What is a career in recruitment like?

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a recruitment consultant – or just what we get up to on a day-to-day basis? In this article, we delve into the daily life of Senior Consultant at CMA Richard Cooling and get an insight into a day in the life of a recruiter.

Richard joined CMA as a Consultant in 2019, having spent six years in the recruitment industry, managing procurement roles nationally. He was promoted to Senior Consultant in spring 2022. Richard works on the transactional and part-qualified desk in our Portsmouth branch, recruiting temporary and permanent positions, up to £40,000. This includes positions such as Finance Managers, Management Accountants, Assistant Accountants, Bookkeepers, Sales and Purchase Ledger, Credit Control and Payroll.

9am – Arrives at work at our offices at Langstone Park

“The first thing I do when I get to my desk is make myself a cup of tea! I can’t start the day without a strong cup of tea. I then review the to-do list that I wrote for myself before I left the office the day before. I will prioritise my daily tasks accordingly, depending on the live roles I am managing.”

Richard’s daily to do list:

There is a wonderful variety to recruitment life, so tasks will vary every day. Here are some of the activities Richard undertakes on a regular basis:

Speaking to clients about active roles

“This may entail taking a detailed brief of the position or a quick catch up about an ongoing role, discussing specific candidates who I feel would be suitable and closely match their requirements, along with arranging interviews.”

Sometimes we speak to our clients over the phone or by video call, but we also visit clients on site – and for meetings over lunch or drinks.

Speaking to new clients

Reaching out to new businesses and answering queries is an important part of our role. Whether it’s face-to-face or over the phone, we enjoy discussing how we can work together: “I’ll talk to them about how we could help them and support their current or potential recruitment needs.”

Registering candidates

“We meet all of our candidates and will sit down and discuss their career to date, talking through future requirements and key drivers and discover what they’re seeking in their next role.”

Meeting every candidate is really important to us here at CMA. We pride ourselves on our consultative approach and experience so we’re able to advise our candidates on all aspects of their job search and discuss live and forthcoming roles. The registration process also includes a few legal bits and pieces.

Updating active candidates

“I catch up regularly with the candidates who are formally registered with us, discussing any changes in their circumstances and/or roles we are working on with them.”

Richard will also offer guidance to candidates prior to interview – making sure they are fully prepped and briefed – and provide constructive post-interview feedback. He’ll support the offer process, discuss options and provide any support or advice that is needed during the on-boarding. It doesn’t stop there, we follow up with placed candidates to ensure that they are happy and their new role is going well.

Proactively sourcing new candidates

A key part of our job is going out to find new candidates to match open roles. “As well as drawing from our own large pool I source new candidates via job boards, LinkedIn and other mediums.”

This can be time consuming and takes a lot of research, but is a really rewarding treasure hunt!

What’s your favourite task to do?

Recruiters are people… people! So, for us the best part is the connections made as part of the job. Richard is no different – “Speaking to candidates about the specifics of their search is my favourite task. Really understanding what motivates a candidate and what they’re looking for in a new role is always interesting, and a rewarding challenge to then match them with their ideal opportunities.”

As for what Richard enjoys most about his job…“It’s the camaraderie and relationships I’ve developed within the office. CMA is a family environment and it is amazing working every day with genuine friends.”

What’s been a highlight for you during your career at CMA?

“Achieving my promotion to Senior Consultant and taking the lead on a number of internal initiatives; these being the lead subject matter expert for the Portsmouth office for the new CRM system that was implemented during lockdown, streamlining efficiencies and organising client events.”

Richard is now looking to the future and continuing his upward trajectory, working towards becoming a Business Manager. He says: “CMA has lots of opportunities for development and I’m looking forward to my future with the business, helping lots more clients and candidates.”

Interested in a career in recruitment? Find out more about what CMA can offer you and the roles we currently have open, including our Recruitment Academy here.