I am an aspiring recruitment consultant. I currently work for a business consultancy as a business consultant (basically telesales). I am the longest current serving salesperson at the company and I am also the most highly paid. I have recently been promoted to managing my own team where I am responsible for everything from recruiting to training and mentoring etc.I have always wanted to be a recruitment consultant. I know being a successful recruitment consultant is hard, very hard, but I don't care I like a challenge as much as anyone and am incredibly money hungry.My problem is that I don't have a degree and my academic background is not the best. Can I still get into recruitment?Thanks.

Yes.Get a CV on Monster, Reed, etc. Book a week off work, arrange as many interviews as possible for that week and accept the best offer (provided you receive one).Education is pretty much irrelevant in recruitment as long as you can talk the talk.

[quote]Yes.Get a CV on Monster, Reed, etc. Book a week off work, arrange as many interviews as possible for that week and accept the best offer (provided you receive one).Education is pretty much irrelevant in recruitment as long as you can talk the talk.[/quote]Thanks for your reply it was very encouraging to read it. I do have a CV at the minute however I think I need to add a few finishing touches to it. I have 3 years as a b2b sales executive. At my last company I was the longest and highest earning salesperson there. Last year I got promoted to running my own team. I'm no longer there because the company unfortunately went into liquidation. Are recruitment companies pretty selective when they select who to interview based on their CV or do they pretty much invite anyone to an interview providing they meet the minimum requirements?

Education can be somewhat irrelevant with recruitment, initiative is relevant. Use yours and call round/get your CV out there. You won't know unless you try.

[quote]Education can be somewhat irrelevant with recruitment, initiative is relevant. Use yours and call round/get your CV out there. You won't know unless you try.[/quote]I've sent a my CV to a few local agencies and got a good response from one specialist agency specialising in finance.I just need to add a few finishing touches to my CV and then send it to anyone I can find.Wish me luck!

Biggest problems facing the industry currently Telestar are a lack of experienced recruiters moving around, and a lack of new business sales ability in most firms - too many of them have grown up on steady key accounts and seen their fortunes slide rapidly in the recession, suddenly realising they have comfortable, reactive account managers but not enough of the 360 variety. In this environment you couldnt have chosen your timing better - but you will find it's very different than telesales these days.Good luck though - keep us updated.

Thanks for your response marsday it is much appreciated and was very helpful. I am grateful.I just need some help with my CV to see if it is good enough for me to get a interview with a recruitment agency. I've been in touch with the National Careers Service and they are a bunch of clueless muppets!

Look at a typical recruitment consultant role description, this should give a good base-line. Off top of my head..Business Development and Account Management are key. Then look for other aspects that may cross over... i.e. coming up with new routes to market, how to exploit your network, how to sell further into your accounts etc.Be succinct and make them want to hear more about you your/background.

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely do what you recommend. I have had one genuine "top biller" look at my CV and he said my CV is pretty good and that I just need to add more to my "interests outside of work" bit.

Interesting. What are good "interests outside of work" to put on a CV? I guess people are looking for things like "I enjoy skydiving, marathon running, hosting Comic Relief, going on safari with Desmond Tutu, restoring the Titanic, etc"? So if your real "interests outside of work" are actually "browsing the web from my phone whilst on the bog, eating mars bars, watching TV and belching out celebrity catchphrases such as 'nice to see you, to see you nice!'" then what should you really say?

It's one of my pet hates on a CV. It's unnecessary as most people put keeping fit, keeping up-to-date with current affairs, reading etc..I've even seen a CV many moons ago that said "Interests - The passion art of l0ve-making"In all honesty, I've no advice for you on that one telestar. I just wonder why someone would ask you to elaborate on that part in particular.Also, how do you know they are a genuine "top biller"?

I would like to one day see a CV that lists as a hobby "Reading Louise Bagshawe novels". Gotta love chick lit.

Yes it is one of my pet hates too. I don't really know what to put! I don't think they really care about what I do outside of work.The guy who I know is a genuine top biller otherwise he wouldn't be driving a Aston Martin and living in a very large house. I've seen them both. He's only 24.

A lot of folk give the illusion that they earn a lot because they take on so much debt for fancy cars and houses with big mortgages

I agree it's none of an employer's business what you do outside of work, so long as it's legal and not likely to bring them into disrepute.In my simplistic world, recruiters should focus on whether or not you can do the job in hand. Hobbies and personal interests are just that - personal (and hence it's somewhat of an imposition for recruiters to expect to know about them). As far as I'm concerned, they might as well ask me what my favourite TV show is. It's just as relevant (and they're just as likely to get an answer that matches what I think they want to hear).

I completely agree with you.I'm going to add the finishing touches to my CV today and then send it off. How long do you reckon it will take the agencies to get back to me? Do they take quite a while?Thanks.

Also is anyone here currently a [b]active recruitment consultant?[/b]

I don't know whether this is a genuine question or not!? Every firm differs - some may be minutes/hours, others could be weeks.I'm sure there are some recruiters hidden in here, most are MC's.

Hmm. Not sure you can describe many recruitment agents as "active".You reckon, Mars?

I dont even know what an 'active' recruitment consultant is meant to be.

Perhaps it's someone who makes calls like the below:Agent - "Hi, is that xxx"Me - "Yes"Agent - "I have been recommended your name as an expert in your industry, I am working with a top client that has asked me to reach out to you."Me - "Ok, go ahead.."Agent " The client is abc"Me - ".... your offering me the job I have"

Or maybe its this one:Agent 'I am a specialist/expert in...ummm...supply chain! Get ready world!'Dials number at company on call list.Brief conversation.Hiring Manager 'I dont hire supply chain I am looking for pre-sales people who understand ERP'Agent looks confused. Agent ends call.Agent speaks to supervisor.Agent 'I am a specialist/expert in sup..pre-sales for ERP! Must remember to google what ERP stands for! Now where was that number again...'

to continue...picks up phone..Agent - "Im an expert in.. erm... ERP"Client - "Do you even know what that means"Agent - Yes I have been involved in Erotic role-play for some time now"

...realises in some distress that his skull isnt yet of sufficient density to properly demarcate the empty space outside from the empty space inside, and just in time for that next important call, wraps kitchen foil round his head, to stop probing by so called hiring manager 'experts'...

Erotic role play! Lol! My new hobby is going to be sending in cvs where I misinterpret business acronyms for "private hobby interests"Off to trawl jobserve

Erotic role play! Lol! My new hobby is going to be sending in cvs where I misinterpret business acronyms for "private hobby interests"Off to trawl jobserve

Fastinating. Would love to know how that goes. Reminds me of that excellent site, www.photoshoptroll.com