Attitudes Towards Recruitment Consultants

There seems to be a common misconception that recruitment consultants are in the ‘disliked professionals’ category, alongside estate agents and traffic wardens. However, a good recruitment consultant can be a real gem – understanding their applicants, giving good careers advice and finding the perfect jobs. If you plan to set up your own recruitment consultancy, there is no reason why, unless your only aim is to make a quick buck, you should be in the former category.

The negative judgements about starting a recruitment agency are connected to the less conscientious agencies all over the UK high street. You may have to have some retorts prepared for your doubters, so here is a list of the common misconceptions and how to deal with them.

Common Misconception 1:You Will Make Heaps of Money

Yes, some people who set up their own recruitment business make a lot of money, but you also have to spend a lot of money if you are providing payroll services to temporary staff. You will also need to ensure that you keep a proportion of any recruitment fees you make for your tax bill – this can be a shock if you have not planned for it. The best way is to see one third of your fees as tax, rather than all profit!

The main reason people think that you will make heaps of money is that the recruitment fees you can charge will often be around 15 – 20 % of the annual salary of the candidates you place. If you are recruiting in a well paid sector, such as the banking or legal fields, average salaries can be upwards of £50,000 per annum. It does not take a genius to realise that you will be billing large amounts! However, you must remember that each placement can take you a couple of months of arranging interviews and getting feedback, with many more candidates that will not be offered to job at the end of it.

Common Misconception 2:All Recruitment Consultants Are Sharks

You do not need to be a shark to work in the recruitment business. It can have a bad reputation thanks to the less salubrious consultants that will say anything to get people to go for an interview. You can build your reputation on only putting forward candidates to jobs that suit their career goals, or only suggesting clients and candidates that you know would compliment each other.

Common Misconception 3:You Are an Irritation to Clients

This is closely connected to number two in that the recruitment agencies that give a bad name to the whole employment agency sector are the exception rather than the rule. Most clients are more than happy to deal with responsible, reliable and honest recruitment consultancies, or even sometimes just a particular consultant within their preferred agency. If you have been this consultant, these are the clients that you will need to build a greater rapport with when you set up your own agency to make sure that they bring their business to you.

In order to not be an irritation to clients, it is worth asking them exactly what they need and what they don’t like. You may be able to establish an agreement whereby you give them first refusal on your best new candidates, or agree that you will find them a suitable temp within two hours, as long as they give you their recruitment briefs for twenty four hours before your competitors.