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7 reasons you should consider a career in recruitment
6 min read | Charlotte Cockerill | Article | | Job searching
Do you want a job where you don’t have to wait years to reap the financial benefits of your hard work? One where you’re truly in control of your own bank balance and career progression? If you’re a part of the 48% of workers who think there’s no scope for career progression within their current organisation – or if you’re new to the world of work and feeling a little underwhelmed by the prospect of struggling through the next few years on a meagre starting salary – then recruitment could be the ideal choice for you.
Though commission and progression opportunities are two of the key selling points of recruitment, there are plenty of other benefits to be had with this career path. Here, we explore some of the main reasons why you should pursue a career in recruitment.
When considering the advantages of recruitment, one word inevitably comes to mind first: commission, and for good reason! In this job, you won’t have to endure the frustration of tying all your hopes to your annual performance review to see if your hard work has been recognised enough to deem you worthy of a pay rise. In most recruitment roles, you make a fee every time you place someone into a role, which all adds up to commission that you see in your bank account each month. The more placements you make, the more money you will make, so you’re in control of your earnings – especially if you work at an agency like Hays that offers uncapped commission. You will also receive a base salary each month, but for high-performing recruiters, this can make up just a fraction of their earnings.
Success in this industry is mainly measured by the amount of fees you make from placing jobseekers into roles. Key performance indicators (KPIs) in other industries can be subjective, ultimately leaving your chances of a promotion in the hands of your bosses. However, with recruitment, you’re in charge of your own destiny, as your promotion objectives tend to be centred on hitting a specified fee target, which increases the higher up the ranks you go. From the first fee you make, you’ll already be taking steps towards your first promotion, and you will have a clear understanding of what targets you need to hit to climb the career ladder.
If the thought of sitting at a desk all day doing repetitive tasks doesn’t fill you with enthusiasm, recruitment may be able to offer you the variety you desire. The role of a recruitment consultant can vary so much from one day to the next; the job can entail sourcing and screening potential candidates for jobs, submitting CVs, handling interview requests, helping jobseekers to prepare for interviews, delivering the exciting news of job offers, building and maintaining relationships with clients, attending networking events, and much more. You’ll likely spend a significant portion of your time out on in-person meetings with candidates and clients, so you won’t just be glued to your desk all day.
Hybrid working is the most important flexible benefit option for 50% of professionals in the UK, and 46% wouldn’t consider accepting a future job without it, according to our most recent Salary and Recruiting Trends Guide. If you express a similar sentiment, then recruitment could offer you the flexibility you’re after. Due to the nature of this industry, it lends itself well to a hybrid-working model, since it’s easy to mould your in-person meetings around your office days and save virtual calls and other tasks for when you’re working from home. Though hybrid-working is commonplace in recruitment, there will of course be some agencies that do not allow any home working, so be sure to find this out during the application or interview process if this is an important benefit for you to have.
Nothing will beat the feeling of securing someone their dream job, especially if you know they’re unhappy with their current situation. Some people may be feeling underappreciated or mistreated by their current employer. Others may be out of work, perhaps having faced redundancy or difficult personal situations, and hoping to be given a chance to re-enter the workforce. You’ll speak to workers who are struggling with burnout and desperately seeking a better work-life balance, people who are paid below market rate and should be earning more for the work they do, and professionals who are tired of being overlooked for promotions they deserve. Every jobseeker has their own story and motivations. In your work as a recruitment consultant, you can change lives for the better by helping people to secure their dream job and give them a brighter future.
It might be hard to know where you see yourself in a few years’ time, especially if you’re just starting out in your career. Do you see yourself staying in the UK long-term, or would you be open to exploring job opportunities abroad in the future? Recruitment can take you anywhere in the world, as the skillset and expertise you build up over the course of even just a few years will mean your talents could be highly sought-after across the globe. What’s more, you may even be able to stay with the same employer, as many agencies have offices in multiple locations, Hays included.
Whether you’re a university graduate from any field of study, someone with little professional experience under their belt yet, or a career-mover from a completely different industry, you have the opportunity to start a career in recruitment at Hays. Don’t worry if you don’t have any prior experience in the recruitment industry, as we’re more interested in your attitude, motivations and soft skills. We’re looking for eager individuals who are passionate about people, hardworking, confident and ambitious. If this sounds like you, what’s stopping you from becoming our next rising star?
If you want to explore job opportunities at Hays, take a look at our careers page. Here, you’ll find out what Hays has to offer and can check out our live vacancies.
Charlotte Cockerill, Director, Professional Services - Public Sectors, Hays Charlotte leads the London Public Sector Professional Services Teams, which includes HR, Procurement, Marketing, Finance and Business Support.
