Could you spot the perfect candidate?
WHETHER jobs are plentiful or scarce, there will always be roles for recruitment professionals.
Jade Lawrence, a client services manager at recruiter Guidant Global, says: ‘After college, I didn’t want to go to university, but I still wanted to have a career with fast progression and longevity — so I chose recruitment.’
She adds: ‘I love working with people and can manage my own workload and build my own “mini business” within the company, where I consult with the firms for whom I recruit to provide them with the best talent and create new career opportunities for candidates.’
Starting out as a temp for Guidant Global’s sister company, Blue Arrow, Jade soon became a permanent staff member, before working in recruitment in Australia.
Now back in the UK with Guidant, she is a client services manager for a fast-moving, global consumer goods sector customer. ‘I love building relationships, the stimulating environment and continuous learning,’ says Jade.
‘Being a trusted adviser to clients and candidates and seeing where you have added value is rewarding.’
Recruitment is hard work and unpredictable, so finding solutions in new situations is important, she explains.
Simon Blockley, managing director of EMEA at Guidant Global, says: ‘In recruitment, people can flourish professionally, regardless of educational background. Strategic thinkers, open communicators and relationship builders are highly prized. And we need problemsolvers who can innovate to deliver better services.
‘Recruitment agency jobs often need an element of sales, but we don’t. For us, it’s about collaboration and honesty.’
Having experience of the sector for which you are recruiting can help. Apprenticeships, graduate schemes and traineeships are becoming increasingly common and recruitment trade bodies such as the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) can facilitate training and connect potential recruits with employers.
Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo, says: ‘An apprentice at a larger recruitment firm in London, for example, can earn around £17,000 to £18,000. Top salaries can reach six figures and bonuses are common.’