Quarter 3 Overview
During Q3, hiring levels increased and the market has made a return to something closer to ‘normality’. While this doesn’t mean it has
necessarily got easier, it has certainly opened up more. As business owners start to break even again and look to reinvest the first proper profits of the year into bolstering for a brighter
future, we have seen a substantial increase in clients looking for graduates.
Hiring activity has been at its peak outside of the UK. The US continues to be strong but clients in the European markets – notably Germany and France – are crying out for graduates with language skills to help them deal with the demand. Candidates with these languages in particular are hot property and firms can expect to pay more for native speakers who also have an aptitude for sales.
Market Trends
One particularly interesting trend is that while hiring overall has increased, the quality of candidates who clients are prepared to hire has soared in relation to the rate of recruitment. This can be seen as a natural reaction to early adopters making moves but
restricting their risk: the sentiment of ‘let’s hire but let’s hire right and only the best’ is something we’ve experienced frequently over
the last three months.
With all hiring businesses adopting this approach, recruitment and sales businesses really need to sell themselves effectively in
order to stand out, as the best candidates are being snapped up quickly. In addition, many candidates also have concerns around the current certainty of the market, so are often jumping at the first offers they receive. A client’s ability to showcase what they have to
offer and be decisive is the edge required to secure the best graduate talent right now.
In Demand Skill Sets
Along with language skills, demand for sales and client-facing experience has risen, owing to a gap in this area in the experienced
recruitment market. Many firms have been affected by poor ‘experienced hiring’ – that is, hiring candidates with inflated numbers,thanks to the post-Covid boom, who have now been let go as things tightened up in H1.
Graduates with some level of sales experience are seen as a safer bet because they not only meet the desired qualities of being
enthusiastic, loyal and sharp, they also ‘tick the box’ of being able to speak to people confidently.
These skills are in the shortest supply because language speakers often don’t have recruitment as a pathway at the forefront of their minds, while many sales firms are doing their best to keep their staff by offering benefits such as increased flexibility, salaries and other perks.
Salary Levels
Currently, the entry point stands at £25k. However, there are many contingent firms now offering base salaries that are usually exclusive to executive search companies and it’s not unusual to find graduates being offered £28k or more for an entry-level recruitment role.
Frequently, executive search is now nudging £35k or more – whether that is needed or not is up for debate, but it is what the market is paying at this time. This is reflective of the quality of candidate that is expected, as well as the fact that graduates have so many more options now than they did five years ago. As a result, it is keeping recruitment roles competitive in comparison to other industries.
Forecast for Quarter 4 2023
An increase in hiring activity is very likely in Q4, as firms are currently boosting their somewhat depleted ‘war chests’ of profits
made from the post-pandemic boom. Every day, more and more firms are reaching growth triggers, allowing hiring managers to start recruiting again.
Graduates with language skills and sales experience will continue to be highly sought after, particularly by firms that operate outside of the UK. As tech recovers, the US, French and German markets are currently growing at the quickest rates. Salaries are predicted to rise, as firms will need to adapt to the ‘new normal’: a perfect storm of companies starting to pay more to ensure they are competitive and Gen Z expecting more to improve their quality of life.
For both candidates and employers, making sure they stand out from the crowd will be the biggest challenge for the next quarter.
Candidates need to adapt to the higher standards that are now required, so will need to enhance their interview performance,
including undertaking thorough research and polishing their interview techniques. With so many great candidates looking for
jobs, covering the basics is essential: get ready, do your research, and listen to your recruiters.
In a sea of competing, high quality sales and recruitment businesses, all offering flexibility and amazing cultures, employers must really shine through to attract the best talent.
Considering the ‘three Ss’ – speed, sell and salary – is a good guide. Speed: tailor the hiring process to fit inside a working week, as
the best candidates are on the market for as little as two days. Sell: make sure employees can sell the business across all horizontals.
Salary: anything lower than £24k and graduates are likely to look elsewhere. The cost of living crisis is real, and their parents and peers understand this.
While employers should consider hiring now so they don’t get left behind, it’s important not to get too hung up on candidate profiles.
There are some amazing candidates who have been affected by the pandemic or other circumstances and it’s often difficult to tell
how good someone is until you speak to them. The best advice is to keep an open mind and see as many candidates as possible.
Quarter 3 Overview
During Q3, hiring levels increased and the market has made a return to something closer to ‘normality’. While this doesn’t mean it has necessarily got easier, it has certainly opened up more. As business owners start to break even again and look to reinvest the first proper profits of the year into bolstering for a brighter future, we have seen a substantial increase in clients looking for graduates.
