General Description
This is an ideal career for intuitive thinkers. Recruitment Consultants match an employer’s (‘client’) available jobs with a customer (‘candidate’). The match should encompass knowledge, functional skills, availability, career aspirations, salary expectations and cultural fit.
The role of Recruitment Consultant requires strong attention to detail and follow up, business development skills, advanced interpersonal and people skills, quick responsiveness and confidentiality.
What you do every day
On an average day you spend about 30% of your time interviewing candidates face-to-face, 20% of your time meeting clients and 50% of the time at your desk.
Your daily tasks include sending candidates for interviews, writing advertisements, screening advertisement responses, taking calls from candidates, updating and searching for candidates on the database, gathering evidence to make an objective assessment and decision about a candidate, business development calls and reviewing curriculum vitaes (CVs).
You also keep up to date on both industry trends and best practice.
Personality that best fits this career
To be a successful Recruitment Consultant you need the following traits: attention to detail, intuitive thinker, excellent personal presentation and strong influencing skills. A high level of energy, flexibility, confidentiality, be comfortable with making decisions, being prepared to back up your ‘gut feel’ (with evidence) and being prepared to take calculated risks are important attributes.
You also need to be a team player who is goal oriented and displays high emotional intelligence, resilience, clear planning and execution skills, likeability, the ability to build rapport, an ability to sell, curiosity, passion, honesty, integrity, respect, affinity and innovation.
Best thing about this career
There are several great things about being a Recruitment Consultant. Both clients and candidates need your help. You meet and help a variety of people; you develop personally, and get satisfaction knowing you have the ability to make a difference in people’s lives.
Your direct financial reward for effort and hard work Can be significant.
Worst thing about this career
The hardest part of the job is saying “No” to the majority of talented candidates, as only one person gets the job. Candidates may be terrific but not a match to the client job specification.
Also, like other occupations, you are exposed to market conditions.
About the Author
Andrew Banks
Managing Director, Talent2 International.
Did you know that while the dimensions of Australia are striking, the country is, in fact, the smallest of the continents. It is also the lowest, the flattest and, apart from Antarctica, the driest?