Success in recruitment isn’t rocket science – I’m testament to that!
Recruitment has a reputation for being a career halfway house. Hordes of people who are unsure of what they want from their careers pitch up in recruitment looking for the next step. In 2005, I found myself in that exact position. I had spent more than eight years in two jobs I absolutely loved, but found myself at a career crossroads. What was going to be my next step?
I was offered a job as a junior technical recruitment consultant. I knew very little about the industry, could barely switch on my own computer and certainly didn’t know the difference between an operating system and a development language.
But you know what? In recruitment, none of that matters. Here’s why.
Technical recruitment allows anyone from any walk of life to be successful. First class degree, no degree, school dropout, door-to-door salesman, failed pro sportsman (moi) – it doesn’t matter because recruitment is a real leveller.
What is required is hard work, discipline, the ability to listen more than you speak (very hard for most people) and an eagerness to learn. Learn from other people, learn off your own back, learn from your mistakes, learn from your triumphs – just don’t stop learning!
What do you need to know first up? Not a great deal in reality. You need to be motivated to be successful, in whatever guise that takes for you as an individual; to help people find jobs, money, gravitas, leadership, and then strive to do everything you can to achieve this.
In the tough times, the times when you feel you are trying everything and just not getting your rewards, you need this goal as your “True North”. To be able to revert back to basics, remember why you are doing the job in the first place and start again.
All I would say is when you embark on your recruitment career, you need to remember a few basic things and it will definitely stand you in good stead:
- Do the basics well, all the time. Don’t suddenly change things when you do a few deals and think you’ve cracked it. It will only come back and bite you on the arse.
- Always do more than you are expected to. You will stand out, it will make you more money and earn you respect with your peers, managers, clients and candidates.
- Show an interest in your market. Read up on companies, look into technologies, start following relevant people on LinkedIn and broaden your knowledge. It will really pay dividends.
- Above all, work hard! Don’t make excuses, hold yourself accountable, don’t worry what other people are doing or what they think is acceptable. Set you own standards and then live up to them. Run your desk like your own business unit and you will be hugely successful.