Recruitment or Hiring role with a consulting company is an exciting alternative career option for middle management professionals. It provides both job satisfaction and financial well being.

There is a myth about recruitment consultancy that it is only a human resources function. Reality is that it involves extensive sales and relationship building skills with all the stakeholders. All businesses are usually driven by setting targets and goals for their employees; and so are consultancies. Hence, people tend to be more ambitious and motivated making the environment quite exciting and fast paced.

It is a matter of fact that the economy of India is in an accelerated growth phase. Markets are moving swiftly towards achieving ambitious growth targets. Consequently, people are also moving fast to enable that growth. However, all businesses are under pressure for margins. Performance has become a key driver for even compensation. These days, remuneration packages are actively linked to performance. Therefore, earnings potential has become uncapped and a huge part of remuneration comprises of performance driven incentives.

Businesses have become very unpredictable. This is the biggest challenge that you handle compared to your product sales counterparts. You will be amazed by the variety of people you meet. At the same time, you will feel a sense of high when you see the difference you make; difference to a candidate’s career and that to the future of your client organization. The client organization looks at you as partner in building their organization with the right people and candidates look up to you for diverse options to build their careers. All this brings in a very fulfilling experience.

There are two distinct roles available to you –

1. You are excited about meeting people and are highly creative. However, you do not enjoy a target driven role. Then, you can pursue to be a researcher where candidate sourcing is your primary function.

2. You are excited about meeting people. You enjoy building relationship with client organization and like target oriented 360° interaction. Then, you should pursue to be a consultant which is a customer facing role. This role turns you into a business partner of the client organization due to its consultative approach.

Most of the professional recruiters operate through domain specialization teams’ e.g. – Consumer, Engineering, Financial Services and Technology Practice etc. The growth opportunities are ample. Ambitious & successful consultants get opportunity as profit – centre heads of these different industry practice areas or to explore new markets or even move into other diversified business areas, if any, of the group.

Key competencies required for a successful career in recruitment include:

Competitive, Self Motivated, Relationship Management, Creative Thinking, Savvy Investigator, Commercial Acumen, Persistence, Time & Project Management.

- DeTimes