Hiring activity has been at its peak outside of the UK. The US continues to be strong but clients in the European markets – notably Germany and France – are crying out for graduates with language skills to help them deal with the demand. Candidates with these languages in particular are hot property and firms can expect to pay more for native speakers who also have an aptitude for sales.
Market Trends
One particularly interesting trend is that while hiring overall has increased, the quality of candidates who clients are prepared to hire has soared in relation to the rate of recruitment. This can be seen as a natural reaction to early adopters making moves but restricting their risk: the sentiment of ‘let’s hire but let’s hire right and only the best’ is something we’ve experienced frequently over the last three months.
With all hiring businesses adopting this approach, recruitment and sales businesses really need to sell themselves effectively in order to stand out, as the best candidates are being snapped up quickly. In addition, many candidates also have concerns around the current certainty of the market, so are often jumping at the first offers they receive. A client’s ability to showcase what they have to offer and be decisive is the edge required to secure the best graduate talent right now.
In Demand Skill Sets
Along with language skills, demand for sales and client-facing experience has risen, owing to a gap in this area in the experienced recruitment market. Many firms have been affected by poor ‘experienced hiring’ – that is, hiring candidates with inflated numbers, thanks to the post-Covid boom, who have now been let go as things tightened up in H1.
Graduates with some level of sales experience are seen as a safer bet because they not only meet the desired qualities of being enthusiastic, loyal and sharp, they also ‘tick the box’ of being able to speak to people confidently.
These skills are in the shortest supply because language speakers often don’t have recruitment as a pathway at the forefront of their minds, while many sales firms are doing their best to keep their staff by offering benefits such as increased flexibility, salaries and other perks.
Salary Levels
Currently, the entry point stands at £25k. However, there are many contingent firms now offering base salaries that are usually exclusive to executive search companies and it’s not unusual to find graduates being offered £28k or more for an entry-level recruitment role.
Frequently, executive search is now nudging £35k or more – whether that is needed or not is up for debate, but it is what the market is paying at this time. This is reflective of the quality of candidate that is expected, as well as the fact that graduates have so many more options now than they did five years ago. As a result, it is keeping recruitment roles competitive in comparison to other industries.
Forecast for Quarter 4 2023
An increase in hiring activity is very likely in Q4, as firms are currently boosting their somewhat depleted ‘war chests’ of profits made from the post-pandemic boom. Every day, more and more firms are reaching growth triggers, allowing hiring managers to start recruiting again.
Graduates with language skills and sales experience will continue to be highly sought after, particularly by firms that operate outside of the UK. As tech recovers, the US, French and German markets are currently growing at the quickest rates. Salaries are predicted to rise, as firms will need to adapt to the ‘new normal’: a perfect storm of companies starting to pay more to ensure they are competitive and Gen Z expecting more to improve their quality of life.
For both candidates and employers, making sure they stand out from the crowd will be the biggest challenge for the next quarter. Candidates need to adapt to the higher standards that are now required, so will need to enhance their interview performance, including undertaking thorough research and polishing their interview techniques. With so many great candidates looking for jobs, covering the basics is essential: get ready, do your research, and listen to your recruiters.
In a sea of competing, high quality sales and recruitment businesses, all offering flexibility and amazing cultures, employers must really shine through to attract the best talent.
Considering the ‘three Ss’ – speed, sell and salary – is a good guide. Speed: tailor the hiring process to fit inside a working week, as the best candidates are on the market for as little as two days. Sell: make sure employees can sell the business across all horizontals. Salary: anything lower than £24k and graduates are likely to look elsewhere. The cost of living crisis is real, and their parents and peers understand this.
While employers should consider hiring now so they don’t get left behind, it’s important not to get too hung up on candidate profiles. There are some amazing candidates who have been affected by the pandemic or other circumstances and it’s often difficult to tell how good someone is until you speak to them. The best advice is to keep an open mind and see as many candidates as possible.
[/fusion_text][fusion_text animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_delay=”0″ hide_on_mobile=”large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky”]Salaries – London
| Role | Experience | Basic | OTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | 0 Years | £23k – £30k | £30k – £50k |
| Recruiter | 1 Year | £25+k | £40k – £60k |
| Recruiter | 2 Years | £35+k | £40k – £70k |
| Recruiter | 3 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 4 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 5 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 6 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 7 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 8 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 9 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
| Recruiter | 10 Years | £50+k | £50k – £150k |
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