Life As A Recruitment Consultant: Q&A With Katie Dark

Are you interested in what life as a recruitment consultant is like?

Katie Dark only dived into the world of recruitment 15 months ago, joining VIQU in November 2023, but she has quickly made a name for herself amongst our team and our network of IT professionals. I sat down with Katie to get some key insights into her role, what she thinks others should know about life as a recruitment consultant, and her career highlights so far!

What were you doing before recruitment?

Katie: To earn money before and during university, I worked at the same restaurant for nearly 5 years. I continued to work there for a few months after graduation, but I always knew hospitality wasn’t the sector I wanted to grow a career in. I was more interested in going into something office-based.

What made you want to get into recruitment?

Katie: At University, I studied Media and Communications, but when the course finished, I didn’t see a role in it that interested me. As a new graduate, I was really unsure what to do. I had heard about recruitment being a career that boasted a lot of opportunities for career development and the potential to earn good money. I wanted to explore what life as a recruitment consultant had to offer, so I thought why not go for it!

Did you have any misconceptions about recruitment?

Katie: Initially, when I started interviewing at recruitment agencies, some of them gave me the impression that it was a wild, crazy environment. I started to doubt whether I was going to be able to work in recruitment. However, I think that was just the environment and culture of the first few agencies I had applied to.

In my experience, at my first agency and now VIQU, it isn’t like that at all. It’s a more serious and grown-up atmosphere with people motivated to do their job well. Obviously, we do have fun, but it’s not out of control at all – it’s a great supportive environment to get the job done.

Why did you want to join VIQU?

Katie: The agency I started recruitment in didn’t offer any real career progression opportunities – which was one of the main aspects that had enticed me to explore life as a recruitment consultant in the first place. I was looking for a recruitment job that had opportunities for progression and a clear path of how to advance. VIQU fit the bill completely! There are fantastic career growth opportunities here, which I was really excited about when I joined.

 Of course, the dog friendly office policy also helped a lot!

What are the day-to-day responsibilities in your job?

Katie: I currently work in delivery, so a lot of my responsibilities are focused on sourcing great candidates.

Just some of my responsibilities cover:

• Understanding the role and the ideal candidate profile
• Posting job adverts
• Contacting relevant candidates on our books already
• Reviewing candidates that have applied for the role
• Managing the interview process – from organising interviews to gathering feedback
• Supporting negotiations at the job offer stage …and lots more!

What are your favourite parts of recruitment?

Katie: I know a lot of people would say the money, commission, incentives etc. and I agree, they are definitely attractive and important.

However, although I know some people might think I’m not truthful here, my favourite part of recruitment is being able to help someone find a job. That was a major reason why I chose to get into recruitment. I like being able to have a positive impact on someone’s life. It’s an amazing feeling when you help someone achieve something they really want.

What have been your career highlights?

Katie: I am still pretty new to life as a recruitment consultant, I only started just over 1 year ago. However, there are a few things I am proud of.

Firstly, one of my first deals was a “tech for good” role, where I placed a software developer with a suicide prevention charity who needed development support with their hotline. I could tell that it meant a lot to the developer to be part of such an important charity, and knowing I helped the organisation find the talent they needed was definitely rewarding!

Other than that, it’s the small wins. I’ve won MVP of the Month at VIQU several times and have attended a number of pledge hitter lunches. When you are new to a career, these moments of recognition are really nice, and they reassure you that you are doing well.

What would you like to achieve next in your career?

Katie: My main goals at the moment are hitting my targets and winning my place on the incentive trips. The trips abroad we have at VIQU look amazing and I cannot wait to go on one soon!

Other than that, I am currently in delivery and I want to move into a 360 role. I want to work more closely with clients in the future and start building and nurturing relationships. I’ve had a little experience doing this in the past and I want to focus on it going forward.

Any tips for someone wanting to get into recruitment?

Katie:

• Be organised! 100% this would be my number one tip for new recruiters. You often need to manage what feels like 1000’s documents, from CVs to job descriptions and everything in-between! There is a lot of admin involved in recruitment that some people won’t be aware of.
• Stay resilient. People talk about recruitment being a rollercoaster and it definitely is. During the period between making a deal and your candidate starting – anything can happen. Nothing is promised, so keep in mind the best and worst scenarios.

Would you like to find out more about recruitment? Check out our interviews with recruiters at every level of experience here.

Furthermore, if you’re interested in life as a recruitment consultant, click here for our latest internal opportunities.