Sales Recruitment Insights: The Challenges of Recruitment in London

Friday, January 6, 2017

A chat with Nathaniel Benissan from Saleslogic about the challenges of sales recruitment in London

The sales recruitment sector in London is huge. A quick google search of recruitment agencies in London alone shows nearly 4000 results- that’s a lot of competitors, but as Nathaniel Benissan says, what’s a race without competition!   

Nathaniel is a young sales recruitment consultant with Saleslogic in London; he’s been in the game for 2 years.

‘I enjoy sales recruitment, I enjoy the people I work with, and it’s always satisfying making a great match –but there are challenges.’

‘It’s a congested market, and we’ve seen a big rise in internal recruitment teams, so it can be challenging to stay ahead.’

So as a sales recruitment company, how do you stand out in such a crowded space? ‘I think you need to build a solid reputation with clients and candidates. We always work hard to ensure we build a solid relationship, and thanks to this, in the past have filled up to 40 plus roles within the same company. We also focus on quality over quantity when supplying CV's, taking a bit of the work out of the process for hiring managers, as we only send CV's for people who we know best fit the brief.’

Another big challenge is the negativity associated with recruitment agencies. We’ve all had a brush with one of ‘those’ recruiters- A bit too pushy, suggests roles that just don’t fit, or never returns your call. ‘For me, there is more of a personal investment, I want people to be happy and successful in the roles we place them in- I think people appreciate it when you take the time to get to know what it is they’re really looking for in a role, and where they want their career to go.’ So how do you make sure you’ve found the right recruitment company? Unfortunately, it’s a bit like dating; sometimes you’ve got to meet the frog to get to the prince. ‘I think it’s important to find a recruiter that is familiar with your role type and industry. Having a sales recruiter with good industry knowledge will obviously have a better understanding of how your skills would match.’

It might sound like there are more challenges than good, but it’s not all grey clouds. Sites like LinkedIn are making a big impact on the recruitment sector and how people now find work. ‘It opens up so many more candidates and means we can search for the right experience and skills to make the best matches between candidates and roles.’

So does Nathaniel have any tips for those looking for work?

‘Just keep putting yourself out there, and apply for the things that are truly relevant to you. Shot gunning applications is a bad idea. Focus on the roles you truly want. Make sure your LinkedIn page is up to date as well- this will help people find you, rather than you doing all the searching.’

If you’ve been looking for a while, but don’t seem to be getting anywhere? ‘Check your CV. It’s the first impression and sometimes can be a wall’. Making sure you’ve found the right recruiter is key as well-‘They’ll be your advocate and as only around 20% of roles are advertised, they might be able to get you into doors you didn’t even know were open.’

Sales recruitment in London might not always be easy, but then again, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun.

If you’re looking for a new role, make sure you check out Saleslogic’s website and make sure you follow them on TwitterFacebook, and LinkedIn for more articles and advice.

You might also enjoy reading 

                     

Saleslogic is a leading Sales Recruitment Agency in London. We specialise in digital sales jobs, SaaS sales jobs, software sales jobs and more. Click here to view sales jobs we are currently recruiting for