Recruitment is an industry that is often overlooked by many, especially recent graduates. So should we be educating more potential employees on the vast opportunities that the recruitment industry can offer them?
Current figures show that 44% of recent graduates found it difficult to find a job, with 49% of those graduates accepting a lower salary or a compromise on employee benefits. The recruitment industry doesn’t necessarily require you to have a specific degree or work experience to support you in your application however, don’t let this deceive you. It is a role that requires highly skilled professionals, a negotiator, a researcher, a networker, an entrepreneur, a marketer and commercial awareness to name just a few.
Our Talent Acquisition Manager, Andrea, talks about the top qualities she looks for in a candidate when talent-spotting for our recruitment team:
‘As our company values are the foundations of Leap29, I look for candidates that share these values. Attitude and energy is key for success in the role of a recruiter. A good cultural fit is also very important to us, our culture is not designed to be easy, it is very challenging, you have to work hard and be determined to succeed, with this we do believe in celebrating and rewarding success:
1. Hard work - a determination to succeed is a must, a candidate must have demonstrated commitment through either study or work experience. An ability to recognise key achievements and set goals for the future.
2. Passion - to display a passion for sales, personal performance and most importantly people.
3. Integrity - with an open and honest culture at Leap29 we look for candidates that have strong morals and ethics.
4. Respect - to show respect for clients, candidates and colleagues is extremely important, recruitment is about being able to build solid relationships and networks and a genuine interest in people is key’
It’s increasingly important for the younger demographics to understand exactly how much potential the staffing and recruitment industry has to offer. REC’s Chief Executive Kevin Green states ‘the recruitment industry is bigger than ever before and contributes more to the UK economy than advertising, arts and recreation, and the food and beverage industry.’ It is also a great place for self-development, allowing you to take responsibility for your own development.
The recruitment industry is unique in its offering to young graduates, it offers an opportunity to create a business within a business. It is down to the individual to develop their desk, create new business and build a solid network of candidates and clients. With any business start-up the first 12 months will be particularly challenging and recruitment is no different. It is about building relationships and maintaining, and these won’t happen overnight, but it does create the opportunity to take control of your earnings and progression. Essentially the more work you put in the more rewards you get out.
Whilst earning potential is undoubtedly a very important factor, recruitment is a career that looks for people with more motivation than money alone. This is why most recruitment businesses will offer a clear progression path to allow graduates to progress quickly through the company. At Leap29 we have implemented a talent growth programme to give our consultants clear targets and objectives to work towards to achieve that next promotion, it is a meritocratic structure, leaving it in the consultants’ hands as to how quickly they progress.
Most recruitment firms offer a basic salary package with the potential to boost your earnings through commission made through completing deals and hitting targets. At Leap29, we also offer our consultants a whole range of benefits to celebrate their successes, including a pay-rise after passing probation, quarterly holiday giveaways, 6 month target awards, Bi-monthly incentives, a talent growth programme, all expenses paid Christmas party, your birthday off, increased benefits with length of service, health and wellbeing benefits.
If you’d like to see what the recruitment industry has to offer for you, please check out our current vacancies here.