With spring we leave behind the dark mornings and dark evenings. You’re feeling the pressure though: it’s been too long since you made your last placement and tensions are running high in the office. The star candidate you had lined up for interview this morning bailed out at the last minute. You’re working long, hard days looking for candidates with skills that are in short supply. At some point we’ve all arrived at the thought: “I didn’t even plan to be a recruiter in the first place! What am I doing?”
Recruitment is a demanding business and, at times like these, it can be hard to remember why we stick with it. Need a reminder? Here are 5 reasons to love being a recruiter:
1. It’s thrilling
Don’t laugh! I know formatting CVs is about as thrilling as clipping your toenails and an afternoon of canvass calls can make you feel like an extra in Groundhog Day – but it’s not all like that. Remember what it’s like to close a deal, make a placement, or win some new business? It’s thrilling. With a happy client, a happy candidate, and an impending reward for your hard work, you go home smiling. Not every day is going to offer those thrills, but the days that do make it worth being a recruiter.
2. Money, money, money
It’s not all about the money, but it helps. Place more candidates, make more money – simple. Meanwhile, those in other industries can struggle to gain as much for a year’s work in an annual pay rise as you can in a month or two of placement fees. Feels pretty good when you think about it that way, right?
3. Recruitment agencies are true meritocracies
Your career progression isn’t tied to how long you’ve been in the job. It’s not tied to what (or if) you studied at college or University. It’s not tied to how well you play at office politics. These can be very real obstacles to your peers as they struggle to prove themselves. In a recruitment agency, what matters most is whether or not you can make placements. Work hard and progress fast: it’s as fair as a career can be.
4. People energise you
You’re a social animal. Sure, clients, candidates, and even colleagues can get on your nerves at times, but a silent office forever is your idea of being banished to Room 101. Meeting new people, making introductions, the buzz and banter of the office – a recruitment agency at its best is an energising place to be. You’ve got the autonomy to work as an individual with all the social benefits of being part of a team.
5. You’re good at it
Yes, you are. Maybe you’ve had a bad month and it doesn’t feel that way now, but there’s a reason why you found your way to that desk in the first place. Recruitment may not require years of formal training but it does require a rare blend of traits that you either have or you don’t. You do: you’re a natural networker with tenacity and strong sales skills. You didn’t grow up saying, “I want to be a recruiter” (who does?) but you ended up here because you’re good at it.
If the grass is looking greener, hold off cursing the entire recruitment industry and remind yourself of the things you like about it. Remember how you got here. It’s a demanding career but, without a doubt, a rewarding one.
