All You Need to Know About a Career in Recruitment

Working in recruitment means you are responsible for matching candidates with employers but you will also have the opportunity to develop an array of skills. The traditional image of recruitment is changing with many people choosing this career path instead of viewing it as a ‘plan B’. If you love helping people, you are self-motivated and or want to specialise in a particular industry, a career in recruitment could suit you well and help you to reach high places.

Starting your career in recruitment

You do not need particular qualifications to work in recruitment, however, the industry is a great option for graduates with a degree in business or any other discipline for that matter. Alternatively, if you’re not sure which direction to take, recruitment is a get career choice that will expand your skills and give you responsibility from the start.

Here are some of the best ways to start your career in recruitment:

● Start a graduate recruitment job

● Apply for a recruitment position that’s relevant to your degree i.e technology or the arts

● Show transferable skills that can be used in recruitment

So you've finished university, earned your degree and are eager to get started with your career. You've got a great education, talent and enthusiasm in abundance - the only problem is, you're not sure what to do next.  With so many options to choose from, it isn't always easy making key career decisions. This is particularly the case if your degree doesn't guide you into a specific profession, such as law, accounting or medicine.

Which does recruitment involve?

As a recruiter, the main purpose of your role is to fill positions with well-matched candidates and this is usually on behalf of a client. Most people will start their recruitment career is a recruitment consultant which is an essential role with diverse responsibilities such as:

● Talking to clients and building trustworthy relationships

● Writing ad copy for social media and online

● Headhunting suitable candidates via job boards and social media such as LinkedIn

● Using client databases to identify candidates and reviewing applications

● Briefing candidates for interviews and delivering feedback

Which pathways can you take?

Although most people start as consultants you can also specialise in a particular industry and progress up the ladder. Some of the most common pathways in recruitment include:

● Trainee recruitment consultant

● Junior recruitment consultant

● Senior recruitment consultant

● Head of recruitment

As you go up the ladder, you may have opportunities to manage your own team and take control of a specific area of the recruitment department.

Recruitment salary expectations

● Trainee recruitment consultants -  £15,000 to £20,000.

● Junior recruitment consultants -  £22,000 to £28,000

● Recruitment managers - £40,000 +

Another great thing about recruitment is that you can also benefit from a range of perks such as a company car, phones, food and drink budget for clients and more.

If you’ve recently graduated and think recruitment could be a great career choice for you or perhaps you’d like a career change, sign up for the UK Careers Fair and find out all you need to know.

‍

‍