Firstly, the Big Picture… What should be the shape of my career?

What options are available to me?   

How much can I influence the direction it takes?

How much progress should I have made and in what timescales?

These are the key questions you will need to consider as you embark on your journey in the recruitment industry, in order to avoid being diverted or pushed in a direction that doesn’t suit your skills or aspirations.          

At this early stage, it’s important to understand what it is you want to achieve in life, what you are capable of, and what you enjoy doing most. Be as clear as you can about your life goals. A recruitment career is extremely diverse and can take several different paths.

Take a good look around your company and formally interview people in different positions to try and gain an understanding of what their particular role entails, whether they are consultants, managers, business developers or applicant resourcers.

Find out what skills they feel are most important to them? What are the different rewards structures for the work they do? How did they get promoted to their current position, and how long did it take? What are the main frustrations they encounter? These are the type of questions you need to ask.

This will help you understand what suits you, or more importantly, what won’t! For example, there’s no point in you considering a career that entails managing other people if you are intolerant or very exacting, or if you feel uninspired at the prospect of having to motivate others. Equally, you don’t want to aspire towards business development if you are terrified of cold-calling!

Once you’ve decided that your ultimate aim is to be a future sales director (for example), then you need to let that be known to anyone who can influence your journey; not just your immediate boss, but his or her boss as well, and anyone else who’ll listen!

If you can, identify a mentor within the company who is prepared to act as your guide, a person against whom you can benchmark your progress.

Then - get going, and with enthusiasm, you’ve embarked on one of the most challenging, fulfilling and rewarding careers around.