candidates and network with other recruiters.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer, your colleagues might include other recruiters, human resource managers and payroll specialists. You may also work in close proximity to accountants and corporate lawyers, as well as other specialists that could include human resource consultants, employment managers and hr analytics specialists.
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work schedule
A recruitment consultant works regular working hours, typically nine-to-five. However, the nature of the position often requires late nights and early mornings. Attending events and visiting clients will often break up your workdays, and travel can be part of the job, depending on the agency. In full-time positions, you work 38 to 40 hours a week. Part-time positions and short-term contracts are also available in the role.
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job outlook
The demanding nature of the position means that successful recruitment consultants who enter the profession progress quickly. If you hit your targets consistently, your employer will notice and move you up the ladder. This is especially true in large firms with more room for upward mobility. Working for a small recruiter may mean gradual growth but also translate to the potential for becoming a reliable partner in the future. Furthermore, the skills of a recruitment consultant translate well to other demanding fields. If you choose to make a career transition, displaying success in the human resources field is a powerful bargaining tool.
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advantages of finding a recruitment consultant job through randstad
Finding your recruitment consultant job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a recruitment consultant is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Explore various ways of becoming a recruitment consultant:
- university course: you can join the recruitment consultancy role with a degree in related subjects like marketing, human resources or public relations. Some recruitment agencies specialise in specific careers. For instance, you can become a recruitment consultant for engineering firms if you have a background in engineering.
- apprenticeships: you can find intermediate apprenticeship courses for recruitment consultants in human resource agencies. Combining on-the-job training with coursework improves your job prospects.
skills and competencies
A good recruitment consultant combines a diverse skill set that helps them source quality candidates for clients. As a recruitment consultant, you will need a high level of emotional intelligence and practical skills to deliver results.
- excellent communication skills: you will be receptive to what clients need and what makes candidates happy. You will put candidates at ease while obtaining all the relevant information regarding what they can offer the client company.
- relationship-building: you will establish clear communication with clients and candidates and build strong relationships. The recruiter-candidate relationship is important to discern whether the person across from you is a good fit for the position. At the same time, you will foster trust with clients. This guarantees that clients will want to work with you in the future.
- goal-oriented mentality: as a recruitment consultant, you work to deadlines. Clients are looking to hire high-level employees as soon as possible. Having a goal-oriented mentality is a must for producing results for clients.
- effective negotiation skills: the closer a hiring approaches completion, the more each side looks forward to cementing their demands. As a successful recruitment consultant, you will have the ability to mediate between clients and shortlisted candidates. Salary, benefits, working hours, time off and other points of contention result from your ability to negotiate on behalf of the client and the candidate.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a recruitment consultant
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how much do recruitment consultants make?
The salary of a recruitment consultant ranges from £16,000 to £40,000 per year. You can also earn commissions and bonuses.
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do recruitment consultants earn a lot?
Recruitment consultants make enough for a comfortable living. The most productive consultants exceed the average national salary and can become partners at their firms.
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what qualifications do I need to be a recruitment consultant?
To become a recruitment consultant, you need a degree in human resources and some years of experience. You can also join the role through apprenticeships.
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what does a recruitment consultant do daily?
A recruitment consultant is constantly sourcing candidates through a variety of channels. Consultants spend much of their time liaising with clients, focusing on cold calling, online marketing techniques and networking.
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is recruitment a hard job?
The position includes challenges that professionals best meet with the ability to set goals and organise strategies. People with a talent for sales will find being a recruitment consultant a good fit.
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how do I apply for a recruitment consultant vacancy?
Applying for a recruitment consultant job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
