How to kick-start your recruitment career

So you’ve just landed yourself a new gig in Recruitment. Congratulations on embarking on an extremely fun and rewarding career path. You will, of course, encounter some challenges along the way, and it isn’t always easy to differentiate yourself from the competition.   With thousands of recruiters out there trying to find the most talented job hunters for their clients, it’s never been more important to offer the best service to be successful.

Despite the challenges of a competitive industry, there are plenty of simple things you can do to help yourself stand out from the crowd at the start of your career. Some of our top consultants from our specialist brands have given their top tips for kick-starting your recruitment career:

Become a specialist

“Develop yourself to be a specialist within your own area and keep building on your knowledge of it. This way, you can really understand your clients’ needs and help find them the best candidates.”

Cherry Li, Head of Engineering, Matchtech, China.

Actively listen

“At the beginning of your recruitment career, there will be plenty of new challenges and experiences that may push you out of your comfort zone. But remember there will always be someone with experience around you. Take all the advice and help you can get, learn the best practices, ask questions, and listen.”

Aaron Green, Principal Consultant, Networkers, Canada.

“Active listening is one of the most important skills in recruitment. There are a lot of recruiters out there trying to get their message out, so you can really differentiate yourself by listening hard to your clients and candidates to truly understand what they’re looking for.”

Les Berridge, Principal Consultant, Networkers, UK.

Remain positive

“We’ve all been there in our early career when we thought every CV we send will result in a job fill. When that isn’t the case, it can drive you crazy and demotivate you. However, maintaining a positive attitude and continuing to work hard will eventually bring results.  There’s a direct correlation between effort and reward in recruitment.”

Aidan Wood, Department Manager, Matchtech, UK.

“Recruitment is a people business, so sometimes there are factors that might impact a fill that you don’t immediately pick up on. The key to dealing with these disappointing situations is treating them as an opportunity to learn and reflect. Use those experiences to avoid the same result in the future.”

Simon Birmingham, Principal Consultant, Matchtech, UK.

Build solid working relationships

“By being approachable, efficient, and having a genuine desire to help clients, you can form long-standing working partnerships with them. This often leads to referrals and recommendations with new business opportunities.”

Laura Bennett, Lead Consultant, Networkers, UK

“If you give a great service to the candidates you place and keep networking with them after they have started, they will think of you when they look to hire new people to join their team. Those relationships make finding new business much easier.”

Cherry Li, Head of Engineering, Matchtech, China.

If you want to speed-ahead into a fruitful and fulfilling career in one of our specialist brands, take a look at our latest vacancies.