Recruitment consultancy

[deevlash]

Ive been asked if Id like to work for a recruitment agency. Theyre a fairly large and well respected firm by all accounts operating towards the top end of the market. I was wondering what exactly these sorts of firms are like to work for, are they hellish? Im not worried about long hours or being under pressure, which job isnt these days? Ive had an initial meeting and intend to put myself forward for interview etc. What sort of salary should I expect? Ive been told that theres quartely bonuses and targets of roughly 50k per 1/4 which results in a bonus of 10% of that assuming you hit it. Is this a good deal bearing in mind that the base salary has been mentioned as being roughly similiar to what Im on just now as a deputy store manager or should I try and get more out of them assuming they take me on?

[UpTheIron]

deevlash said:

targets of roughly 50k per 1/4 which results in a bonus of 10%

How is the target measured? Revenue? Margin? Profit? Yours individually, or your department, or the entire organisation?

[deevlash]

UpTheIron said:

deevlash said:

targets of roughly 50k per 1/4 which results in a bonus of 10%

How is the target measured? Revenue? Margin? Profit? Yours individually, or your department, or the entire organisation?

50k fee, the few being typically around 20% of the salary on offer by the client

[dcb]

deevlash said:

Ive been asked if Id like to work for a recruitment agency. Theyre a fairly large and well respected firm by all accounts operating towards the top end of the market.

Is that what they say, or someone else say ?

deevlash said:

I was wondering what exactly these sorts of firms are like to work for, are they hellish?

In my more-than-twenty year experience of recruitment consultants,
they are a bunch of middle men, like estate agents and used car dealers,
except not quite so reliable.

Expect to be on the phone arranging deals all day.

deevlash said:

What sort of salary should I expect? Ive been told that theres quartely bonuses and targets of roughly 50k per 1/4 which results in a bonus of 10% of that assuming you hit it.

Pretty low basic and lots of commission.

Not successful ones knock about in tatty French cars
that they claim are minor classics.

More successful ones get mortgaged up to the hilt
and tank around in "middle manager" BMW 318s.

Very successful ones totter about in five year old Lexi
and the like.

[deevlash]

dcb said:

deevlash said:

Ive been asked if Id like to work for a recruitment agency. Theyre a fairly large and well respected firm by all accounts operating towards the top end of the market.

Is that what they say, or someone else say ?

deevlash said:

I was wondering what exactly these sorts of firms are like to work for, are they hellish?

In my more-than-twenty year experience of recruitment consultants,
they are a bunch of middle men, like estate agents and used car dealers,
except not quite so reliable.

Expect to be on the phone arranging deals all day.

deevlash said:

What sort of salary should I expect? Ive been told that theres quartely bonuses and targets of roughly 50k per 1/4 which results in a bonus of 10% of that assuming you hit it.

Pretty low basic and lots of commission.

Not successful ones knock about in tatty French cars
that they claim are minor classics.

More successful ones get mortgaged up to the hilt
and tank around in "middle manager" BMW 318s.

Very successful ones totter about in five year old Lexi
and the like.

Theyre in the times top 100 employers so seem fairly legit. I wouldnt mind a 5 year old lexi...

[Maxf]

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

[deevlash]

Maxf said:

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

I imagine Id have to work my way up to dealing with chief execs, and generally be placing middle managers initially so about 20-30k jobs. I probably didnt make that clear enough.

[n3il123]

deevlash said:

Theyre in the times top 100 employers so seem fairly legit. I wouldnt mind a 5 year old lexi...

S3 group then at a rough guess?

[deevlash]

n3il123 said:

deevlash said:

Theyre in the times top 100 employers so seem fairly legit. I wouldnt mind a 5 year old lexi...

S3 group then at a rough guess?

nope, i wouldnt want to say who they are though, it might breach the name and shame policy on here

[n3il123]

deevlash said:

n3il123 said:

deevlash said:

Theyre in the times top 100 employers so seem fairly legit. I wouldnt mind a 5 year old lexi...

S3 group then at a rough guess?

nope, i wouldnt want to say who they are though, it might breach the name and shame policy on here

Of course however if had been then I could have given you some background (via pm of course) from personal experience.

