Every recruiter is different. You’ll have different priorities, motivations and experiences of the role. By no means are we attempting to pigeonhole an entire industry into one article. However, we’ve worked in recruitment all our lives. We’ve seen people come and go, succeed and fail. Despite the trajectory of a recruiter’s career, there remain some constants.

Each recruiter will move through the stages of their career at a different rate. Some fall off the journey altogether. But, if you map out the timeline of a person’s journey in this sector, it goes something like this…

The blindly confident first few steps

Almost every recruiter starts their career with bags of unearned confidence, ready to take on the world. They’ll look around the office and back themselves to become the top biller within the first few months of the role. They’ll be eager to take on the world and will often underestimate the level of grit and determination that’s needed to be successful.

Some will call it blind confidence, to others it’s just arrogance. It’s not a bad thing, most people at this stage are young and hungry. It often doesn’t last for long.

Reality strikes

It’s a hard wake up call. This is the time a lot of people decide that recruitment just isn’t for them. At this stage, young recruiters begin to realise that a good degree, heaps of confidence and a nice outfit aren’t enough to make you successful.

These are the tough days where no one wants to talk to you. You’ve not yet hardened your skin to the rejections and let downs. Nothing seems to be going your way. You wake up in the morning and wonder if you’ve made a huge mistake choosing this path. It’s not easy, but what you don’t often realise is that with every rejection, every missed opportunity, every minute on your call time, you’re learning a new skill.

It takes time to be successful in this career, this stage will pass if you work hard enough.

Slowly finding your flow

One day, realisation comes to you. Bit by bit, you’re getting better at this job. It won’t happen overnight but you’ll slowly realise that you’re feeling less despondent, and you might even have a few good opportunities in the pipeline. The advice and guidance of more experienced recruiters is starting to make sense. You’re more receptive to the feedback of your manager and you’re feeling more comfortable in the office. You’re starting to get a kick off the buzz of the sales floor.

You’ll relish your first few deals, but then settle back down into the job. You’re building momentum and you can feel it.

First big paycheck

This is the big one. Payday comes and your commission is through. In a single month, you’ve earned more money than your friends could get in three months. You party hard, buy yourself a nice watch or bag, and you’ve just booked a holiday to Ibiza. You’re on top of the world and feel like you’ve come across a cheat code to life.

This is your life now, and that’s a beautiful feeling. This is what the hard work was for. This makes everything worth it. Roll on next month.

Weathering the storm

Good times don’t last forever. It could be an incompetent Prime Minister, a global pandemic, or simply an adjustment to the interest rates. It doesn’t matter what caused it, the market has come to a dead stop and you’re back to living off base salary until it clears up.

No matter what you try, no one is interested in hiring. The bubble has burst and you think it’s over. You might even consider moving to another industry. Is this the end of recruitment as we know it?

The senior recruiters around you seem calm and focus instead on maintaining their KPIs. They seem just as focused as they were when the market is booming. So you do the same. You follow their lead, get your head down and sniff out a few opportunities. You make a few deals but it’s certainly been a bad patch.

Slowly, the phone starts ringing again. People start talking about vacancies once more. You’re through the other side. It may have taken weeks, months, or even a year, but you made it through.

Living the lifestyle

By this point, you’ve been in recruitment for a few years now and you’re consistently one of the top billers in the company. You’ve earned your stripes and your bank balance has never looked healthier.

You’re going on as many holidays as your annual leave allowance will let you and for the first time in your life, you don’t have to worry about how much things cost.

Your social life is the best it’s ever been and you’re living life to the fullest. You dress well, drive a nice car and you’re even considering buying a house. This is what success looks like.

You’ve got a decision to make

Your career has been a success. You’ve been through upturns and downturns in the market and you’ve always managed to make the most of the situation. You enjoy your agency but it might be time for a change.

You want a fresh challenge, something that’ll take you outside of your comfort zone and set yourself up for the future. You may have made moves in your career before but this time it’s the big one. This next move will define what you do for the next 10 years of your life.

Will you stay in the same market? Are you interested in Executive Search, or becoming a Director of a firm? Or are you keen to set up your own agency?

Whatever you choose, you know that it’s got to be a role that will bring you purpose and give you the best progression opportunities available.

Becoming the old guard

You see younger recruiters come and go. You think of how you were when you first started and now you’re trying to coach and guide them to success just like you were those years ago.

Very little fazes you these days. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, and so you try to instill that level of quiet confidence to those around you.

You chase the bigger, more exciting deals and now you’re working with some really interesting clients.

You’re ready for the next step up and prepared to manage a team of your own.

Changing priorities

Maybe you had a child. Or, you settled down and got married with a mortgage to pay. Somehow, the idea of working yourself to death for a deal isn’t as appealing anymore. You’re missing more of the after work drinks than you used to, because you’d rather be home to see your family.

Parents evening, sports day, school holidays and childcare are all a large part of your life now. You realise that money isn’t your main focus, it’s flexibility. It’s the ability to take a half day to go watch your child dance around in a donkey suit for their school play. You know that moments like this are worth more than any pay day.

Your route to a successful life

You do less recruiting these days. You sit on the board of an agency, helping to make big decisions on how the company should be run, how staff should be trained. You see the cocksure young grads come into your team and you watch as they pass through the stages of learning how to be a recruiter.

You’ve had a successful career and you’ve earned more money than you thought was ever possible. Not only this, but you’ve also managed to spend the time you need with your family and enjoy the moments that matter. You appreciate that life isn’t just about work and are deeply loyal to your colleagues for feeling the same.

Looking for your next move?

If you’re feeling unfulfilled in your career, we want to hear from you. We only work with the best candidates and clients, taking a quality over quantity approach to recruitment. If you’d like to have a confidential conversation about the next stage in your career, reach out today. Alternatively, browse our job board to get a feel for the type of roles we currently have on offer.