At the moment we are being inundated with experienced Recruitment Consultants asking us the question:
“Have you got any internal or onsite Recruitment roles?”
Before deciding to leave Agency Recruitment for an Internal role, I implore you to work for at least two different Agencies and please consider the following four things.
1) Have you considered the implications on your earning potential?
Speaking to Agency Recruiters who have gone Internal, one of the first things they say is:
“I didn’t realise how money orientated I was until I stopped getting my quarterly commission checks.”
These commission checks were often used for things like annual trips to Bali or family gifts. With no (or very little) financial reward for the hard work and success you have, it makes good Recruiters think twice once they go Internal.
2) Do you enjoy client interaction?
One of the great things about Agency is that you can pick and choose which companies you want to work with.
In Internal you are often recruiting for Managers or Team Leaders who you might not necessarily believe in, but you are forced to place people into their teams.
Some Internal Recruiters have also complained that there are so many levels of management that it’s often very hard to speak to senior people in the organisation to get an idea of the direction of the company which can be very frustrating.
3) Do you enjoy Recruiting in your niche sector?
Another common complaint from Internal Recruiters is that they have become generalist Recruiters and don’t have the niche white collar specialisation anymore.
In other words, they are recruiting a multitude of jobs from the Warehouse Manager to the Personal Assistant for the GM. This means that they are not getting any traction in a particular market and not reaping the financial rewards and industry recognition from being a true specialist.
4) Autonomy & Flexibility
Generally speaking, most Recruitment Agencies will offer you a large degree of Autonomy and Flexibility once you are up and running and hitting your targets. Whether that’s working from home or arriving late after dropping the kids off at school, you’ll get that work / life balance.
Most internal Recruiters, as part of the bigger Human Resources team, are working the set hours from 8.30 to 5.30.
Work for at least two Agencies before looking to go Internal
My point about working for at least two Agencies before leaving the industry relates to the fact that the grass can be greener. In other words, not all Agencies are the same.
We know plenty of agencies that offer flexible, non micro-managed environments, excellent remuneration models, genuine training & mentoring, structured career progression, warm / hot desks and account management models.
There are some great options out there. Agency Recruitment is a very rewarding long-term career, you may just need to find the right business with the right culture and leadership.
