Recruitment

A career in recruitment could involve working for an employer, as part of their HR department, or working in a recruitment agency. It requires sales and marketing skills as well as people skills.

Recruitment within business

Recruitment is a specialised function within human resources and involves many different activities. A graduate recruitment campaign, for example, would include several stages:

• Devising ongoing marketing campaigns to raise awareness of your company among students. This could include attending careers fairs, sponsoring student societies, or managing social media campaigns.
• Liaising with senior management to agree how many vacancies need filling, and the skills they are looking for.
• Writing and placing job advertisements.
• Sifting applications and managing the short-listing process.
• Organising and carrying out job interviews and assessment centres.
• Making job offers.
• Organising induction and 'on-boarding' of new starters.

Recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies are paid by employers (their clients) to match applications with suitable jobs. Part of the work is a sales job, promoting the business to clients. The other part of the job involves working with and for candidates.

Agencies are paid by results, which means that this career is dynamic, fast paced, pressurised, challenging, target driven and competitive. For a graduate who is not afraid of hard work it offers early responsibility, opportunities for career progression and high earning potential.

From the start graduates can expect to be selling to both candidates and clients, dealing at a senior level, devising job descriptions and advertisements, negotiating rates, interviewing candidates, managing candidate and client expectations and managing the interview and offer process. Realistically it will involve working 10-12 hour days but financially you are rewarded for your successes.

All degree disciplines are welcomed, as it is your personal characteristics that are important. To succeed you will be self motivated, target oriented and ambitious.