Recruitment Consultant Job Advice
Discussion
I'm looking for a bit of advice regarding recruitment jobs. Consider the scenario:
Company A: Is an award winning fast growing young company. The job would involve dealing with contracts for jobs typically £500 per day. The commission structure is good, 0-5k 10%, 5-15k 15%, 15-25k 20%, 25-30k 25%...
Company B: Is a large company with offices all over the UK. Deals more with perm and temp jobs, with jobs ranging from £11 per hour admin jobs to £70k director level jobs. Seems like I would have to do more volume to earn the same. However, they have a really good commission structure where you earn a decent % at the end of the year on what you billed, plus 10% each month on billing.
It seems that you can earn more at company B if you are billing £15k+ per month, but I'm just wondering if it will be significantly more difficult to earn those figures in company B?
Which one would you go for and why?
Company A: Is an award winning fast growing young company. The job would involve dealing with contracts for jobs typically £500 per day. The commission structure is good, 0-5k 10%, 5-15k 15%, 15-25k 20%, 25-30k 25%...
Company B: Is a large company with offices all over the UK. Deals more with perm and temp jobs, with jobs ranging from £11 per hour admin jobs to £70k director level jobs. Seems like I would have to do more volume to earn the same. However, they have a really good commission structure where you earn a decent % at the end of the year on what you billed, plus 10% each month on billing.
It seems that you can earn more at company B if you are billing £15k+ per month, but I'm just wondering if it will be significantly more difficult to earn those figures in company B?
Which one would you go for and why?
Fast growing means they are more likely to grow you fast and after a couple of years you could be running a team, and making very nice money. After a couple of years in company B my guess would be that you will still just be billing 15K a month and collecting a decent wage. You are unlikely to progress for the first 3-5 years.
One qualification, given my experience in the last 6 months, I would probably never work for an owner operated recruitment business again. I worked for one that was fantastic, where I got brilliantly with the owner and now would count him as a friend. My current company, despite being much larger and attempting to position itself as a corporate, is an absolute crock.
One qualification, given my experience in the last 6 months, I would probably never work for an owner operated recruitment business again. I worked for one that was fantastic, where I got brilliantly with the owner and now would count him as a friend. My current company, despite being much larger and attempting to position itself as a corporate, is an absolute crock.
I am new to recruitment and would be going in at a Graduate level. I do however have some good relevant sales experience so it shouldn't have too much trouble getting up to speed.
Company A is owner operated and the prospect of fast growing with new offices opening is something that really appeals to me.
The advantage of company B is that if you bill well you earn more than you would in company A. It's just trying to decide if Company B is a much more difficult place to bill well, due to the nature of the jobs dealt in.
Company A is owner operated and the prospect of fast growing with new offices opening is something that really appeals to me.
The advantage of company B is that if you bill well you earn more than you would in company A. It's just trying to decide if Company B is a much more difficult place to bill well, due to the nature of the jobs dealt in.
You need to investigate what market you would specialise in...
eg Banking Operations is trending in the right direction (ie growing) and the Public Sector will be ok for the next year before essentially falling off a cliff.
Don't get blinded by the money in the short term, if you are new to recruitment you should join the business that is going to help you develop as a business person. There are people in my business who are excellent at essentially the account management of roles but terrible at developing bespoke search and selection campaigns. My biggest biller pulls in £500k in revenue but doesn't understand the basics of actually running a business.
eg Banking Operations is trending in the right direction (ie growing) and the Public Sector will be ok for the next year before essentially falling off a cliff.
Don't get blinded by the money in the short term, if you are new to recruitment you should join the business that is going to help you develop as a business person. There are people in my business who are excellent at essentially the account management of roles but terrible at developing bespoke search and selection campaigns. My biggest biller pulls in £500k in revenue but doesn't understand the basics of actually running a business.
Company B.
The turnover in the industry is such that if youre good, you will progress regardless of the size of the company. Owner operated companies are good but they are dependent entirely on the sort of person the owner is. Whereas the bigger one will be much like any other, so the risk of being at the mercy of an egomaniac owner operator is reduced. Plus if youre really good, there will be a clear ceiling to your career at Company A that wont be too far above you and its somewhere underneath the owner.
Are you good at sales? Because thats essentially what it is to start with.
Do your research on the two companies, as much as you can. Look at financials, business sectors, how long has the branch you intend to join been recruiting for it's particular business sector etc
Remember, if they like the look of you, they will be selling the role to you as much if not more than you are asking for it. So they will say anything to get you on board.
