There has never been a better time to start a career in staffing. The staffing industry is booming, and the trend toward specialist staffing services for niche roles is accelerating. It’s a competitive industry but there’s room for anyone who wants to build a successful career.
The staffing industry is seeing a surge in growth following the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a perfect combination that means that specialist recruiters are in high demand.
The post-pandemic global staffing shortage has created an acute need for new staff, and many businesses are turning to niche staffing firms to help them fill these business-critical vacancies.
Many employees are reconsidering their priorities in a post-pandemic world. This has led to ‘The Great Resignation’ or ‘The Great Reshuffle’, where huge numbers of professionals are considering a career move. This means there are a record number of vacancies to be filled, and record numbers of candidates that are open to finding a new role.
Businesses that survived, and even thrived, during the pandemic are growing. Due to the major shift to working from home, specialist roles in tech are in huge demand (particularly in areas such as identity and access management, digital HR, and supply chain management). These niche roles require industry expertise to fill, which is why businesses are turning to specialist staffing firms.
What does a recruitment consultant do?
Recruitment is a really varied career where no two days are the same. As a recruitment consultant, you’ll work independently to build your desk, grow your client base, and establish a strong candidate network. In this sense, you have autonomy over your business and career, which a lot of recruiters enjoy.
You also get to be part of a wider team, working together to achieve the same goals, so most recruiters work to KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) or targets set by their business leaders. Being part of a wider team brings with it so many benefits such as camaraderie, social events, and the support to help you achieve your goals.
Day to day, a recruitment consultant will:
Source, headhunt, and interview high caliber candidates
Build lasting relationships with businesses and individuals
Write adverts for new vacancies and manage applications
Arrange interviews with candidates and clients
Negotiate offers and salary packages
Maintain strong relationships with candidates and clients to secure repeat business
Build a professional and credible personal brand on LinkedIn
Work in partnership with clients to advise on recruitment strategy
So it’s a great time to join the industry, but what will you get out of a career in recruitment?
Joining an accelerating industry and business means that the opportunities for progression are like no other. After your initial training and probation period, you can potentially be promoted every 6 months provided you hit targets and promotion criteria. If you’re ambitious and want to progress, this is the career for you!
Why choose a career in the staffing industry?
A career in the staffing industry can be very lucrative as well as incredibly rewarding. Every day you get to help people reach the next step in their career or find their dream job. And when you make a successful placement, the feeling is like no other.
Great earning potential. Competitive base salaries plus commission and bonuses in most firms. At Cloud, there is no threshold and no cap on commission so there’s no limit to how much you could earn.
Quick progression opportunities. If you hit your targets, you can progress quickly in your career. Our path of progression is transparent from day one so you can easily set your career goals.
Scope for development. Whether you want to progress to management, or specialize in your industry, find a staffing firm that invests in Learning & Development for their teams. At Cloud, we’re proud to have won the Princess Trust Training Award for our management development program.
Benefits & incentives. Lunch club at Michelin-star restaurants, holiday incentives to Dubai, Sun City, Miami, awards, prizes, winter parties, summer galas, work from home, flexible working, wellbeing benefits, the list of benefits and incentives is almost endless.
Variety of work. No two days are the same in recruitment. If you love having variety, speaking to new people, and working on new projects, a career in recruitment could be perfect for you!
A challenge. Recruitment isn’t easy. But the challenges you overcome make the successes even sweeter! And if you join a supportive team with great leaders and colleagues, there’s nothing you can’t achieve.
What skills do you need to work in recruitment?
People skills. Recruitment is all about people. You need to be happy to speak to people to build relationships and trust to get to know their real motivations and desires.
Listening skills. Listening to what is said, and what isn’t said is key in recruitment. You can learn a lot by reading between the lines.
Resilience. Recruitment can be tough when things don’t go your way, so you’ll need to be resilient and pick yourself back up again – remember they’re all opportunities for learning!
Problem-solving skills. Spotting potential issues, mitigating problems before they arise, and thinking outside the box to problem-solve will make you a great recruiter!
Self-motivation. Managing your own desk, time, and appointments means you need to be self-motivated and focused to achieve your goals.
Plus a positive attitude and growth mindset!
What will you gain from a career in the staffing industry?
Aside from the amazing earning potential and opportunities for progression, a career in the staffing industry will set you up with so many valuable skills and experiences that see you through your whole career.
Negotiation skills & business acumen
A sense of fulfillment from making a positive impact on people’s lives and careers
A great network of colleagues, peers, and mentors
What next?
Recruitment is unique. To build a successful career in recruitment requires a real mix of social and interpersonal skills, technical and business knowledge, plus the internal drive to succeed. It’s one of the most rewarding careers out there: you celebrate every milestone and win – big or small; and you’re not only progressing in your own career but helping others to progress in their careers too.
The skills and expertise that you build in a recruitment career will provide a solid foundation as your career develops, whether you progress to management within recruitment, move into HR or talent acquisition, or change careers entirely. Starting your career in recruitment and joining a business that is growing rapidly will bring amazing opportunities including international travel, working or relocating abroad, progression & development opportunities and so many others.
With the right training and guidance, you can forge a hugely successful and rewarding career that you can be proud of.
If you decide that a career in recruitment is right for you, then you’re in the right place! We are always looking for passionate individuals to join our team.
If you would like to discuss starting your career at Cloud, please email careers@cloud-international.com to express your interest, and follow us on Instagram to get a taste of what #LifeAtCloud is like.
