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Why flexible working is possible in a career in recruitment
recruitment, internal recruitment
It used to be that management thought that the success of a recruiter was founded on a strict office culture of the traditional 08:00-17:00 for optimal productivity. Needless to say, the onset of the Coronavirus lockdown has opened many recruitment agencies’ eyes to the truth of the matter - that flexible working suits recruitment and recruiters. Many recruitment agencies have realised that their consultants are just as productive working remotely as they are under the watchful eye of senior management in the office. For an industry that operates as a meritocracy, the exceptional results of recruiters’ remote efforts speak for themselves.
Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, flexible working was a rising trend amongst the general workforce, with 53% of candidates currently having the option of flexible working, according to a TotalJobs survey.[1] The same survey also saw that flexible working (24%) was almost equally as important to candidates as company benefits (29%) and office culture (26%) and beaten only by salary (66%).
Every employee that has been with a company for more than 26 weeks has the right to request flexible working,2 but it’s an awkward conversation! But this can be a nerve-wracking conversation, and many worry that it might negatively impact perceptions of their commitment to their employer.
For the recruitment industry, however, flexible working was not widely embraced. Perception existed that to be successful, there needed to be in-person collaboration in order for targets to be met. In reality, many recruitment leaders simply didn’t trust their staff to work from home. What the enforced lockdown has shown the industry, however, is that the majority of recruiters who are motivated in the office are equally driven in the home. While teamwork and collaboration will always be a mainstay of recruitment, we believe that this can be achieved through a combination of home and office work.
This is why it is so important to find a role that actively advertises and advocates flexibility! You may not have realised, but most recruiters have a flexibility policy but aren’t advertising it to discourage candidates from taking that option. Here at Edward Mann we fully support and encourage flexible working and are proud to trust our candidates to manage their own time and productivity.
Why should you always look for flexibility in a recruitment role?
Recruitment is an incredible career, and getting a position with a reputable, niche agency who can offer on-going training means you will have access to skills that will help you fast track your career. But looking for a recruiter that offers flexibility within the role can help you accommodate other important aspects of your life, like:
Childcare or full-time care of a loved one
Studying professional or academic qualifications
Living in a different locale
Mental and physical health or wellbeing
Although being in an office on a daily basis allows you to quickly and easily seek guidance and mentorship, these can also be gained with a can-do attitude and a willingness to embrace remote means of communication. Jump on a quick call with your line manager or colleague to ask a question or use an internal messaging system – it doesn’t always have to be a scheduled meeting!
What can flexible working look like in a recruitment agency?
Flexible working can cover a wide range of different scenarios in recruitment from part-time positions, job sharing, flexible office hours to working remotely. At Edward Mann we’ve tailored our approach to make sure that our consultants have optimal flexibility with:
Unlimited leave
Remote working
Our mantra is fun, flexible and focused, and firmly believe that our consultants have the tools to use their time effectively and achieve exceptional results. We promote a Life-Work balance rather than a Work-Life balance – our recruitment consultants can fit work and their targets around their lives, not the other way around.
Edward Mann has acknowledged the benefits of flexible working for recruitment consultants, and takes pride in being able to offer flexible working alongside unlimited leave, allowing our consultants to work in a way that fits around their lives and allows to hit goals and targets.
Choosing Edward Mann to grow your career means getting quantifiable rewards and effective ongoing training to achieve your goals. You’re not just a cog in a corporate wheel but a leader in a community of dedicated recruiters, able to control your Life-Work balance to suit you.
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