I've been looking at ads in the guardian and ther are quite a few well paid jobs in recruitment....is this a good structured career path or is it a bit cowboy? I come from a history/law background only the law is taking a bit longer to pan out than I anticipated...any advice? How structured is this career path?
What sort of recruitment do you mean- do you mean recruitment consultant jobs or HR/personnel roles?
My bf tried that and hated it. He left after about eight months. But the pay was good...
avoid recruiment agencies. having used them i would ever want to be an agent
very long hours and its basically very hard selling
i find they compete hevaily with other agencies as in my filed( finance) comapines employ most of the agencies to fill the same position
so multiple agencies have me on their books and send me for the same jobs. very stiff competition and stuff
they also work v long hours- i had someone called me just befire 7pm last night
Can you make a hard sell?
I personally love sales, which is why I've made it my career for now. I've been offered jobs by recruitment companies before, though never been tempted to leave my current job. A lot of what they do is a hard sell to business to invest in advertising with them. If you think you could stand up and make people take notice of you, and then be willing to invest in you then go for it.
Recruitment consultants can be cowboys, but I deal with a number on a daily basis who are well paid, professional, and have started their own businesses. If you are good at selling and have an eye for an opportunity then it could be for you. BUT it is very competitive, and people undercut each other on a regular basis.
The key (as with most jobs) is to research the agency you apply for. If you get the opportunity to ask questions, the obvious one which pops up would be about their retention rate. I use an agency every day as a client who have had the same three consultants for the last five years (they have also expanded). If people move on frequently it is likely to be an indicator of a difficult working environment. It is not a bad idea to ask a consultant. Why not? Phone one up and tell them your predicament. They can be varied and you can specialise in the recruitment sector you wish to be in. Long term, if you don't want to start your own agency you might want to consider head-hunting, which is lower volume but higher quality.
The main benefit I suppose of a career in recruitment would be that you get directly rewarded for the successes you achieve, and many of the recruitment commissions can be quite lucrative.
Good luck!
I know someone who works as a consultant at Michael Page and is loving it.
Benefits are generally pretty good. Commissions can range from 10% anywhere up to 25%. If you're good, that can put you on easy grounding to £35k+ OTE (including commissions) in your first year.
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