Welcome to the next installment of our upcoming series "My Life as a Recruitment Consultant", where we give you the chance to meet our team, and also find out more about the day to day life of Recruitment Consultants.Christoph Niesel is a consultant specialising in Oil and Gas recruitment Australia-wide. Christoph holds a double degree with Japanese and Chinese majors. Outside of work he enjoys language and historical study, video games, animation, travel, and reading fantasy fiction.
How did you get into recruitment?
Like many, I fell into recruitment while looking broadly at what jobs I would be interested in and could do well. I had a conversation with Skye staff and liked the friendly and professional environment in which they operated.
How easy or difficult did you find it to pick up the basics of the recruitment role?
I believe recruitment is a role that is easy to understand in principle but hard to master. There is a lot of fine tuning to be done after the basics are ironed out.
What sort of things do you do on a day to day basis?
My day involves speaking to clients, understanding what their needs are and making sure I put forward the correct candidates who will fit the client company. I converse frequently with suitable candidates and try to get a firm understanding of their skills and what they are looking for in a potential role. Advertising, reference checks and of course giving sound advice are also part of my daily routine.
What are the best parts of the job?
I enjoy being able to guide a candidate through the recruitment process and reach the final goal - that is their first day in a new role. The satisfaction of a job well done and the relationships built during this process are enjoyable aspects of the job.
And which are the worst parts?
Like any job there are times when things don't go your way, be it unexpected problems with a candidate's job expectation, a sudden shift in staffing needs or simply trying to prove that you can be an asset to a client. The solution to this, however, is persistence.
What was the biggest mistake you made as a novice recruiter, and how did you deal with it?
I would say that focusing too hard on one aspect of the job and neglecting other areas is something that needs to be kept in the back of each recruiter's mind. Doing too much advertising and dropping your client development or focusing too hard on candidates and neglecting current opportunities are examples of this. Dealing with this involves setting times throughout the day and the week to focus on each aspect of the role.
How do you think the recruitment industry is perceived by our clients and candidates?
It is difficult to gauge as I have had mixed responses from both sides. Clients who understand that a good recruiter is worth their weight in gold can contrast to those who believe that we are just trying to sell them something they don't need, which is more often than not, the wrong perception. Candidates generally are more receptive and understand that by using a recruitment company, we can represent them in a professional manner to companies who we already have strong connections with.
How do you differ from your competitors in the same field?
I strive to provide a fast and professional service, understanding the exact needs of both client and candidate in order to ensure good compatibility. I prefer to pick up the phone and have a conversation to understand exactly what client and candidate needs are and match the two as best I can.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
I would advise the person to have a conversation with someone in the field and get a better understanding of what the role is like. A suitable person would be ambitious, highly motivated and thrive on dealing with people and overcoming any obstacles.
