The Non-Recruiters Guide To The Recruitment Industry

It was time to take the plunge. Most people would probably like to escape the rat race and move to a quiet life in sunny Tauranga, but I’ve always been one to go against the grain. So I went the opposite direction of course!

It’s now been 5 weeks since I started my role as Marketing and Communications Coordinator with Consult. I left the beautiful bay behind for the hustle and bustle of Auckland so that I could spread my marketing wings some more. I know a good opportunity when I see one and Consult was definitely that.

Working in the recruitment industry, I’ve been exposed to things I wouldn’t have necessarily seen in other industries. “What could those things possibly be?” I hear you ask.

WELL, HERE’S 6 THINGS I HAVE LEARNT WORKING IN THE RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY AS A NON-RECRUITER:

1. YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR STUFF

You can’t do the ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ thing around here – no sir! It is super important that you actually know your stuff when it comes to what’s going on in the industry, knowing your clients, their wants and needs; and knowing your candidates and what they’re suited for so you can place them in the perfect role.

CV’s aren’t just pulled out of hats and given to clients. Recruitment is like solving a ‘who did it’ mystery. There’s probably a lot of people out there who you think ‘may’ have done it, but there’s only one person who really did it. Recruitment is about doing the hard yards with every single role and finding that one person who fits the mould (not just the person who can possibly squeeze into the mould).

2.  MEET PATIENCE – YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

We’ve probably all heard the saying, “Good things take time.” Sometimes in recruitment, you have to be about as patient as a kid on Christmas morning! Wait… that’s not very patient, is it? I guess what I’m referring to here is more of the impatient feeling you might have to start with, but the fact that you will soon learn that good things take time and being patient is worth it in the long run. Expanding your networks, building trusting relationships and a good client base takes quite some time. Likewise, so does filling an important role or finally finding the dream job for a candidate. It may take you a while to reach the level of success that you had hoped for in recruitment, but once you get there – I can see that it sure is worth it!

3. YOU SHOULD BOTHER WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH

Amongst Snapchat’s wacky filters, people sharing their life in boomerangs on Instagram, and stalking what your schoolmates are up to on LinkedIn – there are actually some ways social media can help your job search! Say what?! You can network from the comfort of your own couch and expand your number of potential contacts. If you’re the introverted type, social media is good for you too because you can get to know someone before you meet them in person, so you’ll have heaps to talk about when you do meet in person! No more awkward conversations about the crazy weather or what you had for lunch – phewf.

LinkedIn is like your social media CV and it’s important that this is up to date (find out more about this here). You want to use this ‘digital real estate’ to your advantage – it could be the difference between getting headhunted for your dream job and not!

The good (actually, the even better) news is that you can do it all from your phone. If you’re anything like me, you spend a decent amount of time on your phone browsing social media so you might as well use it to help you get a job.

4. RECRUITERS HAVE GUTS!

Cold calling, having to tell candidates they’ve been unsuccessful in roles, and constantly pitching to new clients hoping to gain some new business are not easy feats. These things are daunting to me, to say the least, so the fact that these guys do this all day every day is pretty awesome on their part. You need to have guts for recruitment – being able to dust yourself off and carry on is an advantage but being able to laugh at yourself is important too.

5. IT’S NOT AS GLAMOROUS AS YOU THINK

Recruitment is all coffees, visits and more coffees, right? Wrong! Super wrong, actually. There is so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes that doesn’t get seen or recognised (or charged for) by clients and candidates. Filling a role is not just about drawing a CV out of a hat. It’s the year that the consultant spent getting to know that client before they were offered a role to fill. It’s the ten interviews the consultant did to find the perfect candidate. It’s finding all those other great candidates roles too when you turn them down for this one. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You really have to do the hard yards in recruitment. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears; and passion and dedication that goes into the work this industry does. So, give your recruiter some love (or donuts) next time you see them – they deserve it!

6. IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY

It’s not just about getting paid. Sure, we need to make money to keep ticking along but the joy you get from helping someone achieve their goals – you can’t really put a price on that. It’s awesome to see the team go above and beyond for candidates with CV writing tips, interview tips and encouraging them to keep in touch if they ever have any questions or concerns – no matter how big or small.

I have a completely newfound respect for recruiters and what they do. It takes a lot of time to be good at it, to make connections but most importantly to be trusted. Recruiters have the ability to make someone’s dream job become a reality, help companies build awesome teams and learn from different people from all corners of the globe. Working with them isn’t so bad either!

If you would like to see what crazy antics we get up to at Consult, check out our latest jobs or just see how much our consultants love food (a whole lot), just like or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.