Also, take a look at the sectors youre recruiting for. Look at which sector is better able to withstand the current economic climate or is on the verge of recovering strongly from it. There's no point signing up for the recruitment company who recruits for the public sector for instance, because it isnt going anywhere.
My preference would be to do perm recruitment with higher earners. The perm process with higher earners is more likley to ensure you deal with people of integrity and build good relationships. It should also ensure that youre able conduct the recruitment process thoroughly and with integrity. Those traits will be important if you want earn the big money in executive search in say Hong Kong or somewhere. Ensure you deal with the sorts of people you can identify with from sectors you want to be in or are interested in.
Dont be put off by others who make it look easy. Its only easy because they have contacts. Once you have contacts who like you, it will be easy for you too. Dont let other bully you over candidate or client ownership. If you get kicked, kick back. Its a cut-throat business, sometimes within your company and sometimes even within your own office.
The turnover in the industry is such that if youre good, you will progress regardless of the size of the company. Owner operated companies are good but they are dependent entirely on the sort of person the owner is. Whereas the bigger one will be much like any other, so the risk of being at the mercy of an egomaniac owner operator is reduced. Plus if youre really good, there will be a clear ceiling to your career at Company A that wont be too far above you and its somewhere underneath the owner.
Are you good at sales? Because thats essentially what it is to start with.
Do your research on the two companies, as much as you can. Look at financials, business sectors, how long has the branch you intend to join been recruiting for it's particular business sector etc
Remember, if they like the look of you, they will be selling the role to you as much if not more than you are asking for it. So they will say anything to get you on board.
Also, take a look at the sectors youre recruiting for. Look at which sector is better able to withstand the current economic climate or is on the verge of recovering strongly from it. There's no point signing up for the recruitment company who recruits for the public sector for instance, because it isnt going anywhere.
My preference would be to do perm recruitment with higher earners. The perm process with higher earners is more likley to ensure you deal with people of integrity and build good relationships. It should also ensure that youre able conduct the recruitment process thoroughly and with integrity. Those traits will be important if you want earn the big money in executive search in say Hong Kong or somewhere. Ensure you deal with the sorts of people you can identify with from sectors you want to be in or are interested in.
Dont be put off by others who make it look easy. Its only easy because they have contacts. Once you have contacts who like you, it will be easy for you too. Dont let other bully you over candidate or client ownership. If you get kicked, kick back. Its a cut-throat business, sometimes within your company and sometimes even within your own office.
Thanks for all the advice.
I have chosen to go with Company A. One of the main reasons is the company is currently at around 40-50 people and is growing at a really impressive rate. This bring great opportunities including opening your own office in the future.
Second to that, I saw greater and more realistic earning potential in Company A. Rather than dealing with some low paying temporary jobs, I would be dealing with higher paid, higher level contract jobs, which means more commission, and the ability to build better quality contacts as you deal with people at a higher level.
And importantly, I really preferred the atmosphere at Company A, and this is crucial as you have to be happy working somewhere to do well at it
I have chosen to go with Company A. One of the main reasons is the company is currently at around 40-50 people and is growing at a really impressive rate. This bring great opportunities including opening your own office in the future.
Second to that, I saw greater and more realistic earning potential in Company A. Rather than dealing with some low paying temporary jobs, I would be dealing with higher paid, higher level contract jobs, which means more commission, and the ability to build better quality contacts as you deal with people at a higher level.
And importantly, I really preferred the atmosphere at Company A, and this is crucial as you have to be happy working somewhere to do well at it
AshBaldry said:
Erm....business to general public
B2C.B2B (Business to Business) would put you in much better stead to get an interview however it is possible.
I got into recruitment coming from a media background and 1 years worth of college. It is all about personality and if the person opposite you thinks you can make money.
Thick skin is the most important thing about a trainee recruitment consultant IMO.
AshBaldry said:
I would like to get into this type of work,do most companies only take on graduates? Four years of sales experience enough to get me an interview?
The main thing is to show enthusiasm, determination and ambition, but these all need to be backed up with examples. They don't like taking on boring people so you really need to come across well to the interviewee.If you have the right skills and you say the right things, I would say the interview process is one of the easiest of any professional job.
I am a hiring manager for my recruitment agency. I manage a team of trainee consultants and we specialise in IT, primarily in the financial services industry.
I am currently recruiting a new intake and will typically advertise on the likes of Graduatejobs and CareersinRecruitment.
