How to succeed as a newbie recruitment consultant
Jody Collings was a hotel manager before beginning her career with Just Recruitment Group Ltd, where she oversees the trainee scheme. She shares her tips to help newcomers thrive
I’ve always loved dealing with people. I think that’s crucial if you want to work in recruitment. You have to be interested in people, and want to understand what makes them tick. That’s how you match candidates to jobs.
Recruitment is a two-way process. It’s not enough to understand a candidate’s needs. You also have to establish a rapport with employers, in order to grasp precisely what they’re looking for.
When I work with our trainees, I concentrate on their communication skills. If you can’t hold a conversation with someone, this isn’t the industry to work in. So much of what we do relies on listening, then responding to what you’ve been told.
Training is vital, but you can’t teach everything. I didn’t follow a formal training programme when I started working at Just Recruitment four years ago. I learnt on the job, and picked up skills by observing colleagues.
Our trainee scheme is intended to equip the next generation of recruitment consultants. It’s a real privilege to be involved in mentoring this group of new recruits. They’re all eager to learn, and ask loads of great questions.
You can’t be half-hearted about working in recruitment. Ours is a hard-nosed, demanding industry. If you succeed, the rewards are fantastic. But you really need to crave them if you’re to thrive.
Effective recruiters have inquiring minds. Yes, we tend to be great talkers. But unless we know what our clients need, and what our candidates are looking for in a job, we won’t stand any chance of bringing the two together.
Our trainees are like sponges. They’re so eager to learn that it’s a joy to work with them. We offer a mixed programme to build their skills, and they’re already showing great potential.
It’s great to be involved in an innovative training programme. The recruitment industry hasn’t always been good at bringing on fresh talent. Just Recruitment’s new trainee scheme is at the vanguard, and I’m proud of what we’re achieving.
I still get a buzz out of placing a candidate. There’s a sense of excitement when you know you’ve found the perfect person for a vacancy. If you lose that thrill, there’s probably not much point turning up for work.
Enthusiasm, commitment, hard work and determination. They’re the characteristics I’m trying to instil in our trainees. Get them under your belt, and you’ll have a bright future in recruitment.
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