Recruitment consultants have a base salary and then make a commission on the candidates they place, which is paid by the employer as a percentage of the candidate’s salary. There may be a ‘fees’ threshold that consultants have to reach before they start making commission and that threshold will increase as they become more senior, but so does their base salary and target.

No, it means the clients pay the recruitment agency the fee directly. It is not taken out of the new employee’s salary, that is merely how it is calculated. However, it also means clients don’t have to pay the fee until the consultant gives them a successful candidate.

At Custom Talent, we treat our candidates’ data with respect. The data is shared by the candidate and we share it with the client and we keep the candidate informed at all stages. All candidates’ data is kept safely and not shared with any other 3d parties. We comply with The POPI Act in South Africa.

Many people wonder why they should bother with a recruitment agency when they can look for their own job instead. But some of the biggest benefits are, by their very nature, hidden. For example, agencies have access and knowledge of so many more jobs than you could possibly find. Not all jobs go onto traditional job sites, while others will be in companies that you’ll have never heard of.

Additionally, a good recruitment consultant will have insider knowledge about the company, the culture, the business plans and even what the hiring manager is really like. An agency gives candidates that extra buffer between them and the company, meaning they can ask questions they wouldn’t dare ask the actual employer

A good agency will always present a full picture of the role, the company and the problems as well as the major selling points. Our managing director Douglas Bothma personally believes it’s important to never hide the bad parts of the role because that will just be a bad reflection on the agency once they’re in there.

No company is without problems, but all roles will have their own benefits and opportunities for the right person. It’s just a matter of finding them, being frank about the cons and then sell the best parts. While we can’t speak for all recruitment agencies, honesty is one of our company values at Custom Talent because we know that working with an agency you can trust to tell the truth is extremely important.

Recruitment agencies will also be able to assist candidate on how to properly position yourself in the market, highlight roles you may not have considered and expertly prepare you for your job interview.

Recruitment is an exciting and incredibly fulfilling career. Being able to help people find their dream jobs and plug talent gaps for employers feels amazing and it comes with a lot of praise from both clients and candidates. But as with any job, there are both pros and cons to working as a recruitment consultant.

Outside of helping people, recruitment has an extremely strong sales element to it, which means good commission opportunities. So, not only is the job really satisfying, but also financially rewarding.

In terms of day-to-day tasks, a recruitment consultant will have to conduct job analysis using internal tools and processes. They will then have to produce high-quality job descriptions and person specifications to help search for candidates, as well as advertising the jobs on job sites and social media.

Consultants then have to search for the best candidates, pre-screen them and produce a viable shortlist, which they will then have to interview. This will not only give them a chance to screen the candidate further or prep them for interview, but it will help them build a network of candidates.

Business development is also a really important part of being a consultant because not only do they have to build their candidate network but also their client network so that the jobs keep coming. They will also need to have strong relationship-building skills to maintain both networks. But through all of this networking and development, the opportunities, responsibilities and progression are massive and it’s why people move into the recruitment space and stay there.

A job as a recruitment consultant is target driven. That means hitting targets and KPIs on a monthly basis. It also means they’re working with people, who are both responsive and transient. That means they’ll be grateful when you get them the job they want, but it also means they might decide at the last minute not to accept the job, which means consultants also have to deal with rejection.

We only present your details to a client after we have spoken to you about the vacancy, the company and received your permission to do so.

With many years of experience working with candidates and preparing them for hire, our company can help fine-tune your CV or resume, to give you, as the candidate, the edge in a positive first impression.