An Introduction to Recruitment (and why everybody wins)

When I first took a job in a recruitment consultancy, I didn’t know much about the industry. I knew it was about matching job seekers with jobs, but I didn’t know that it was free for those people or that you can get more than just a job out of the arrangement. I quickly learned that recruitment is a win-win-win industry and gained a real appreciation for the work that recruitment consultants do. Here’s a small introduction on how the industry works. 

An Introduction to Recruitment

Let’s go back to the basics for a second and discuss what a recruitment consultancy actually does. In a nutshell, recruitment consultancies exist to match job seekers with organisations that are trying to fill a position. However, there is a fundamental difference between a recruitment consultancy and service providers in other industries:

Using their services as a job seeker is generally FREE.

I’ve personally spoken to many people looking for work who assumed that using a recruiter is a service that they would have to pay for in New Zealand. This is typically not the case. Once they learn that, the follow-up question I normally hear is “How do they make money then?” Well, recruitment consultancies  typically make majority of their revenue by charging their clients – that is, employers – a reasonable fee in exchange for their expert knowledge, experience and service. Often times, a company just wants to get on with their own operations and not have to use up the time or the human resources to seek out candidates, screen them and so on – especially if they’re trying to fill a newly created role and aren’t sure how best to find the best people for the job.

What do you mean by win-win-win?

When we speak about recruitment in the sense of the recruitment process, we’re typically dealing with 3 main parties; the candidate, the consultant and the client. The candidate is the job seeker, on the hunt for new opportunities. The consultant is an industry professional at a recruitment firm who has either headhunted the candidate or been approached by them. The client is the organization that is looking to fill a vacant position. Both the candidate and client typically only converse with the consultant until an internal interview is arranged by the consultant between the other two parties. We’ve written an article last year that goes into detail about how job seekers are best to get started when finding a recruiter, and the decision criteria you should go through when doing so.

Not your typical podium – everybody wins in the recruitment industry.

Recruitment is a win-win-win situation because all three parties stand to gain on the arrangement. The client has their job vacancy filled by a talented industry professional. The candidate steps into a new job that perfectly suits their skills and experience – not to mention that they may not have even found it without a recruitment consultant in the first place. The consultant improves their industry reputation and gets the satisfaction of knowing that they’ve met the needs of both parties. If either of them need assistance again then they both have a pre-existing relationship with the consultant that they can call on. Recruitment might actually be among the most rewarding industries to work in – but that’s a topic for another blog.

Why would I approach a recruiter rather than go it alone?

Well, aside from the fact that it’s completely free resource for job seekers, a recruitment consultant can do far more for you than just finding you a job. When you’ve found a good consultant, you’ll know because you’ll get a advice and pointers as early as your first introduction. A lot of people don’t realise this, but a recruitment consultant will often assist you with the little things along the way such as how best to present your CV, and what information you should and shouldn’t have in it. If you land an interview for a position, a quality recruiter will also give you tailored interview advice so that you put your best foot forward on the day.

In a sense, a great recruitment consultant will fulfill the duties of an employment coach along the way, except recruiters that specialize in certain industries often know far more about your work than any job coach, and this means they’re best equipped to land you a job. For example, if you’re a construction professional and you were to approach us here at Technical Recruitment Solutions, our consultants are going to know right away what you need to have on your CV and what you’ll need to highlight and showcase for the client.

You don’t stop winning after a recruitment consultant gets you into a good job though. If the consultant you dealt with was a good one, they should keep in touch with you after your placement. That relationship is one that you can utilise should you wish to change jobs again in future – and since that consultant has already marketed you once and has all your information on file, it’s easy for them to do so again and generate quicker results for you.

If this introduction to recruitment was interesting…

…then perhaps you could use a REAL introduction. If you’re in the construction, industrial, manufacturing & trades, scientific or food & dairy industries, and you’re looking for new work after a few years experience, feel free to get in touch with us. Is it your first time approaching a recruitment consultancy? Never fear – you have nothing to lose!

Article by Dario Luca, Marketing Coordinator