Seriously though, I love what I do, so much that it doesn’t actually feel like work and it hasn’t since the day I launched Ashley James Consulting (Rec2Rec Birmingham & Rec2Rec Manchester) back in March 2016…
Rather than write a shameless, self-glorified article dedicated to blowing our own trumpet and selling all the benefits of working at Ashley James Consulting (we’re recruiting) I thought I’d aim this more towards people who’ve contemplated Rec2Rec, are curious to learn more or just dispel some of the rumours and myths of our sector.
Truths
- It’s a candidate short market and a fiercely competitive one at that! So you have to headhunt passive talent through networking, getting referrals from your contacts and being recognised as the ‘go to’ person in your patch/sector.
- It’s fast paced, meaning you can have good candidates at offer stage within 48 hours if you manage the process tightly (and have a strong, influential relationship with your client.) That said there are still some companies in 2017 that insist on 32 stage interview processes that consist of telephone screens, a coffee/drink meet and greet, the same interview (on repeat) with every person in the office for what feels like 24 hours without a toilet break, a psychometric profiling test, a second interview, final interview and presentation, drinks with the team, office car park assault course, fitness test, drugs test and of course the ‘come and spend half a day in the office’ and see if you like it part. Jeeeeeeez!
- Our biggest expense is usually on entertainment and travel costs (because a good Rec2Rec meets everyone they work with.) So unless you want to end up like jabba the hut by the end of your first year, it’s a good idea to ditch the mocha-chocca-frappe-latte-chino with extra cream and that customary muffin for something like an Americano or an Espresso (rocket fuel that stuff). But getting paid (well) to meet great people, drink coffee and help them achieve their career and life goals has to be one of the coolest jobs around right?
- Business development is easy. Well, nothing is ever easy but it really is pretty straight forward because everyone needs good people. So if you’re great on the candidate side but hate cold calling and being rejected by prospective clients then it could be for you.
- We work crazy hours. The best candidates are usually in work ‘doing their thing’ between 9-6pm, so we’re busy first thing, we’re busy at lunch, we’re busy when people escape from their office for a coffee or whatever else and then we’re busy in the evenings. In-between all that ‘candidate stuff’ we’re busy talking to clients. Lots of busy busyness, nobody cares if people are busy though…
Lies
- It’s a get rich quick scheme. I don’t know anybody who’s billed more than £130k in their first year in R2R (feel free to gloat in the comments section below if you have but be sure to back it up with hard evidence and a picture of your 911 or you’ll get both barrels by the army of LinkedIn keyboard warriors). Our commission structure pays between 20-50% of your billings so whilst it can be very lucrative, it’s probably not your ticket to buying that Lamborghini you’ve always dreamed of (well, not this year anyways…)
- Dealing with Recruiters all day is my idea of hell. This is quite subjective, it’s certainly not hell for me but if you enjoy matching keywords on CV’s against job specs then it probably isn’t for you. In Rec2Rec you’re matching cultural fit, personalities and everything else in-between. Sure, the more junior candidates and trainees are hard to manage, quite flippant, make crazy decisions (and whilst sometimes it feels like herding cats) you’re dealing with humans, relationship driven, engaging, interesting and usually competitive people day in day out. Some of the people I’ve met through this job have gone on to become good friends.
- It’s an easy job (or easy start up for those who want to run their own business.) It could be for the right person, but then it isn’t all at the same time. I’ve lost track of the amount of new Rec2Rec’s coming into the market, there’s more than enough business out there for most and we’re certainly not afraid of competition, in fact I’ve helped more than my fair share because I’m not an asshole. But many fall by the wayside or end up going into other markets or back to their comfort zone.
I promised I wouldn’t include any shameless plugs about Ashley James Consulting so I’ll just let you know that we’re looking to expand our team. If the above resonates with you or you’re inquisitive about how a career with us could pan out drop me a line.
We’re looking to hire talented, relationship driven and engaging recruiters.
For those who have just read this being nosey or to find out more about what our sector is like or just to pass time, I hope you can relate to some of the above points from the other side and look forward to your comments, input and of course banter below.