When you’re a recruiter, the sky is the limit on your career. But what is the journey of becoming a successful recruitment consultant really like, and what are the different pathways can you take?
We sat down with Alex, the Branch Manager at our Mansfield Office, to discuss how he got started in his recruitment career and the steps he took to get where he is today.
I started my career working within high-end retail, both in Nottingham and London, where I developed strong sales skills and the ability to develop relationships with a wide range of people. During this time, one of my clients (who worked in the industry himself) recommended that I pursue a career in recruitment, recognising that it would suit my personality and the things I was looking for in my career.
I was initially attracted to recruitment after hearing all the stories of quick progression and the uncapped earning potential that came with this. I also liked the idea of being able to assist others on their career paths – finding my own had been a struggle for a long period of time, so I understood the challenges people faced when trying to find the right fit for them.
Having initially applied for the apprenticeship, I subsequently switched to the four-day Training Programme on the recommendation of the QS directors, which concentrated on how to use the database and legal aspects of recruitment. As a trainee at the Nottingham office, I was blown away by the training provided and by how supportive the team was. Without the assistance of my mentor (who supported me for several months) and Ian Smith (Branch Manager), I believe I could have easily been overwhelmed and ultimately failed the first step (as many in recruitment do).
After winning a few Driving and Industrial sector clients and starting to build up my desk, I was rewarded with being made a Recruitment Consultant after just a couple of months. During this period, I continued to develop relationships and created a very good rapport with clients and candidates alike.
To prove my commitment, I would regularly go above and beyond to assist the PC and my clients whenever needed, whether it was dropping in to speak to clients in person, or communicating directly with the site managers via messenger out of hours. I also built my desk up to 450+ shifts a week during the Christmas peak!
My efforts were noticed, and the company trusted me to mentor my own trainee as part of my progression. After a couple of months, having assisted my trainee to pass his probation and become a consultant himself, I was subsequently awarded a new role as a Senior Consultant
The next step for me was to open my own branch. When Brian (Regional Director) asked me to start up a new project from scratch in Mansfield, I put together a strategy for how my small team and I would achieve this including measurable targets for tracking our progress.
Having built up the client base through business development and increasing candidate generation within the region, we successfully completed the project, and we were then able to open a full-time branch, over which I was entrusted to act as Interim Manager.
I am now the Branch Manager at the Mansfield Office where I currently manage one recruitment consultant and am actively growing my team. I can’t wait to see where my recruitment career takes me next!
At QS Recruitment, we want to see our people thrive in their careers, and we take an active role in supporting and developing each of our consultants to be their best, wherever they are in their recruitment journey. If you’re interested in learning what it’s like to work for us or want to find out more about becoming a recruiter, feel free to reach out.
