The role of a recruitment consultant is primarily placing the right professional into the right job, winning new business, and ensuring long-term working relationships with existing clients and candidates. The approach a recruitment consultant takes to do this, however, can vary significantly.
It is quite common for a recruitment consultant to specialise in a particular industry or business type, recruiting professionals into roles and organisations within that space. For example, you may specialise in the finance sector and work mostly with financial organisations, placing candidates into roles such as accountancy or financial analysis. Alternatively, you may specialise in marketing and work primarily with digital marketing agencies, recruiting roles such as CRM manager and SEO copywriter.
Any job that relies on relationship building will differ between organisations and even from person to person, as it allows you the flexibility to hone your craft and approach your day-to-day tasks in the manner you find most effective. However, there are still many parts of the role which will be similar wherever you work. Here are some tasks that a recruitment consultant will typically undertake in their day-to-day role:
- Identifying and developing client/business relationships
- Advising on and selling the most appropriate solution for attracting candidates and maintaining a candidate database
- Assessing and responding to the needs of each particular client or assignment
- Sourcing suitable candidates and briefing them on the opportunities offered by the client
- Managing the process through the interview to offer stage and beyond
- Negotiating pay and salary rates and finalising arrangements between client and candidate
- Offering CV, interview and general career advice
- Networking to build business information that can be converted into commercial opportunities