The Anatomy of Recruitment

Recruitment is a lot about sales. As with any sales, the salesperson works with what they have in stock - the main business areas that they trade in, or what they can possibly order in and arrange for you. The stock we are talking about are job vacancies.

Although many recruitment agencies would call themselves generalist (that is, not exclusive to one key area such as transport, science or accounting), it's probably not the case in a literal sense - most service a core range such as office administration, accounts and sales, or trades, distribution and manufacturing. It would be very challenging to be everything to everyone.

Some agencies have solved this by developing specialised units, so the agency is broken up into exclusive areas with recruiters who only deal with a certain occupation or industry, and this is how they market themselves as separate entities under the same agency umbrella.

But going back to the recruitment agency's main focuses - generalist or not, please be aware of the types or range of positions they actually do business in. If you visit a Ford dealership and ask about new Mitsubishis, it's unlikely that they will have any in stock or be ready to have one delivered - it's just not their line of work. I'm not saying that enquiries are out of the question, but if you are hoping that a recruiter might find you work as an Engineer when they usually work with customer service positions, you're working with the wrong person.

I received an enquiry this afternoon from a graduate who was looking for advice to start working as a manager. It would be a rare occasion that someone finished their degree and started working as a manager (unless you're in the armed forces or part of a great corporate dynasty), so it was a tough ask. Managers have usually worked their way to the top - that's why they have the smarts to manage. So this person lost their temper and said "come on, you work in the HR industry, you must know everyone."

I appreciate that this individual was frustrated. Especially having management qualifications, the hardest step is just getting experience to be on your way. But it's a serious misjudgement to think that people who work in the HR industry know everyone? There's no one salesperson who sells everything, only people who can show you how to get where you want to be. I gave the person recommendations on how to proceed, but there was no way I could provide a quick fix or an easy answer.

Consider how the person you speak to is going to help you - think about the outcome you would like before you start the relationship. Don't be offended by the feedback from recruiters as flat rejection if you don't get the result you're after - it's just a mismatch. Use their experience, ask questions and take advantage of referrals.