John - IT Recruitment
What attracted you to a career in recruitment?
The money more than anything - you really can earn a lot and although the work is repetitive, it is challenging. The feeling when you close someone or make a deal is fantastic, not just because you know it's a good amount of cash you've earned, but also because it's naturally fun and exciting. It's a very buzzy, vibrant industry.
How would you describe the beginning of your career in recruitment? What did you do in the first few weeks?
The beginning was a little daunting, as the senior consultants are real 'sales guys'. It's not really an atmosphere for the faint hearted and you get thrown in right at the deep end. Obviously this has its benefits as within a day I felt very much part of my team. The first few weeks were spent learning the systems, the stages of the recruitment cycle, learning about the industry and vertical i was to be working in and obviously hitting the phones!
What do you enjoy about your recruitment job?
I love the atmosphere in the office. It can get quite raucous and it's very un-corporate. This gives it a very dynamic, 'can-do' feel about the place. Its a money-motivated environment and this lends a competitive edge that for the successful, makes it a fun place to work. Aside from that, I enjoy speaking to very senior people in large corporate enterprises, like FTSE 100 companies. If you're a social animal, its a good industry to work in as most nights people are in the pub!
What has been your biggest success to date in recruitment?
Headhunting and placing a candidate at Director level for the lead consultancy on the biggest ever National Security project budgeted for by the Government.
How would you describe your working environment?
Target-driven, but flexible. Generally if you are billing no one can really say you're not doing your job. It's very energetic, loud and full of people laughing and talking loudly. But, there's always an underlying current that people are here to make money, and the senior consultants who have been in the industry mostly for only a couple of years do very well.
What advice would you give to a graduate who is considering a career in recruitment?
I would say it's a very good experience. It's certainly not for everyone, but you can learn an exceptional amount of professional soft skills such as those needed when speaking to high-level candidates and clients. These are very much in demand in big companies, as not everyone can display that demeanour. Aside from that, it is probably the purest form of Sales i can think of, and if you are excited by a commission based position then it's the best grounding and learning in that field you can benefit from.
