Recruitment graduate jobs

The UK recruitment industry is a multi-billion pound industry, with tens of thousands of recruitment agencies based around the country. As such, there are lots of recruitment opportunities and talent acquisition jobs out there for graduates who are looking for a challenging but rewarding career. So, what do careers in recruitment actually look like?

Properly understood, the recruitment industry can be split into two: internal recruitment and external recruitment. An internal recruitment consultant works in-house and is solely responsible for the hiring efforts of their own company. External recruitment roles, in contrast, work for an agency and are responsible for the hiring efforts of multiple client businesses. Whether working internally or for an agency, the goal of all talent acquisition professionals is to place top candidates into suitable roles in order to benefit a business.

Taking a closer look at the recruitment consultant career path, most graduates will start their recruitment career in entry level recruitment jobs. At entry level, graduate recruitment opportunities usually take the form of candidate resourcer jobs. As a candidate resourcer, you are responsible for finding candidates to shortlist for interviews, scanning CVs to identify skills matches and performing initial candidate screening over the phone. Candidate sourcing and executive search are an integral part of the recruitment process, with some recruiters choosing to specialise in executive search jobs, progressing to positions such as ‘Executive Search Consultant’.

For graduates in junior recruitment jobs that want to move beyond resourcing, the next stage is to progress to 360 recruitment. A 360 Graduate Recruitment Consultant is responsible for handling the whole recruitment process from start to finish. This includes job description writing, sourcing and screening candidates, organising in-person interviews and assessment days, providing feedback to candidates, and rolling out job offers. The main point of progression in these graduate recruitment consultant jobs is the account management involved; a Talent Acquisition Consultant must liaise successfully between the hiring clients and job seekers.

At this career level, most recruiters choose to specialise in a particular sector, industry or job type. For instance, the recruitment consultants working here at Give a Grad a Go specialise in graduate jobs recruitment. Having moved into specialist account management, most recruiters then have their progression determined by targets. As such, the speed of progression for graduate recruitment roles is very much dependent on performance. If you’re hitting your targets every month, you could see yourself progressing to Senior Recruitment Consultant within your first couple of years in the job.

If you’re interested in kickstarting your recruitment career, register a profile on our website and head over to our recruitment jobs board to start the application process – it’s really that simple!

Thinking about applying to graduate recruitment positions but unsure what the pay is like?

In recruitment, most jobs will have a base salary that is supplemented by commission or on-target earnings. For every hire placed, recruiters will usually take a percentage of the starting salary as commission. This is a great way for recruiters, particularly in junior positions, to increase their take-home pay, and acts as a great incentive to meet hiring targets. As with most jobs, the salaries of recruitment roles increase with seniority and experience, with the highest-paying recruitment jobs being management level.

Let’s take a closer look at the base salaries of jobs in the recruitment industry…

• Junior Recruitment Consultant – £25,000 – £27,000
• Talent Aquisition Executive – £30,000 – £35,000
• Recruitment Lead – £40,000 – £45,000
• Head of Talent / Head of Recruitment – £50,000+

These salary ranges will vary depending on experience, speciality and whether the role is internal or agency-based. The amount of commission and OTE awarded on top of salary will also vary depending on the commission structure of the organisation you work for. In some organisations, for instance, Junior Recruitment Consultants will not be eligible for commission until they pass probation. The percentage of commission received from each candidate placed may also change with seniority.

For full salary details, make sure to check the job description of any graduate recruitment job you are applying for, and ask about pay structure at the interview stage.

Looking to fast-track your recruitment career? Recruitment graduate schemes are a great option for graduates looking to gain extensive industry exposure and further their career. Recruitment graduate schemes are aimed at graduates who have recently left university and are on looking for their first job in recruitment. Most recruiter graduate schemes are fixed-term trainee recruitment consultant jobs that consist of a 1-3 year rotational development programme. The purpose of this programme is to accelerate careers in recruitment and build future leaders – you could be a Recruitment Consultant Manager by the end of the scheme!

On a recruitment graduate scheme, you will be exposed to a wide range of areas within recruitment: executive search, account management, client services, and business development. If the scheme is at a generalist recruitment agency with various industry sub-departments (such as finance recruitment or PR recruitment) you will also have the opportunity to explore a variety of recruitment sectors. In this way, graduate schemes are great way of gaining a broader understanding of how different sectors interact with the recruitment industry. It’s also helpful for graduates who are unsure about what specific sector of recruitment they want to specialise in. The explorative element of rotational schemes can be really beneficial in this way.

Unlike traditional junior recruitment jobs, graduate schemes allow you to take responsibility for projects from day one, working on accounts with tight deadlines that require extensive multi-tasking. By providing such opportunities, graduates gain experience that is essential to eventually progress to senior recruitment roles.

Recruitment graduate schemes are usually offered by established recruitment firms or large corporations that are looking to invest in their future in-house recruitment talent. At Give a Grad a Go, we work with the most innovative businesses to bring you the best grad schemes on the market. If you’re hoping to become a graduate trainee recruitment consultant, look no further! Get your CV up to scratch and upload it to our website to apply for any prospective role that takes your fancy.

While graduate recruitment consultant jobs can be rewarding, they also come with their share of challenges. Here are some common challenges that recruitment consultants often face:

• Talent Shortages: Finding the right candidates for open positions can be challenging, especially in industries with skill shortages or high demand for specific roles.
• Competition: The recruitment industry is competitive, with multiple agencies and internal HR teams vying to attract top talent. Standing out and building relationships with candidates can be tough.
• Changing job market: Economic conditions and job market trends can negatively impact the demand for certain roles and skills e.g. covid pandemic. Adapting to these changes and staying relevant is essential.
• Client demands: Clients may have specific expectations and timelines for filling positions. Balancing client needs with the availability of suitable candidates can be challenging.
• Time pressure: Recruitment consultants often work under tight deadlines to identify, interview, and present candidates for job openings.
• Candidate dropouts: Candidates might withdraw from the recruitment process after initial interest, creating setbacks in the hiring process.
• Negotiation: Balancing the interests of candidates and clients during salary negotiations and contract discussions can require delicate negotiation skills.

Recruitment consultants need to be adaptable, resilient, and skilled in building relationships with both candidates and clients. Despite these challenges, successful recruiters find fulfilment in helping individuals find job opportunities and assisting clients in building strong teams.

Not all jobs in the recruitment industry offer commission, but many recruitment roles, especially those in agencies or firms that operate on a commission-based business model, do include commission as part of the compensation package.

Here’s a breakdown of how commission works in recruitment:

Commission-based roles: In commission-based recruitment roles, recruiters receive a portion of their compensation as a percentage of the fees earned from successfully placing candidates in job positions. These roles often include various sales and performance targets.

Base salary vs. commission: Some recruitment roles offer a combination of base salary and commission. The base salary provides a stable income, while the commission serves as an additional reward for meeting or exceeding recruitment targets.

In-house recruitment roles: In-house or corporate recruiters who work directly for an organisation may receive a fixed salary without a commission component. These roles focus on filling positions within the organisation and may not involve generating revenue from external clients, hence the lack of commission.

It’s worth noting that commission-based roles can offer the potential for higher earnings based on performance, but they also come with variability and potential income fluctuations, especially during periods of lower demand or economic downturns. As a graduate entering the job market, it’s important that you look for roles that offer relative stability whilst you develop your professional skillset – don’t be blinded by bonuses!