The working hours for an agency recruiter are typically longer than most. It is hardly surprising therefore that many consultants working for the big agencies spend their days dreaming of better things.
Recruitment is, comparative to many other industries, one with low costs of entry. As a result, many ‘dreamers’ with recruitment expertise sit at their day jobs planning to set up on their own and build their own recruitment business. But what is the difference between the various recruitment agency dreamers out there?
Entrepreneurs
Those with the vision, drive, and passion to disrupt the industry and create something that does not already exist. Those that have the foresight, as well as the skillset, to define a niche and position themselves, and their business, for long term success. Those that believe in their idea enough to deal with the adversity, manage the risk and tackle the challenges that come with running a business because, simply, they were born to do so. Entrepreneurship is a mentality that, I believe, you have or have not.
Wantapreneurs
Equally dissatisfied with the confines of working for a large agency, a wantapreneur dreams of owning their own business, of having autonomy over what their day to day activities include and having control of their own income. Often however, the Wantapreneur lacks the clarity of destiny that an entrepreneur has. They want to make the leap but somehow there is always the reason not to; just waiting for that commission cheque to come through; not enough saved in the bank; waiting for the market to pick up; worried the market might tank, etc. They might want to make the jump but without the DNA that is comfortable with the risk they are likely to always ‘want to’ and never ‘do’. This person is never likely to be happy in the agency environment but is equally unlikely to make the jump to anything else.
Worker Bee
It might not sound as sexy as ‘entrepreneur’ but it certainly comes with a lot more security. Whose parents did not hope for us to grow up, work for a good stable company and have a long and steady career? Only the top 2% ever make it to the very top and to genuinely leading a business but there are thousands of recruiters who have long, steady, happy and stable careers in large agencies worldwide. They may not earn the same income nor have the flexibility of entrepreneurs or freelancers but, crucially to them, they have security, stability and a consistent salary.
Virtual or Remote Workers
The landscape of the recruitment workplace is changing and with it comes a new concept that sits between entrepreneur and worker bee. The traditional agency model is being left behind by agencies able to offer flexibility, remote working and improved commission structures to meet the needs of many of today’s recruiters. Organizations such as TalentSphere are springing up that allow experienced recruiters to control their own time, their working environment (show me someone in Ontario who doesn’t want the ability to work from the cottage!) and the effort that they put in. Without the costs associated with bricks and mortar, these new models are also able to reward consultants with a greater share of the fee. The employment relationship is as an employee, with the benefits of an employee such as health benefits and holiday pay, but the hours you work, your place of work and what you work on are all defined by you. The consultant is suddenly able to control their lifestyle whilst seeing their earning potential increase exponentially.
My point is that not everyone is cut out to be the entrepreneur. Social media increasingly positions being an entrepreneur as the goal and in recruitment, this is no different. However, the reality is that not everyone is comfortable with that level of risk. Plenty of very good recruiters are happy with traditional recruitment agencies but an equal number are dissatisfied with their lack of earning potential and poor work-life balance. For those recruiters, there is now a choice. A number of firms such as TalentSphere are growing as a result of the need for agencies that pay much better portions of each fee billed, that support remote working, and that provide careers that are tied to the needs of the individual rather than the needs of the organisation.
If you are interested in learning more please call Stephen Borer on 778 807 9777 or email sborer@talentsphere.ca.
