I was “tapped on the shoulder” or introduced to the recruitment industry when I least expected it! But I have to admit it has been fun, fearful (as I am not from an HR background), frustrating and fruitful.

Recruitment Consultancy is a ballgame played between perspiring consultants and aspiring jobseekers. The game is getting complicated with the number of coaches (deliverables on the JD) and referees (HR Managers) outnumbering the players themselves.

With 1 billion population and so few good jobs, I would have thought recruitment would be a cakewalk. Candidates vying to be placed, employers vying even more to get the cream… and my job as a recruitment consultant a cinch. How wrong I was!!

The job sounded so simple in theory, searching through the database for suitable candidates, filtering and sending the employer a selection of the best CVs, followed by the usual recruitment procedures and getting a fee for the entire lifecycle… but it is actually a well thought out scientific process, in which at every stage there is only a 50% chance of actually closing the deal. And not to mention that the candidate after going through the entire recruitment cycle decides to suddenly and effectively fall off the radar. Eh? Doesn’t sound simple at all.

One is constantly stepping into many roles… a matchmaker, an annoying telecaller, a guide and mentor, a hard negotiator, and a counsellor too (to the woeful candidates).

The best things about the job in my opinion are feeling like you are finding people great jobs, the satisfaction of good client relationships and the consultancy part of the process with the candidates. My specialisms also include the commercial aspect of recruiting and the thrill of the chase.

Not to admit the new fond respect that I have earned specially from parents of fresh graduates. With reverence they’ll say, “Oh, you are a placement person. Beta, give your CV to her, she’ll find you a solid job with an MNC.”

And it is definitely a confidence booster when the candidate praises your efforts on helping them achieve their career ambitions.

So now when I’m well on my way of separating the cherries from the lemons, I fail to understand why people make bad jokes about recruiters:
Terrorists have hijacked a planeload of recruiters bound for an HR convention.
They’ve threatened to start releasing them one by one until their demands are met.