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Monster: What made you want to be a Recruitment Advisor?
Alexa: After graduating from Glasgow University with an honours degree in History, I really did not know what career path to follow. I recognised that my key skills revolved around communicating with others, so initially I tried my hand at field sales. I quickly realised that this was not a role suited to me. I missed having people around me and feeling part of a close team, so started to look for something that would incorporate both.
While registering at an agency someone suggested recruitment, and seven years later here I am. I moved into in-house recruitment around two and a half years ago as I enjoyed the account management side and found it found it more rewarding than the sales. I now not only get to recruit people, but also witness how they progress.
What skills and education are essential to your job?
There are no set qualifications required to enter into the field of recruitment, however if you are not a people person you probably need not apply. To be successful you require excellent communication skills, organisational skills and often a level of diplomacy. Many recruiters forget to listen as well as talk! If you secure a role within a reputable agency then they will provide you with all the training and support you will need. Sometimes it can be hard and involve working long hours to be successful, so you must be very driven.
What advice can you offer someone wanting to become a Recruitment Advisor?
The best thing to do is research the market, identify which agencies provide the best training and development opportunities and then contact them on a speculative basis. They will appreciate you being proactive. You will normally start as a trainee consultant – entry requirements for this will vary with each agency, some may look for graduates, others a proven record in sales. But if you target your agencies correctly you will find a match.
Most people do not move straight into an in-house recruitment role, they gain agency experience first. Then show willing and listen to advice in order to progress through the ranks.
What are the best and worst things about your role?
The best part of my role is getting to meet so many different people on a regular basis. I recruit for every discipline within our law firm, so I meet everyone from the mail room person, to paralegals to accountants. They are all very different. I still get a buzz when I walk out of an interview and know we have found our perfect candidate. Also being able to watch people develop and progress throughout the organisation is very rewarding.
The most frustrating part of the role is that “people are people” as a colleague of mine once said – and they can be very unpredictable. It can be very disappointing when you have spent a lot of time with a candidate, and potentially had to reject other good candidates, only for that person to withdraw just before or to not show on the start date.
Are there any perks to the job?
Perks are that you are quite often invited to corporate hospitality by agencies looking to gain business, personally I would rather an agency just gave me good candidates at a good price. We do get to attend seminars hosted by agencies and often they are very informative. Oh, and I can generally tell friends who is recruiting and where if they are ever in need of advice.
What is the end goal in your career?
I thoroughly enjoy working within an in-house recruitment role. I plan to remain in this field for some time, but perhaps moving forward focus more on the strategic side as opposed to the 100% day-to-day hands on element.
Finish this sentence. "This week I have been mostly..."
“…securing a new project team to work over the summer.”
Fancy following in Alexa's footsteps? Check out our latest Recruitment Advisor jobs. |
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