RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT VS CAREER COUNSELOR

As a part time counselling student and a full time recruitment consultant I can confidently say that there are similarities in both roles as Recruitment and Counselling can go hand in hand, especially when you look at it from a consultant’s point of view.

Often we find ourselves interviewing a candidate and then within an instant the candidate I was interviewing has now turned into the client I am counselling. Potential job seekers need to be aware that you’re in an INTERVIEW and remaining PROFESSIONAL is a MUST, disclosing break ups and having a bitch session about an ex manager is ohhh soooo inappropriate.

People seek out recruitment consultants to find their dream job or in some cases disclose personal issues in hope that the professional sitting in front of them in a suit can answer all of their problems… Although this is not exactly their profession they can certainly assist in the matter as a good recruitment consultant can be an extremely valuable resource in the job seeking journey as they act as a bit of a match maker between employers and suitable staff.

Since studying I often switch between my counselling hat and recruiter hat, depending on which candidate walks through the door, approaching the interview from a holistic view gives me a better understanding of what the person really wants from their next job and what hasn’t worked in the past as opposed to my recruiter hat where I am looking at their skills, qualifications and achievements.

Whether candidates are looking for a deeper insight into something personally or professionally they need to be aware that Recruiters are here to aid in their job seeking journey and are not trained as career counselors.

Written by Rachael Pullan.