So what does a Recruitment Consultant actually do? Below we’ll tell you about a typical workday for Melissa Campbell of Situations Recruitment, if there is such a thing!
8.30 am – I start a bit early most days and always go straight for the kettle to make that important first tea of the day. Then I log into my PC and start checking emails. Sometimes it can take quite a while to go through them. I take a quick glance at them all then decide which are the priority.
9 am – The most important emails are those instructing us on new Guernsey vacancies, where I thoroughly match up my candidates’ requirements to the new roles and then send the vacancy details across to them to get their approval to submit their CV’s. Once I’ve received my candidates’ permission, I send their CV’s to our client companies by email.
9.30 am – Some of my emails might also be interview requests from companies following previous CV submissions. This is a lovely aspect of the job as it involves telling my candidates the good news that they’ve secured an interview for a role they’re interested in. I get their availability and then pass that onto the company to await confirmation.
10 am – As I’m also one of the Directors of the business, I generally have some management issues to deal with. This might be regarding our premises, staffing, charity projects, or the financials of the agency which we need to keep on top of.
10.30 am – Now it’s time to attend a client meeting with the HR Manager at one of the local banks. We meet our client companies regularly to keep up to date with new developments at their offices, changes in their recruitment needs and industry news. I take full notes and then circulate them to the rest of the team, so we’re all aware of that client’s current staffing requirements.
11.30 am – The Guernsey Press has arrived so I check it for business news and any new vacancies. If we have suitable candidates, we’ll contact the relevant companies and check whether we can submit CV’s. By now I’m normally very hungry so it’s time for some fruit.
12 noon – The post is delivered and I sort through it. Sometimes it contains CV’s of new candidates, which are then allocated to one of our Consultants. Generally though there are plenty of bills, but also hopefully some incoming cheques and payment advices. It’s definitely lunch time now so I eat at my desk then pop out for a brief break later on.
12.30 pm – My co-Director, Jenny Mitchell, and I catch up regularly to discuss business issues. Situations Recruitment is 30 years old this year so we’re currently planning a big party for our clients in June, which is very exciting.
1 pm – I have a candidate coming into register with me (they generally prefer to register with us during their lunch hour). I spend about 45 minutes getting to know the candidate, going through their CV with them, discussing our formalities and due diligence, and ensuring I’m fully aware of their job search requirements. I’ll then whiz back to my desk and email them the details of relevant current vacancies to review.
2 pm – Time to pop out for some air.
2.30 pm – I’ve had a few more emails and phone calls, including some from candidates who want to apply for vacancies I’ve sent them, so I submit their CV’s straight away.
3 pm – I get a call from a client who has interviewed one of my candidates and wants to offer them the role! This is the really great part of my job as I’m passing on the best news to my candidate; that they’ve been successful in their job search. The candidate will often want to think about the offer overnight, but sometimes they accept on the spot! I call the client to tell them that the candidate’s accepted - happy days all round. My role involves ensuring that both sides are entirely happy with the match – that the client gets the best candidate for the position and the candidate gets their dream job.
3.30 pm – As with many jobs, working in recruitment involves lots of administration and we have fantastic support staff in our office to help us out, however there’s still some things we need to do ourselves. This may involve requesting references on a candidate, ensuring we have all of their CDD documentation and keeping their files up to date with the latest applications and interviews.
4 pm – I finish at 4 on most days, so it’s now time to pick up my daughter from nursery. No rest for the wicked!
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