Why You Didn’t Get That Last Senior Consultant Role

 
As one of the leading Rec2Rec agencies in London, we get a significant number of consultants contacting us every week looking for our help to develop their career. Many are disappointed that despite a good start as a trainee and now enjoying experience as a recruiter, they are struggling to make the next step into a senior role. As ironic as it sounds, one of the main issues we come across in these situations is that many of the consultants (even some of the most successful) don’t have a plan for where they want their career to go and how they are going to get there.

As consultants ourselves, we understand that there can be various reasons for this, the main one being time. Recruitment is a job done at breakneck speed, balancing numerous tasks at once whilst keeping both clients and candidates happy.

Whilst you may have little opportunity to focus on your own career, it is something you should make time for. Whether you are happy in your current role or are looking for an imminent move, we’ve got three factors for you to consider when assessing where you are in your recruiting career, and where you want to be.

Always be preparing for your next role

Even if you’re satisfied in your current job, will you still be in one year, five years or ten years? A good consultant should always have their eye on the future, whether you think that rests at the company where you are now or elsewhere. Every year there is an influx of fresh new talent to the industry, hungry for success. If you don’t take control of your career, you could see yourself being overshadowed by less experienced consultants. Ask yourself where you want to be in the future and what you need to do to get there. It may be that you need to broaden your skills by attending relevant courses or by taking on extra responsibilities. Wherever you want your career to be in the future, you must start preparing now.

Map out your career path

As a recruitment consultant, you’ll understand the usefulness and power of billing targets. As well as being a driver for you to bring in as much revenue you as you can, they’re also a marker of your personal success. Why not apply the same reasoning to your own career? Map out how you want to move forward and drive your progress by giving yourself targets on the way.

For example, this may be having completed a certain amount of training by six months, to have started applying for senior consultant roles within nine months and to have secured a role within a year. Mapping it out like this with targets ensures you are always keeping focussed on your own career.

Focus on culture fit, not just money

Recruitment is a career that many people come to because the financial rewards for high achievers are excellent. However, if you want to develop, it’s important to focus not just on money, but on culture fit. When looking at different consultancies, do their aims and ethos match your own? Do you think that you’ll fit in with the corporate and staff culture there? Can they facilitate your ambitions? You’ll be happier and actually earn more money at a company that feels ‘right’ for you than at a higher paying agency that doesn’t quite feel the correct match for your skills, aims and ideals.

Focus on these three key factors and you’ll take control of your career and progress to a senior consultant, prepared and faster than you realise.

Until next time,

Cheryl