Imagine if Tarantino had never left that video shop - if Elvis’s parents had bought him a bike instead of a guitar - if Johnny Depp had stayed in school…Careers can define people; all they need is someone to point them in the right direction.

One of the major rewards of working in recruitment is getting the chance to be that someone; making a difference to your candidates - whether by increasing their salary, moving them closer to home, or cutting down their hours so they can spend time with their families. Forming relationships, and listening to the experience, skills and personal needs of both clients and candidates, are all key parts of a recruitment consultant’s day-to-day role.
I know, I know, that warm fuzzy feeling won’t pay the bills - but it is a nice bonus on top of the sales-based pay structure at most recruitment companies. With commission-per-placement the industry standard, in recruitment you can keep your morals and your Merc.

However great it sounds to have a rewarding job with decent pay, though, it is too good to be true - if you’re the wrong kind of person. Like any job, there are certain attributes, abilities and passions that make you right - or wrong - for the role, and being able to identify them in yourself will help you identify them in your candidates.

Talking the talk - a lot of recruitment is about sales - both verbal and written. You need to be able to sell your agency to clients and candidates against your competitors; your candidates to clients, through phone calls and later their CVs; and your clients to candidates, so that they’ll actually turn up to interviews when you book them. You’ve also got to be confident with a variety of people: your clients could be senior executives of major companies, while your candidates could be school leavers looking for their first job - and you’ve got to negotiate pay between them, because that determines your commission.

The small print - it’s not like you’re a librarian or a book reviewer, but there will be some careful reading involved. You need to be able to go through and match the key parts of a job spec and a CV, as well as to write up appropriate ads tailored to the right sort of candidate.

Thick skin - you can be as charming and as cheery as you like, but now and again, some more reticent candidates and clients just won’t tell you the whole story. Out of the blue, the ‘perfect’ candidate will be rejected, will refuse to take a job they seemed so keen on, or just won’t show up at all. The question here is whether you see this as a failure, and let it get you down, or enjoy the challenge, and rise above it!

Big fish/little pond - there are some aspects of the job that you can tailor to your needs. For instance, if you thrive on pressure and need the buzz of goals and pep talks, then look for an agency who has targets in its ethos. Meanwhile, if CVs over coffee and face time with your clients are more your cup of tea, then a company whose focus is more holistic and individual might be more your style. Like any business, recruitment agencies vary by size, mission statement, and how your boss thinks.

If you’re a bit of a wallflower who is happier with stats than smiles, and better online than in real time, then be a mathematician, games tester or blogger…But if you could sell ice to the Eskimos, but would prefer to peddle something more ethical, and are looking for a challenging, people-focused role where you can make a difference to average Joes and Janes, then look a little closer - recruitment might be the route for you.