[eyebeebe]

deevlash said:

Maxf said:

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

I imagine Id have to work my way up to dealing with chief execs, and generally be placing middle managers initially so about 20-30k jobs. I probably didnt make that clear enough.

Ok so you're looking to place 10-15 people per quarter, at the salary you are saying, given that 20% won't be fixed. You will cut to make a deal. Not entirely sure where East Renfrewshire is in Scotland. Is it near a big city? What's the economy like there? You need to know that there is a market for your placements or else you are going to struggle to make your targets.

[deevlash]

eyebeebe said:

deevlash said:

Maxf said:

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

I imagine Id have to work my way up to dealing with chief execs, and generally be placing middle managers initially so about 20-30k jobs. I probably didnt make that clear enough.

Ok so you're looking to place 10-15 people per quarter, at the salary you are saying, given that 20% won't be fixed. You will cut to make a deal. Not entirely sure where East Renfrewshire is in Scotland. Is it near a big city? What's the economy like there? You need to know that there is a market for your placements or else you are going to struggle to make your targets.

The jobs based in Glasgow, East refrewshire is the posh bit where posh people such as myself live (until they discover Im not very posh and throw me out at least )Id be working in retail recruitment as thats where the bulk of my experience is and is why Ive been approached and this being scotland, thats one of the main industries up here, aside from heroin addiction and hey jimmy bunnets. I wouldnt imagine it would be easy to hit the targets but Im sure theyd want to help me to do it. Ive always been comfortable talking to people and Im not scared to ask for something. Ive to phone them back tomorrow to say whether or not its what I want to do and then the whole interview treadmill kicks in properly.

[edc]

Recruitment sales can be a very fickle business. There will be plenty of outfits out there who will show you that you can earn mega bucks very quickly and as many who are prepared to take a punt on somebody but then ditch them just as quickly.

[eyebeebe]

deevlash said:

eyebeebe said:

deevlash said:

Maxf said:

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

I imagine Id have to work my way up to dealing with chief execs, and generally be placing middle managers initially so about 20-30k jobs. I probably didnt make that clear enough.

Ok so you're looking to place 10-15 people per quarter, at the salary you are saying, given that 20% won't be fixed. You will cut to make a deal. Not entirely sure where East Renfrewshire is in Scotland. Is it near a big city? What's the economy like there? You need to know that there is a market for your placements or else you are going to struggle to make your targets.

The jobs based in Glasgow, East refrewshire is the posh bit where posh people such as myself live (until they discover Im not very posh and throw me out at least )Id be working in retail recruitment as thats where the bulk of my experience is and is why Ive been approached and this being scotland, thats one of the main industries up here, aside from heroin addiction and hey jimmy bunnets. I wouldnt imagine it would be easy to hit the targets but Im sure theyd want to help me to do it. Ive always been comfortable talking to people and Im not scared to ask for something. Ive to phone them back tomorrow to say whether or not its what I want to do and then the whole interview treadmill kicks in properly.

Ok just to narrow it down a bit then. How many managers on 20-30k within the retail sector do you think need placing in Glasgow on a quarterly basis? Will all the retailers come to your agency and will you get all the leads? - That's the demand side. Supply side can you get enough decent candidates looking to move role at that level etc

No offence to your current role but 2 points - 20-30k salary in a retail environment suggests to me store management level rather than assistant manager elvel. My figures may well be out of date ut I had a friend on about 28k as the number 2 of a large Debenhams store. Going back to what I said is there really enough of a market in Glasgow to allow you to hit your targets. 2nd point when did retail start going through agencies? I thought agencies were generally for high volume/low wage roles or specialised/professional roles such as IT/Accountancy. Don't stores put ads in the paper or the store window?

[deevlash]

edc said:

Recruitment sales can be a very fickle business. There will be plenty of outfits out there who will show you that you can earn mega bucks very quickly and as many who are prepared to take a punt on somebody but then ditch them just as quickly.

noted, thanks.

