The recruitment sector has changed in the wake of COVID-19. How we represent sales professionals – like many career channels – has adapted to meet the new normal.
Many people are seeing Q1 and Q2 2021 as the time to make a career move. Workplaces have shifted their priorities, expectations, and physical workforce during and post-pandemic to keep business afloat and employees happy. This makes job seekers are “active” than ever, especially in the sales industry.
In fact, with so much pent up job-seeker “churn” rolling over from 2020, recruiters are preparing for this wave of talent to redefine recruitment relationships and expectations.
Recruiters and agencies across Illinois and the US have had to adjust to these changing expectations and realities quicker than most – they’ve had to adapt not only their own pandemic-specific working arrangements, but take stock of every client and every candidate or contractor on their books to make sure every individual working setup is safely adjusted to meet COVID-secure rules.
But how has this affected sales professionals? Sales professionals by proxy are gifted communicators, upbeat people and charismatic networkers: Of all the industries to be able to meet the challenge of our new normal, sales people may well be one of the most prepared.
Is engaging with a recruiter in 2021 worthwhile for a new job in sales?
In our experience, it is not a black and white “yes/no” answer. Recruitment is not the KPI-led, numbers game it once was and representing the best-in-class. Sales talent takes more than a blanket approach. Recruitment, like sales, has changed.
The answer, in fact, is much more personalized than you think. Here’s what we mean.
1. Think about how much time you have to find the right working culture
Think about your job search through the lens of man-hours – how long will your job search take? Do I know median salaries for my job? Am I taking the time to do market research in my industry? Do I know the movers and shakers in my field? Do my new employers share the same goals, values and drivers as me?
Recruitment market administration could be your favorite part of job hunting, but our experience tells us committing the raw time to seeking out not just a good enough job, but the perfect job, is hard when you want to be as focused as possible on your current employer.
Good, traditional recruitment services give you the time and space to continue what you do best while your career move is being managed, including the cookie cutter work like market research, CV administration, organizing interviews, seeking feedback and contract negotiation.
In 2021, recruiters will leverage tech and cultural need to make your job search more effective and personal: organizing video calls, hosting skills testing and managing your recruitment “funnel” through bespoke software, while balancing your cultural needs with your new sales team.
Your recruiter will redefine how effective your search can be through a mix of data-led recruiting and old fashioned personalized admin.
2. Gain a specialist and augment your network
Sales people are natural networkers. Sales is also very much trust based, and as national and global markets had to deal with a pandemic in an election year, sales people had to plumb the depths of their network to shore up business and remain growth-orientated during an unprecedented working era.
Recruitment parallels this: effective recruitment is only as good as the network it employs to place a candidate, and the trust and relationship built with you by the recruiter.
Recruiters don’t aim to take over your network. Instead, they augment it by offering you opportunity you may not have considered.
Recruiters are specialists. While many companies are looking to low ball their sales prices, or cutting prices, Recruiters know their value. As such, they will never compromise on your worth for the sake of a “sale.”
Your career, and your worth to an employer, deserves more than that.
3. Consider industry parallels and advocacy
A modern sales mantra of late is, “Sales is marketing; marketing is sales.” Recruitment is no different. In fact, recruitment often parallels sales professionals in their approach to representation by putting high value in network advocacy.
Recruiters use relationship building techniques to market their candidates to the best possible company, however it’s true success is in value-led advocacy within its network.
The most effective modern recruiter will draw employers to them through advocacy. Employee and network advocacy – for example, your potential recruiter being so well trusted, known, visible and effective as determined by workers and companies who have used them – is the gold standard, just like sales and marketing.
Recruitment consultants leverage market and candidate advocacy, tapping networks of employers through advocacy based relationships. Sales Recruitment is, above all else, a relationship business.
Start your sales recruitment journey.
Recruitment, like sales, has gone through the ringer in the last year. but has adapted to the needs of the day: a lot more stock is given to the relationship you build with your recruiter, and how they understand your specific needs when searching for a new job in Sales.
With so many similarities in approach and effectiveness, recruitment and sales are almost professional cousins – but good recruitment, delivered effectively, hinges on their ability to set the right expectations for you, and to provide a specialist, not generalist, service.
Companies will always need sales people, but what do you need? Recruiters answer that question for you.
Get hired by the industry’s top companies where you can use your skills to grow and achieve success. Sales Recruiters Chicago will help you land a sales job in an organization looking for your talents, and we can offer you opportunities tailored to meet your career goals.
Visit us here today to get started!
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