How To Start A Career In Recruiting: A Step By Step Guide

Are you a people person? Do you like helping others? Do you enjoy working towards personal targets? Are you passionate about networking? If the answer was ‘yes’ to those questions, a career in recruitment could be the perfect avenue for you.

Whether you’re drawn to the exciting, fast-paced nature of the job, the chance to make a positive difference in people’s lives, or the opportunity to work in a variety of industries, recruitment offers a very rewarding career path. And luckily, we’re here to help you every step of the way!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step needed to help you become a successful recruiter, as well as what the job typically entails and the key skills you’ll need.

What Does a Recruiter Do?

In short, the purpose of a recruiter (also commonly referred to as a ‘recruitment consultant’) is to match qualified individuals with specific positions at an organisation.

Think of them as the bridge between employers and potential candidates, ensuring the right person is matched with the right job.

They may use things like job boards, social media, company career pages, and can even attend networking events to find potential candidates for their clients. Online sourcing tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter, ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), and industry databases are also commonly used by recruiters across the UK.

It’s also the recruiters responsibility to stay on top of job trends, industry insights, and what qualities and skills companies seek when hiring new employees.

Whether you’re looking to develop your recruitment career, seek investment into your business, or looking to scale your teams with the best recruiters in the industry, we can help. Get in touch with a member of our team today!

The Different Types of Recruitment

No two recruitment jobs are exactly the same, and this is purely down to the fact that your responsibilities will naturally differ based on the specifics of the role.

For example, an internal recruiter - who directly recruits candidates for the organisation they work for - will have different priorities and therefore targets, compared to a recruiter who works for an agency with a broad range of clients in various industries.

Still interested in pursuing a career in recruitment? Keep reading to discover our top 6 steps for starting a career in this fast-paced, exciting industry.

How to Start a Career in Recruiting

Discover our 5-step guide to getting into recruiting:

1. Assess Your Skills

First things first, you need to fully understand the skills needed for a successful career in recruitment, and assess whether your skills and interests match these. This is a really important step as you want to make sure you’re choosing the right path for your career.

Recruitment isn’t for the weak. It is a fast-paced environment that requires a high level of resilience, multitasking, and determination to succeed. Recruiters must be able to handle rejections well, and be able to navigate the ever-changing demands of their clients and candidates, all while maintaining a positive and professional mindset. And breathe!

You can discover more key skills and traits of a successful recruiter, here.

If these qualities align well with your skills and interests, a career in recruiting could be a fantastic career choice for you.

2. Gain Relevant Experience

Once you’ve decided recruitment is the career for you, it’s now about ensuring you have the relevant experience for the jo b.

While having a degree in fields like business, psychology, or human resources can provide valuable knowledge of organisational behavior, it’s not a strict requirement for most recruitment agencies or internal roles.

What matters most when getting into recruitment is developing soft and hard skills that demonstrate your ability to work well with people and solve problems.

Some great starting points are customer service or sales-based roles, teaching valuable skills for recruitment such as communication, negotiation, and relationship-building.

3. Develop Your Knowledge

To further enhance your suitability for the role, it’s worth familiarising yourself with key recruiting tools that we mentioned further up the blog, like LinkedIn Recruiter, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and other sourcing platforms that you’ll likely use on the job.

There are also a number of courses you could take through platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera, to further enhance your expertise.

4. Apply to Entry-Level Positions

Once you feel like you’ve got a good level of knowledge and transferable experience, it’s time for the real fun to start!

Applying for entry -level positions is a crucial step in starting a career in recruiting, as these roles provide the foundational experience needed to advance in the field. Entry-level jobs are permanent roles that are open to pretty much anyone and don’t require extensive relevant experience or (typically) a degree.

Entry-level opportunities in recruitment may be a coordinator, HR assistant or junior-level recruitment consultant.

5. Build Your Network

If you’re looking to consistently find great, high-quality candidates, you must have a substantial personal network full of talented people ready to step into roles at a moment’s notice.

LinkedIn is an obvious starting point, with thousands and thousands of keen professionals actively seeking opportunities or open to new roles. This platform also allows recruiters, like you, to search for candidates based on skills, experience, and location.

That said, we wouldn’t recommend leaving all your networking to the digital world. Start attending networking events and career fairs too, because they’ll play an important part in your role as a recruiter.

6. Consider Gaining Certifications

If you want to enhance your credibility and expertise as a recruiter, consider gaining certifications. These will not only show employers, clients and even candidates that you’re serious about your job, but they’ll also equip you with helpful skills and insights to truly excel in the field.

Recruiting Certificates

In the UK, some popular certifications you might want to consider looking into include the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualifications, which are widely recognised in HR and recruitment.

The CIPD Level 3 Certificate in People Practice is another one, ideal for those starting out in the industry, while the CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Organisational Learning and Development or Talent Management offers advanced knowledge for experienced professionals.

And there we have it! We hope this article has provided you with a clear roadmap to kickstart your career in recruiting. For more recruitment insights, check out our blog page, including articles like ‘are you acquisition ready?’.

With a vibrant community, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to personal and professional development, the Recolution Group is where extraordinary individuals like you can thrive and unlock your full potential.

Come join us and be part of a fantastic business that offers limitless possibilities for your recruitment career. Discover our internal job vacancies here. And if you’d like to speak with a member of our team directly, please give us a call on +44(0) 2922 260 100.

< Older Post

Newer Post >