Recruitment is a profession shrouded in mystery. The truth is, most people don’t have a clue what recruiters actually do. Because of this there are lots of half truths, falsehoods, and downright lies that get spread about the industry. Here recruiters from our Phaidon International offices across the globe debunk the biggest myths about recruitment.
Recruitment is Easy
Daniel Teo who works for our Selby Jennings Brand in Singapore believes that “the biggest myth about recruitment is that it’s easy”. There’s a perception out there that recruiters don’t do much for their money. However, ask any recruiter and they will tell you completely differently. While you get better at it over time, there’s never a point where the job becomes easy. In reality it’s a hard slog that involves juggling lots of balls on a daily basis. You’ll have long days, big disappointments, and frequent rejections to deal with. But there are also massive highs and the rewards you can reap when you get it right make it all worth it.
Recruiters Have Days Off
For Tiffany Wan, based in our Hong Kong Selby Jennings office, the biggest myth around recruitment is that a “recruiter has a day off”. Even as a tongue in cheek comment, it’s a fact that recruitment is very involved. Because of its nature you have to be ready to react at the drop of a hat. A client might have an urgent staffing requirement. Your top candidate may pull out at the last minute before an interview. It’s best to always expect the unexpected. You’ll want to be ready to respond as soon as a situation arises, and this can mean working unconventional hours. And yes, dedicated recruiters will sometimes make themselves available in an emergency on their days off.
Recruitment is Just Placing People Into Jobs
"Staffing is easy because you're just placing people into jobs" is something that Hanna Ito, from our LVI Associates brand’s Boston office hears all too often.“But in a micro-niche company where you're not placing fresh out of college grads, and half the candidates you need to find are more senior candidates who aren't applying - you're headhunting - it's definitely not just easy staffing” she explains. Recruitment is often likened to sales, but unlike in traditional sales roles, your product is people. All candidates have “minds and needs of their own” says Hanna, which makes every placement unique, with its own challenges to overcome. You pick up a wide range of skills as a recruiter and essentially you’re an entrepreneur. That means you handle everything from winning business down to ensuring that paperwork gets completed correctly. Far more than just placing people into jobs.
Salary is the Most Important Factor in a Job Offer
According to Carlos Martinez from Glocomms in San Francisco, the biggest myth of recruitment is that “salary is everything to a candidate.”Different people want different things out of their careers. And though salary often plays an important part in whether someone accepts a role or not, there’s so much more to it. Factors like the scope of the position, the progression opportunities available, the corporate culture, or the location of the office can all play a significant part. Just because a role is paying big bucks, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to fill.
Anyone Can Succeed in Recruitment
“This isn't an industry that is for everyone” says Jason Newby from our DSJ Global brand in Dallas.
That’s not to say that different types of personalities can’t be successful in recruitment. Far from it, and in any of Phaidon International’s offices you’ll find a diverse mix of characters.For Jason, however, “people without the tenacity and drive to be successful will likely not succeed”. “Having the motivation to grind through the tough times will really differentiate the people that make it and the people that fall out quickly.” Determination and persistence are key characteristics that any good recruiter has in bucketloads. And in fact these can often outweigh other skills and qualifications in determining the most successful recruiters.
All Recruiters Do is Provide CVs
A company calls you out of the blue about a job that needs filling. You fire a few CVs off to them and put your feet up. You kick back and wait for the inevitable call to say they’ve appointed one of your candidates and you’re due a nice chunk of commission. Rinse, repeat, get rich.
Erm, no. Guy Burch from our Glocomms brand in Berlin believes there’s a perception that recruiters are “just a CV provider”. “Once you’ve consulted a candidate/client through a whole process, you realise that we’re so much more than this.” A recruitment process can take months from start to finish. That’s months of meetings, negotiations, and consultations. Chuck in some headhunting, networking, interviewing, and you’ll understand providing CVs is just a miniscule part of the job.
About Us
Phaidon International is the parent company of five leading specialist recruitment agencies. For more than 15 years, we have given clients and candidates the peace of mind that the recruitment process is in expert hands. Out continual investment in best-in-class technologies and consultant training enables us to recruit with speed, precision and accuracy. Today, we provide contingency, retained search and project-based contract recruitment globally. Contact us today to learn more about the company and the opportunities we offer.
