If you’re working as a recruiter, it’s likely you didn’t grow up seeking to join the profession. It’s a relatively easy industry to join as there are no strict qualifications or degree requirements so people tend to come from a wide range of varied backgrounds. If you can demonstrate attention to detail, natural sales ability, have strong communication skills and thrive under pressure, you are well on your way to becoming a great recruiter. While many people may have fallen into recruiting by accident, it’s a great profession that offers a wealth of growth and career development opportunities, as well as the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on someone’s professional career.
There has never been a better time to be in the recruiting industry. Here are 7 reasons to become a recruiter now:
1) You Change Lives
Ok, let’s get the cliched one out of the way first. Few things have a more significant impact on a person’s life than finding a dream job. We spend a large proportion of our week at work, so finding a career and company that are both enjoyable is something we all seek to find throughout our professional career.
As a recruiter, you play an essential role in this process as your job is to source the perfect candidate for each job. Assisting people with finding the right job for them can sometimes be a part of fundamentally changing their life for the better. On an emotional level, this is satisfying for both parties, and over time, this will become an even better recruiter as you will work towards those movements of excitement and commitment to excellence.
2) Large Financial Rewards
It’s certainly not all about the money, but at the end of the day, a recruiter gets paid to make people’s lives better. There are very few professions that offer the same financial rewards for having such a meaningful impact on someone’s life. If you work hard to get results, you get rewarded – that’s the basics of recruitment. This means that as a recruiter your pay has no limits if you continue to perform well. Unlike other jobs, you don’t have to work for years to secure a small payrise as recruiters mostly have control over their own fate. If you’re being active with placing more candidates into roles, then you’re more likely to be financially rewarded for the work you do.
3) You Play An Important Role
Talent is at the heart of any business. As a recruiter, you get to help shape the companies of today and tomorrow with each people you help and every role you fill. If you hire someone for your client who goes on to become a fantastic employee, your client is going to be really grateful, and let’s face it; there’s no denying that’s a good feeling.
The late Steve Jobs once made an excellent comment on hiring. He said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
4) No Two Days Are The Same
Tired of the same old mind-numbing daily routine?
Instead of doing the same thing day in and day out, recruiters enjoy a varied workday as each client they meet has different requirements and needs. The tactics that worked for helping to fill one role won’t necessarily help you with the next so you will need to adapt by using different tactics and processes. One day you could be out meeting the CEO of a software developing company to discuss growth, strategies and negotiating terms. The next day you could be shortlisting candidates for a senior-level digital marketing role that you need to fill within the next couple of weeks.
This variety can often be challenging, but it also helps keep the job exciting and continually changing.
5) You Have Freedom
As each role has its unique challenges, most corporate recruiters have a great deal of autonomy over their day-to-day workload. Once your targets have been established, how you reach them is entirely up to you. If you’re the type of person who needs to be micromanaged, a role in recruitment may not be for you. You are provided with the freedom to manage your daily tasks however you see fit, so if you’re continually gaining more business and landing people roles, your independence will continue unhindered by managers as they will have trust in your ability to perform.
In most cases, remote work and contract options are also available. Your degree of independence will increase further if your results continue to improve.
6) No Formal Qualifications Are Required
For a lot of fields, years of study and multiple certifications may be required just to land an entry-level role. Recruitment, however, imposes no such barriers – all you need is training on the basics, acute attention to detail, strong communication skills and a strong desire to succeed. Many recruitment agencies have people from a variety of backgrounds because the selection of staff is based on the skills and personality of the person; not on what certificate they have from University.
Do you possess the following skills?
- Commercial awareness
- Strong presentation skills
- Ability to work independently
- Impeccable communication skills
- Strong negotiation and sales skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Proficient IT and numeracy skills
If so, a career as a recruiter may be perfect for you.
7) Expand Your Knowledge
Being in recruitment means you will expand your knowledge in ways you couldn’t have foreseen at the start of your career.
You will learn so much about different company cultures, sectors, organizational structures, representation, negotiation and much more. One day you may be speaking to the co-founder of a web development agency in Dublin, the next a Digital Marketing Director for a small startup that’s looking to expand its team. No other career will provide you with such variety and in-depth insight on a daily basis. Whether you choose to stay in a recruiter role for your entire career or move into something different in a few years time, you will become better educated in business than your industry peers in a shorter period.
