Let’s be honest up front, recruitment can be a fantastic industry to work in. It can give a real sense of achievement to place people in their dream role and meet a client’s exacting needs.
You get a great career path, a fantastic crowd to work with and well the rewards if you’re successful are pretty good too. But and it’s a big but, it’s not for everyone. If you’re thinking about trying recruitment then you need to know about the ups and downs and challenges you’ll face.
For those made of the right recruitment stuff it’s a career that offers the opportunity to build an amazing career. We asked Amanda Smith, Recruitment Consultant at specialist IT recruiters Computer Futures, about the personal ups and down in her early recruitment career.
Take a look and if you like what you hear then get in touch because recruitment could be the career for you.
Amanda, why did you choose a career in recruitment?
I've always wanted to help people. Helping someone progress through their career and being that little voice in their ear telling them "you CAN do it" "you ARE good enough" is amazing. It’s hard to describe what it feels like when your candidate tells you this is their DREAM job and they wouldn't and couldn't have done it without you, but trust me it’s pretty fantastic.
If you’re successful it can be very rewarding financially as well, that’s nothing to be ashamed of but deals don’t fall into your lap. You have to work and work hard, success has to be earned, it’s not given. Sometimes you can be on streak and seal several deals at once, other times you can spend weeks working on just one and it just doesn’t click. I knew I had the resilience as a person to deal with the ups and downs though. For me it’s the perfect job, combining my commitment to helping people to achieve their goals and make a successful and rewarding career at the same time.
Why did you choose SThree?
I have always strived to be the best I can be and to do that you need to surround yourself with like-minded people. I did my research. And here I am, working at Computer Futures, one of the IT industry’s most iconic brands, leading the way in the technology market. Looking at SThree and their different specialist recruitment brands, when I met the team here at Computer Futures I knew this was the place I could really kick start my career.
How did you find your first six months as a recruitment professional?
I definitely had highs and lows in my first six months at Computer Futures. The in-house training you receive is impeccable and looking back now as an experienced recruiter I know I learnt so much from those early days that set me up for success. The foundation of recruitment is always the same but the approach is what really matters. Learning the "SThree" way and breaking old habits has been challenging at times but has showed me new ways of working. They know what they are doing!
Was there a particular low in your career?
I did two deals in my first three months, I was flying. On top of the world. But then I lost focus and stopped doing the basics. This left me with nothing, no talent pipeline, no additional interviews and no deals. Months of sending out e-shots, sending out unique candidates, cold calling through lists, trying to generate new business. Nothing. My team were what kept me going and what kept me motivated. My tip for other recruitment professionals: Keep doing the basics and build meaningful relationships with your candidates and clients.
How did you bounce back?
We had a training session and it was all about sending that one candidate to the right client. Know your market. Know your candidate. Know your competitors. I had one phenomenal candidate, I was determined to place him. I sent him out to really particular clients, targeted clients, clients that would like his background.
Then I got that email. That life changing email. An HR Partner had been passed the CV of my candidate and wanted to talk rates. Cut a long story short, they had a huge recruitment drive which their current RPO couldn't handle. Two conference calls and 100 live IT roles later, we now have a major key client on our books and many, many more roles to fill. Thanks in part to the assists on these deals I have just won the Amsterdam incentive trip!
If you think recruitment could be the right career choice for you then browse our most recent career opportunities or get in touch with Amanda directly on LinkedIn.