In terms of what I look for in candidates, well it largely comes down to personality. Firstly candidates need to be quite robust (read thick skinned). Most sales environments - and in particular recruitment - are non PC, loud, brash and full on, so shrinking violets would not do well. The role itself is one in which the individual is putting themselves up for a huge dose of rejection, be it potential clients not interested in the recruitment service you can provide, to candidates not interested in the roles you have. So the individual needs to be self motivated, disciplined, open to rejection, positive/pro-active and have a "can do" attitude.
Recruitment can be a fanastic career, our top billers earn anywhere between £100K to £190K per annum. Once you have established yourself and start to create a trusted network of candidates and clients you can realise some quite serious money.
Initially the role is basically telesales/cold calling. No getting away from that unless you land an Account Manager role (in which case you need to ask yourself why no one else at that agency took on the account rather than let it go out to someone new!?) However once you are established the role becomes more client relationship management, which is far more interesting than cold calling clearly.
So in a nutshell I look for:
candidates who have good communication skills
lively, bubbly, pro-active, keen
not scared to pick up a phone
can think "outside the box"
are money motivated and/or want to achieve success
The first question I ask candidates when interviewing is "how much do you want to earn in the first year?"
Those who say "I am looking for a basic of between £15K and £20K" are not right. I want someone who is not fixated on basic salary but says "I want to earn as much as possible in my first year".
After all this is a commission based role so if you are doing well then your basic salary is not significant enough to worry about as your commission is the main driver.
In terms of commission we pay 15% from 0-15000 and 20% from 15001 to 30000 and 30% from 30001+
New consultants are on a 6 month probation reviewable after the first 3 months.
I am currently recruiting a new intake and will typically advertise on the likes of Graduatejobs and CareersinRecruitment.
In terms of what I look for in candidates, well it largely comes down to personality. Firstly candidates need to be quite robust (read thick skinned). Most sales environments - and in particular recruitment - are non PC, loud, brash and full on, so shrinking violets would not do well. The role itself is one in which the individual is putting themselves up for a huge dose of rejection, be it potential clients not interested in the recruitment service you can provide, to candidates not interested in the roles you have. So the individual needs to be self motivated, disciplined, open to rejection, positive/pro-active and have a "can do" attitude.
Recruitment can be a fanastic career, our top billers earn anywhere between £100K to £190K per annum. Once you have established yourself and start to create a trusted network of candidates and clients you can realise some quite serious money.
Initially the role is basically telesales/cold calling. No getting away from that unless you land an Account Manager role (in which case you need to ask yourself why no one else at that agency took on the account rather than let it go out to someone new!?) However once you are established the role becomes more client relationship management, which is far more interesting than cold calling clearly.
So in a nutshell I look for:
candidates who have good communication skills
lively, bubbly, pro-active, keen
not scared to pick up a phone
can think "outside the box"
are money motivated and/or want to achieve success
The first question I ask candidates when interviewing is "how much do you want to earn in the first year?"
Those who say "I am looking for a basic of between £15K and £20K" are not right. I want someone who is not fixated on basic salary but says "I want to earn as much as possible in my first year".
After all this is a commission based role so if you are doing well then your basic salary is not significant enough to worry about as your commission is the main driver.
In terms of commission we pay 15% from 0-15000 and 20% from 15001 to 30000 and 30% from 30001+
New consultants are on a 6 month probation reviewable after the first 3 months.
Ask yourself why every 2nd sales job on the boards is a recruitment one? Because the churn is HUGE and you'll quickly see if you can do it or not.
It must be difficult to be successful as so many of them seem to follow stupid guidlines set in place seemingly by the company...
Stop f
king ringing me at work, I've got an email address! I tell them day in day out, do they listen? Do they fk.
It must be difficult to be successful as so many of them seem to follow stupid guidlines set in place seemingly by the company...
Stop f
king ringing me at work, I've got an email address! I tell them day in day out, do they listen? Do they fk.okgo said:
Ask yourself why every 2nd sales job on the boards is a recruitment one? Because the churn is HUGE and you'll quickly see if you can do it or not.
It must be difficult to be successful as so many of them seem to follow stupid guidlines set in place seemingly by the company...
Stop fking ringing me at work, I've got an email address! I tell them day in day out, do they listen? Do they fk.
I'll give you a call in the morning, maybe I caught you at a bad time today? It must be difficult to be successful as so many of them seem to follow stupid guidlines set in place seemingly by the company...
Stop f
king ringing me at work, I've got an email address! I tell them day in day out, do they listen? Do they fk.Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff