The start of the year is infamous for being decidedly downbeat. The weather, the post-festive blues, the depleted bank balance and New Year resolutions broken on the first day of trying, make for glum faces.
But despair not! There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Looking ahead, January and February are also officially the best months of the year for job seekers to bag a brand new career. As businesses across the UK seek to reinvigorate their operations, hiring budgets are increased and key decision-makers in HR and recruitment get together with s1jobs to form strategies to find new talent.
A key player in this world of hiring is the recruitment consultant.
But what does the role entail and how could you carve out a career helping others find their dream job?
Firstly, recruitment is all about people and working with so many personalities makes the job always fresh and varied. Typically, you will be responsible for liaising with companies to help them find employees.
Once you’ve engaged with a business, you’ll often act as the go-between for two parties so, excellent communication skills are a must.
The day job will involve preparing advertisements, organising and conducting interviews, assisting candidates with interview techniques and preparation, negotiating contracts and forming networks of useful contacts to strengthen future client relationships.
Roles can often be specialised, such as in legal or medical recruitment. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need expertise in law or medicine, however. Many consultants start out via graduate programmes, where training schemes arm you with all the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed.
Normally, an undergraduate degree in any field is enough to get started, as on-the-job training is provided.
Just as important as the paper qualifications are the qualities required to make you an excellent recruiter. Tenacity, a strong work ethic and a determination to get deals over the line are all crucial.
As the role is essentially sales-based, having the gift of the gab and a little natural charm can also work wonders.
Among the biggest benefits of working in recruitment are the financial rewards. Salaries in the UK tend to average around £24,000 per year but there are usually attractive bonus packages available for the best in the business. This can effectively mean an uncapped wage, if you have the right drive to succeed.
As well as the healthy salary working as recruiter is also emotionally fulfilling. By helping others find employment you’re helping them achieve life goals – that’s job satisfaction at its best.
The winter blues? Pah! Why not make your New Year’s resolution to join the exciting world of recruitment?
You can start by getting yourself recruited via the latest vacancies on s1jobs.