What is a recruitment consultant?

Even before we start school, we are all likely to be asked about the ideas we have for our future career. What do you want to do when you grow up? While early answers often concentrate on vocations such as being a firefighter or playing football for England, over time our interests tend to broaden and we realise there is a wider horizon of opportunity.

When we enter the world of work for real, faced with this scope of choice, more and more of us are turning to recruitment consultants to help us find the next step in our careers. Similarly, organisations looking for the best possible candidates for their latest vacancies are recognising the value of a recruitment consultant’s ability to access a pool of talented prospective employees.

Expert recruitment consultants can deliver unique insight that can be hugely advantageous for both employers and employees. More than ever, the modern jobs market is a fluid and vibrant place of change with the once popular concept of having a job for life, or even a career for life, seemingly in retreat. With the likelihood of later ages of retirement and therefore longer lifespans of work, people are looking for more variety in their careers.

And there is likely to be more choice than ever too. In a report published by Dell Technologies back in 2018, it was estimated that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't even been invented yet. While this may have been an over-ambitious projection, particularly in the context of the interruption of the Covid pandemic, there can be no doubt the jobs market is an ever-changing landscape which can be challenging to keep up to date with.

In this environment, the role of a recruitment consultant is more critical than ever. In the most simplistic terms, the role of a recruitment consultant is to operate as an intermediary between businesses and organisations who are looking to recruit new members of staff with jobseekers either with or without current employment who are looking for a new opportunity in their career path.

It is the objective of the recruitment consultant to bring these two parties together in the most successful arrangement as possible, ensuring the needs of both the employer and the employee are met and a longstanding and mutually beneficial working relationship is formed.

To find the right match in each scenario, there is much more involved than just corresponding skills to a job description. A well-respected recruitment consultant will have a clear understanding of the employer’s business culture and ambitions, as well as a wider knowledge of each candidate’s personality traits, experiences and aspirations in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for bath parties.

As part of that insight, recruitment consultants will be keeping up to date with the changing needs within the jobs market, predicting which industry sectors might see jobs growth and also the types of skills and experiences that might be most in demand from employers. Often senior recruitment consultants will have professional experience in the areas of industry for which they recruit, allowing them to call upon specialist knowledge.

As a specialist legal recruitment company, Origin Legal offers a comprehensive legal recruitment service to legal professionals and law firms encompassing all levels across all disciplines. Origin Legal’s team of experienced recruitment consultants provides dedication and market knowledge to deliver clear and insightful advice covering all aspects of the legal industry. To speak to one of the Origin Legal team, call 01206 233500.