The role of a Recruitment Consultant

Recruitment consultants are responsible for attracting candidates and matching them to temporary, contract or permanent positions with client companies. You work with client companies, building relationships in order to gain a better understanding of their recruitment needs and requirements – fully understanding your client is essential!

Recruitment consultants attract candidates by advertising within a wide range of media job boards, Linked in, as well as by networking, headhunting and through referrals. You screen candidates, interview them, do background checks and finally match them to their clients. Consultants also provide advice to both clients and candidates on salary levels, training requirements and career opportunities.

Recruitment is fast paced and challenging, the hours can be long, it can be hard to switch off and you are always competing against yourself, your colleagues and external competitors to deliver a performance, at times you will have knock backs, it is how you deal with them that will allow you to succeed!

Recruitment is a pressured sales environment, a large part of your day is spent on the phone speaking with clients and candidates, promoting what you can do for both as a consultant and what service you can offer.

You must be a confident communicator, enthusiastic, be able to listen, be consistent in your daily activity, never rest on your laurels and think outside the box!

A typical day…

Recruitment consultants provide a vital link between clients and candidates. The role is demanding and diverse and involves:

• using sales, business development, marketing techniques and networking in order to attract business from client companies;
• visiting clients to build and develop relationships;
• developing a good understanding of client companies, their industry, what they do and their work culture and environment;
• advertising vacancies by placing adverts in a wide range of media, for example Job Boards, Linked In etc
• using social media ( Facebook, Twitter ) to advertise positions, attract candidates and build relationships with candidates and employers;
• headhunting - identifying and approaching suitable candidates who may already be in work;
• using candidate databases to match the right person to the client's vacancy;
• receiving and reviewing applications, managing interviews and tests and creating a shortlist of candidates for the client;
• requesting references and checking the suitability of applicants before submitting their details to the client;
• briefing the candidate about the responsibilities, salary and benefits of the job in question;
• preparing CVs and correspondence to forward to clients in respect of suitable applicants;
• organising interviews for candidates as requested by the client;
• informing candidates about the results of their interviews;
• negotiating pay and salary rates and finalising arrangements between client and candidates;
• offering advice to both clients and candidates on pay rates, training and career progression;
• working towards and exceeding targets that may relate to the number of candidates placed, a value to be billed to clients or business leads generated;
• reviewing recruitment policies to ensure effectiveness of selection techniques and recruitment programmes.

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