[deevlash]

eyebeebe said:

deevlash said:

eyebeebe said:

deevlash said:

Maxf said:

Are they really dealing with the top end of the market? I'd suggest that a target of 50k per qtr, with fees typically based on 20% of 1 years salary means that you are typically only expected to place about £250k per qtr - which when you look at it in terms of 3 months work doesnt cover too many people at the top of their game. So either it's a piece of cake and you'll be laughing after placing 2 or 3 senior members of staff, or you'll actually be chasing your tail trying to place admin staff on 15k pa.

The numbers just dont seem to add up to me if they are saying you will be dealing with the top end of the market.

I imagine Id have to work my way up to dealing with chief execs, and generally be placing middle managers initially so about 20-30k jobs. I probably didnt make that clear enough.

Ok so you're looking to place 10-15 people per quarter, at the salary you are saying, given that 20% won't be fixed. You will cut to make a deal. Not entirely sure where East Renfrewshire is in Scotland. Is it near a big city? What's the economy like there? You need to know that there is a market for your placements or else you are going to struggle to make your targets.

The jobs based in Glasgow, East refrewshire is the posh bit where posh people such as myself live (until they discover Im not very posh and throw me out at least )Id be working in retail recruitment as thats where the bulk of my experience is and is why Ive been approached and this being scotland, thats one of the main industries up here, aside from heroin addiction and hey jimmy bunnets. I wouldnt imagine it would be easy to hit the targets but Im sure theyd want to help me to do it. Ive always been comfortable talking to people and Im not scared to ask for something. Ive to phone them back tomorrow to say whether or not its what I want to do and then the whole interview treadmill kicks in properly.

Ok just to narrow it down a bit then. How many managers on 20-30k within the retail sector do you think need placing in Glasgow on a quarterly basis? Will all the retailers come to your agency and will you get all the leads? - That's the demand side. Supply side can you get enough decent candidates looking to move role at that level etc

No offence to your current role but 2 points - 20-30k salary in a retail environment suggests to me store management level rather than assistant manager elvel. My figures may well be out of date ut I had a friend on about 28k as the number 2 of a large Debenhams store. Going back to what I said is there really enough of a market in Glasgow to allow you to hit your targets. 2nd point when did retail start going through agencies? I thought agencies were generally for high volume/low wage roles or specialised/professional roles such as IT/Accountancy. Don't stores put ads in the paper or the store window?

Retail banking is covered too and aside from being based in glasgow, the jobs wouldnt be specifically located there. I would imagine a number 2 at a large Debenhams store would now be on 30k+, a duty manager with Tesco will be on around 24k. There is an IT/accountancy department within this organisation too, Im not sure what their targets are like. To be honest I didnt realise that retaillers used agencies all that much either until I applied for a job through this agency. The job I had applied for in the region of 35-40k and to be honest I was chancing my arm applying for it as I have nowhere near enough experience. Im quite good at talking a good game though and Im guessing thats what theyre interested in coupled with a degree and retail experience. Ive got a 2nd interview at some point this week or the next, which involves roleplay, which would appear to mean theyve skipped me ahead one of the stages that they mentioned in the first meeting.

[eyebeebe]

Well good luck with the second interview. I'm not trying to put you off just playing devils advocate with the numbers. It's good that you have the retail background. As an accountant who has used agencies frequently from both sides of the coin, the one thing that strikes me is how little RCs know about accountancy either as a profession or the day to day jobs. Having experience in the sector could be a real competitive advantage for you.

[deevlash]

eyebeebe said:

Well good luck with the second interview. I'm not trying to put you off just playing devils advocate with the numbers. It's good that you have the retail background. As an accountant who has used agencies frequently from both sides of the coin, the one thing that strikes me is how little RCs know about accountancy either as a profession or the day to day jobs. Having experience in the sector could be a real competitive advantage for you.

I was hoping for devils advocates when i posted tbh. yours and all the other comments are very much appreciated and to think i joined ph to talk about cars and escape from work...

[edc]

eyebeebe said:

Well good luck with the second interview. I'm not trying to put you off just playing devils advocate with the numbers. It's good that you have the retail background. As an accountant who has used agencies frequently from both sides of the coin, the one thing that strikes me is how little RCs know about accountancy either as a profession or the day to day jobs. Having experience in the sector could be a real competitive advantage for you.

It is on the candidate side and obviously appreciated by the clients but less emphasis is placed on this by most agencies hence your own experiences.