How to Start a Career in Recruitment
If you’re drawn to the excitement of closing deals or the satisfaction of helping people find their dream jobs, recruitment could be the right career path for you. Recruitment offers both challenges and rewards, requiring a blend of skills from negotiation to people management.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to start a career in recruitment, from essential skills to career development prospects.
Jump to a section
What is recruitment?
Recruitment consultants are key players in the job market, connecting companies looking for talent with people searching for jobs.
Their main objective is to meet companies’ hiring needs while also helping job seekers find roles that match their skills and career goals. This role involves understanding what employers need and what job seekers want and making sure both sides are happy with the job match.
Types of Recruitment
The recruitment industry is diverse, ranging from small local agencies to large specialists operating worldwide. While the essence of what they do is similar, there are different types of recruitment businesses:
Recruitment Agencies
Recruitment agencies connect job seekers with employers with the goal of filling open positions with the ideal candidates. While specialist agencies like ours focus on SAP, IT and Data careers, offering specialist expertise, others operate more broadly and cover a wide range of industries.
Most of these agencies operate on a contingency fee model, meaning they are compensated when a client hires one of their candidates. This setup drives agencies to not only match skills and roles accurately but also to offer additional support, such as interview preparation and career advice, adding significant value to both employers and job seekers.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a form of business process outsourcing where an employer transfers all or part of its recruitment processes to an external service provider. An RPO provider can offer its own or may assume the company’s staff, technology, methodologies, and reporting. In essence, RPO providers become an extension of the company’s HR or recruitment team, offering a comprehensive set of services that can include everything from job posting and candidate sourcing to interviewing, hiring, and onboarding.
The primary advantage of RPO is that it allows companies to outsource the complex and time-consuming tasks of recruiting, enabling them to focus on their core business activities while still ensuring they attract and hire the best talent. RPO solutions are flexible and can be customized to fit the specific needs of the company, whether it’s managing the entire recruitment process, a specific recruitment project, or providing additional support during peak hiring periods.
RPO is particularly beneficial for companies that have large-scale recruitment needs, want to improve the quality of their hires, need to fill positions quickly, or are looking to enhance their employer brand and recruitment processes. By leveraging the expertise and resources of an RPO provider, companies can achieve more efficient, effective, and scalable recruitment outcomes.
What Qualifications Do I Need?
The entry requirements for a role in recruitment can vary widely depending on the position you’re aiming for and the preferences of the employer. For entry-level or junior positions, you might not need much, or any, previous experience. However, more senior roles will likely require you to showcase your abilities with a solid track record, demonstrating not just recruitment skills but also commercial insight and knowledge of the market.
While having a university degree can certainly be beneficial, it’s not always a must-have for many recruitment agencies. Degrees that tend to be more relevant to the field include:
- Human Resources (HR)
- Marketing
- Psychology
- Public Relations
If you’re looking to work in a specialist recruitment agency, a degree related to that specific sector can offer a significant advantage. For example, holding a Computer Science degree could be especially valuable in an IT recruitment agency, as it provides deeper insight into the roles you’re hiring for.
Transferable Skills from Various Careers to Recruitment
Many recruiters start their careers in recruitment after gaining experience in other fields. Some jobs particularly stand out because they teach foundational skills that are highly useful in recruitment.
Sales experience, for example, is a great asset in recruitment. At its core, recruitment involves selling – you’re marketing job openings to potential candidates and advocating for candidates’ skills to employers.
Working in customer service can also prepare you for recruitment by improving your communication, problem-solving, and client management skills.
To help illustrate the impact of diverse professional backgrounds on a successful career in recruitment, let’s take a look at the story of Callum Harrison, a Recruitment Consultant in our SAP USA team. Transitioning from a career in the commercial property sector, Callum’s experience demonstrates how skills acquired in seemingly unrelated fields can be advantageous in recruitment.
Callum Harrison
Consultant | SAP | USA
“Before my current position, I worked in the commercial property sector, where my role was quite different from what I do now. However, I acquired valuable skills that have proven transferable. For instance, as a property agent involved in both lettings and sales, I developed negotiation skills by managing offers and balancing client expectations. These skills have been beneficial in my current role, especially during offer negotiations with candidates, taking into account their needs and the expectations of our clients.
Additionally, my experience with face-to-face property viewings has made me comfortable with direct interactions, easing my transition to virtual meetings. Despite the differences between the two roles, my ability to connect with people and enjoy conversations has been a consistent strength.”
Core Skills for Successful Recruiters
We’ve established some valuable skills from prior professions that will help you find your footing in recruitment, but what if you haven’t worked in any of those industries? The good news is there is a diverse set of skills that are advantageous for people entering recruitment. Let’s take a look:
Passion and commitment
Whether it’s for making meaningful job placements, supporting business growth, or managing the recruitment process, your passion will set you apart. Meanwhile, commitment will give you the determination you need to overcome challenges and develop trust with clients and candidates.
Resilience and determination
Recruitment can be challenging, but resilience is what’s going to help you bounce back from setbacks and stay positive, while determination will help you to be consistent, persistently working towards your goals and objectives.
An inquisitive mindeset
Curious recruiters know their market well, using this knowledge to find the best job matches and predict future needs. By listening carefully, they understand exactly what employers and job seekers are looking for, helping them match the right people to the right jobs and prepare for future challenges
Openness to coaching
If you’re new to recruitment, continuously evaluating and refining your methods is crucial. Make it a habit to assess your recruitment process regularly, recognising your strengths and identifying areas for improvement. This process of self-reflection will help you fine-tune your approach for better results.
But don’t just depend on your own evaluation. Be open to insights and constructive feedback from your leaders and colleagues. Their experiences and different perspectives can offer you valuable lessons and introduce you to innovative strategies that might not have occurred to you.
How to Become a Recruitment Consultant at Whitehall
If you’re considering recruitment, you’re in the right place. We’re proud to be rated as one of the best small companies to work for in the UK! Curious about what it’s like to work at Whitehall? Explore our careers website to learn more about our culture and people. Check out our current vacancies or reach out to our friendly talent acquisition to start a conversation.
