So what is a recruiter?

First they have to sell to a perspective client the quality of their service. A consultants job is selling to perspective clients, without a product and sometimes a clue as to what they do is an art, it is what sorts the Consultants from the Recruiters. One company expected in, a day, me to make 180 sales calls. Of these 180 calls, each one taking approximately two and a half minutes, two clients would express an interest. My job was basically to take them down the alternative close route. To back them into a corner until they agreed to use our services. Alternative closing is great. Imagine I wanted to ask a girl out to the cinema. I wouldn’t ask “Will you go to the cinema with me?”, as that is a closed question (yes or no answer). I would ask “What type of film do you prefer Comedy or Action? What do you prefer a late showing or a matinee? When is best for you Friday or Saturday? Are you paying for the tickets or the popcorn?” You get the idea.

So, the Recruitment Consultant is in a meeting with the client. A bit of rapport has been built up. We have talked about football, children, the bad roads and the recruitment needs of the company.  The client has agreed tentatively to allow the Recruitment Consultant (lets call him Agent from now on) to send CV’s of particularly good candidates that the Agent is now representing. Hey presto. We have a client. Of course, I have never heard of the skill set being looked for (Hogan Umbrella?). Now I enter into the second stage of the job. Resourcing.