As a recruiter with 6 over years’ experience I would give my perspective of working in Microsoft Dynamics recruitment post University and working as a recruiter in more general terms.
- We are not very well liked – this unfortunately is just the industry we are in. You could sit in a dark room and cry about it or you take the positives out of this. In an industry so despised it means if you perform well you can make a good name for yourself. Certainly the recruitment industry has been tarnished by some dubious business practices but this gives the opportunity to stand above the masses by providing an exceptional service every time.
- You become cynical – After hearing so many excuses for not attending interviews, not starting jobs and leaving jobs after a week you do start to lose faith in humanity. However you have to take a step back and realise that most of the candidates and clients you work with are highly professional and a pleasure to do business with.
- Some recruiters are bad – this is linked to point 1 and certainly some recruitment companies are worse than others. However, some recruitment companies are excellent at what they do. There are a few basic things I believe in:
- Without fail always get the permission of your candidates to submit their details to a client. Unfortunately there are recruiters who favour speed over service. This is not helped by clients accepting the first application that lands in their in box.
- Don’t lie to your clients. Give the clients an honest appraisal and let them make a decision based on this. Unfortunately not every candidate is excellent or amazing or the greatest candidate to have ever walked the earth.
- Don’t lie to candidates; especially around the role we perform and the service we offer. For example -I have heard candidates being told they will be blacklisted from all Dynamics jobs in a country if they don’t accept the recruiter’s job or simply if they decline an Inmail on LinkedIN! - This is obviously nonsense. Come on recruiters try and help us get a better reputation!
- It is hard work - I will probably go grey/ bald early but I enjoy it and if you work hard is a very rewarding profession. Recruitment is sales unfortunately we are not selling cars or pens we are selling people to people. When you are selling a Dynamics job to a candidate both the potential employer or candidate can change their mind whenever they want. Expect disappointment at some stage.
- People don’t consider relocation until they have a job offer - I have helped relocate Dynamics Consultants and Developers across the world and it never ceases to amaze me that people relocating don’t look at things such as cost of living or taxes. Moving countries is fantastic and it gives you the opportunity to meet new people and progress your career but some research is required before we engage with our clients.
- Personality goes a long way - skills can be learned and if you have the right attitude and personality you will find a Dynamics 365 job. If you are a job seeker remember the basics, dress smartly for interviews, firm handshake, broad smile, be on time, ask interesting questions at the end of the interview.
- Some clients need guidance. Dynamics is a niche market and this means there won’t be thousands of applicants for all positions. The most successful clients engage with their recruiters to run through the options on each hire. We work in partnership, either with or as their HR department in order to discuss skill set and remuneration expectations.