It seems that 90% of recruitment consultants “fall into” the profession. Fresh from university, I took a gamble and followed a path that promised a job perfect for anyone with a determined attitude and a love of people.
The industry is an eye opener for human behaviour. If you are going to call me on a Monday morning to tell me you have borderline cholera and can’t make your shift, please don’t put on a “sore throat” voice, it insults my intelligence. I don’t like being a cynic, but sometimes I have no choice.
I work in a culture that views employees’ problems with suspicion: the woman who resigned because of bullying is a “troublemaker”; the man who couldn’t find work for six months is “lazy”; the candidate with depression is deemed a “liability”. We are trained to judge, and I am truly sorry to those I will never call .
For those I can represent, I will try my best to find you work, though I seem to spend more time listening to you complain. I agree that agency workers’ rights can be confusing and unfair. I wish I could help, but I am too busy and exhausted to think about challenging the system. That you suggest I benefit personally from this truly hurts. Not all consultants are on commission, and we aren’t rolling in endless piles of money, either.
So the next time you call to say you’ve contracted acute diarrhoea, or to shout profanities down the phone, please spare a thought for the person on the other end of the line. We are more alike than you might think; many consultants with a “love of people” will eventually be joining the job hunt too.
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