Seems ridiculous for someone who has been in the industry for over 20 years to say that. Well, it’s true, it is!!
Don’t get me wrong I know how to recruit for my clients and I’m bold enough to say I’m pretty good at it. It’s about taking the time to understand the client’s needs, understand what candidates can offer, adding real value and insight into every process and ultimately, helping both sides through a series of meetings to reach a successful conclusion for the client and one lucky individual. Easy so far.
But then when I reflect recruitment into my own business I can testify it’s not easy. I say to every prospective recruitment consultant that all you need to have “genuine fire in your belly” and a “fair amount of common sense” and you’ll do well in our industry and that bit remains the major factor. But this doesn’t even touch on technical skills, experience and knowledge and of course cultural fit!
Recruitment is easy and hard, a contradiction I know. The easy bit is the process of recruitment – clients, candidates, registrations, interviews, offers, placements…. commission. The hard, dealing with opinions at every turn so we’re agony aunts, support counsellors, mediators, negotiators and Kofi Annan; and this isn’t even mentioning the highly competitive marketplace where there are some very good recruiters.
Recruitment is difficult and challenging and what I’d say to clients and candidates alike is to always seek support and advice because we understand your pain and we know how to do it properly.