How to progress your career as a Recruitment Consultant

If you’ve been working in recruitment for a while and you’re ready to take the next step in your career, then you have come to the right place.
 
Whether you’ve worked in Insurance or Financial Services recruitment, Banking recruitment or a wide range of other industries, the experts at IDEX are here to help you progress your career.
 
And if you work for the right company, believe in their ethics and feel valued, work may not actually feel like work at all.

How has COVID-19 impacted the recruitment industry?

Many specialisms were hit very hard in 2020/21, and although some sectors like Insurance, Financial Services and Legal are now seeing a significant boom,  competition is tough and as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no end in sight, recruiters are having to quickly adapt and navigate new challenges - not only in the recruitment industry, but the industries they’re recruiting in.
 
For example, the insurance industry is in the midst of a hard market, and this is further compounded by the ongoing skills gap in the sector, with 50% of general insurance firms stating they’re suffering from a skills shortage. This means that many traditional recruiters are working with a smaller pool of talent to fill a larger number of roles, in an increasingly competitive industry. However, smarter firms have new solutions.

Getting to know the industry you're recruiting in

If you want to excel as a Consultant, you need to keep up to date with the latest trends and industry news that may impact your role. 

Keeping up with the goings on in the sectors you recruit in should be something you’re already doing. But if you want to transition to be a successful consultant, you need to take this to the next level. 

Building your network to include professionals in said industries, getting involved in conversations on channels such as LinkedIn and reading content from these verticals is a great way to submerge yourself in these industries and prove your knowledge to clients and candidates. 

It’s important to remember that this all takes time and doesn’t happen overnight - it needs nurturing.  You never know, by joining groups, posting relevant content regularly and engaging with other people’s posts and trending topics, you may even meet new clients and candidates. 

Work smarter, not harder

Over the last few years, technology and digitalisation has revolutionised the way we conduct our day-to-day lives, and can have a positive impact on how you undertake daily tasks at work, ultimately improving communication with clients and candidates. 
 
Free task management software such as Asana, Monday and Trello can help you prioritise tasks, improve productivity and efficiency, manage your workload, streamline your processes and stay on top of those ever increasing to-do lists.
 
 A top tier recruitment company will have the right tools and technology in place to help their recruiters excel and ultimately bill/earn more - if you find your workplace is resistant to change and you’re using software on your own merit, it may be worth looking elsewhere. These marginal gains can actually result in a huge improvement in your performance, progression and earnings.
 
When you’re interviewing for a new role, don’t forget to tell your potential employer about how you use this sort of technology to work more efficiently and improve customer satisfaction - it will show them you’re driven, can take initiative and are able to manage your own workload.

Broaden your skill set 

As a Recruitment Consultant, you’re be expected to wear several hats. You play the role of marketer, customer service advisor, career coach and consultant, so it is important that you have the right skillset. 

Negotiation is one of the most important skills, as you must be able to balance the needs of both candidates and clients effectively. 
 
The best way to improve your negotiation skills is to prepare. You know what they say - fail to prepare, prepare to fail. When you’ve done your research and go into talks with your clients and candidates with all the facts, you’ll be in the best possible position. 
 
Knowing how to monitor website traffic for job roles and utilising social media to promote both candidates and opportunities is also just as important. Signing up to a free marketing course and joining marketing groups can help you further develop your skills. 

Never underestimate the power of social media

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are great social channels for you to broaden your talent pool and advertise roles on, helping you reach more prospective candidates than ever before.
 
You can even use social media to pre-qualify potential candidates by assessing their LinkedIn profile or online presence, in order to determine whether they’re the right fit for the opportunities you’re looking to fill. 
 
When you embrace technology and social media, you can improve the way you work, reach new audiences and change the way you communicate with clients and candidates. 

Kick start your progression plan

If you haven’t got a progression plan in place, then there’s no time like the present to kick start one. After all, a successful recruitment consultant will help their candidates excel in their career, and this is often done through progression plans. In doing this for your own career, you’ll have a real understanding of the process. 

Setting goals and creating a progression plan will help you climb the ladder and give you a clear view of where you want to be and your aspirations. You could even go as far as keeping a gratitude journal to keep track of your progress. 

Think about where you see yourself in the next five years and include the skills you’ll need to get there. You should also include your salary expectations, where you want to live and the roles you would like to explore.

Get a mentor and invest time in training

Mentors can help you grow your network and move up the career ladder. If you work in the right firm, you should be able to find a great mentor who can help you succeed. Otherwise, you could look at finding an external mentor. 

You could schedule fortnightly sessions where you meet up for a coffee and discuss industry trends, or email with any challenges or issues you need advice on. Their experience and different way of thinking can help you build on your own experience, ideas and thoughts

Pair this with investing in online training and eLearning, and you’ll be unstoppable. The right company should have a thorough training programme in place in order to keep employees engaged and help them progress, so it is worth speaking to your Line Manager. 
 
Working for a company that’s invested in your career progression, utilises technology to help you thrive and values you as a person and recruiter can help you supercharge your career.
 
 If you want to progress your career as a recruitment consultant, download our whitepaper, “Ditch KPIs and Make More Money: The Recruiter's Guide". Alternatively, apply to join the team at IDEX Consulting today.