Transferable skills that make a great recruitment consultant

Transferable skills.

There are several transferable skills I have honed over the course of my career that have made the transition to recruitment smoother.

1. Relationship and rapport building.

Building relationships is the cornerstone of executive search.

I spent part of my career as a Performance Lifestyle Adviser to elite athletes, gaining the trust and space to allow meaningful coaching conversations about their future, and what was causing them difficulties with their current circumstances.

Building these relationships has been key in my move to a career in recruitment. I now find myself coaching candidates about their future, where they see themselves, and what differences they want to see in their current position – whether that be ensuring they really are ready for that next step up to an executive position or determining if this is the right pivot for this stage in their careers.

Similarly, I coach our partners through the expectations of their job descriptions and role specifications. By exploring the type of candidate they really want, they are opening their minds to considering new ideas — often the conversations start one way, and end with our partners realising that a completely different skill set or personality type is needed.

1. Seeing the bigger picture.

Running a business is all about customer service and being able to see the bigger picture.

Learning to manage expectations, communicate clearly and celebrate success have laid strong foundations for my path to becoming a Senior Consultant.

As Performance Lifestyle Adviser, I found athletes were concerned about their current training plan, but I was thinking about getting them ahead to the next Olympics. When injuries took them out for the season, I was there to help them figure out the next stage in their life plan.

Similarly, when I work with our partners, not only am I considering how a candidate might fit into the organisation, but I am also thinking about how this hire could positively impact the next few years of strategy. Whilst I might be chatting to a candidate about a director-level role, I can also help them on how this particular role fits into their path of becoming a CEO.

In any business, staying one step ahead is key to seeing the bigger picture – one of our core values here at Peridot.

1. A desire to help others.

My overriding ‘value’ is one of helping others, whether this be with dealing with athletes’ struggles, teaching people to swim, helping students navigate University choices, or helping candidates to ‘sell’ their skills and talents in a covering letter — I get a buzz from helping others and seeing people succeed.

Even when we have to reject great candidates, I’m driven by providing actionable feedback and keeping them in mind for other roles that we recruit for.

1. An interest in careers and people development.

I am genuinely interested in different careers and people development. I probably should have studied psychology as I find this area fascinating. It is so easy to go off down a rabbit hole into someone’s CV and discover their journey from school or university to CEO!