August 19, 2013, by Jemma Utley

A Day in The Life of a Recruitment Consultant

By Ilze Skujina (JobZone Manager) 

As it is Friday morning in the Unitemps office it’s going to be a busy day arranging final temp bookings for the next week. In recruitment, you have to be very organized and manage several competing priorities. You also need great communication skills as you talk to people all the time.

‘Many don’t demonstrate how their experience is relevant’

8.30am Arrive at the office; check my messages and to-do list to make sure I know what I’m doing for the day.

9.15am Call hiring managers to ensure that the temps who are starting their assignments today have arrived.  It turns out that one temp hasn’t turned up but the manager doesn’t want anyone else.  It’s a shame because there were so many people who applied for the role and could have done the job instead if the candidate had given us some notice.

9.30am Start shortlisting applicants for a call centre role. We’re looking for 20 people and there are 90 applicants.  Sometimes the hiring manager wants to see CVs or hold interviews in their office but this time the manager asked me to select all 20 temps.

Candidates who haven’t submitted a CV or covering letter are not considered as it’s an incomplete application and I have to assess them for their suitability for the role.

Other candidates are not selected because they have not explained why they would be suitable for the role. Many students don’t clearly demonstrate how their experience is relevant, instead writing about everything they have done.

Students who get interviews target their covering letters by identifying how their experiences and skills match the job description. This means that their application stands out and I follow up with a phone interview before making the final decision.

12.30pm Lunch break.  Or at least a coffee break.

‘Another manager has just called to request a temp’

1.00pm Finalise candidates for the call centre position send out confirmation emails to the manager and the successful temps.

3.00pm Arrange interviews for a part-time administrator role. I contact three shortlisted candidates, arrange their interview times as well as giving them tips to help them prepare.

4.00pm Advertising a new job.  Another manager has just called to request a temp for a marketing assistant role.  I speak to her to get all the details of the job so I can advertise it on our website.

4.15pm Do some planning for our annual part-time jobs fair in the Portland Building on 1 October.  I need to book the venue, contact potential stall holders and plan the promotion for the event.

5.00pm Write a to-do list for Monday.

5.15pm End of the day.  Although it’s been busy, I’ve managed to stay organised and finish everything on time!

My top tips looking for a part-time job through Unitemps

• Register online to get alerted of all our new jobs
• Tailor your covering letter to each role you are applying to; never copy and paste your covering letters – it does not work
• Pop into the Unitemps office if you want feedback on your applications, or use the resources of the Careers and Employability Service to help with your CV, covering letters or job hunting

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