Starting Out in Recruitment

It’s your first day in recruitment! Congratulations, you’ve got the job, and you’re ready and willing to prove yourself. But once the laptop is open and the inbox starts filling up, reality kicks in. Starting out in recruitment is both exhilarating and daunting. There’s a lot to learn, fast.

Recruitment can be an incredibly fulfilling career for the right person. And for those wondering if it could be for you, this blog will explore exactly what your first year teaches you.

In the early days, most of your time will be spent learning the basics. You’ll need to understand the market you’re working in, the roles you’ll be recruiting for, and the terminology that feels like a new language. You’ll sit in on calls and shadow experienced consultants to understand how clients and candidates will interact with you.

You’ll also quickly realise that recruitment is a people-first job. You’ll be encouraged to pick up the phone, introduce yourself to people you’ve never spoken to before to start building those important relationships from scratch. At first, those conversations might feel daunting and awkward. You won’t always know the right questions to ask, and that’s okay - every call, good or bad, is part of the learning process.

Alongside this, you’ll be getting to grips with systems, CRMs, LinkedIn searches, job specs, and internal processes. It can feel overwhelming; everyone around you seems confident and in control, but the truth is, they’ve all been exactly where you are now.

It’s important to recognise that some things can’t be taught, the real world replaces theoretical knowledge, you have to learn on the job, often, it’s a case of trial and error. It means quickly understanding the essentials of building trust and credibility. Take every interaction as a classroom session, every setback is another opportunity to learn and improve… which leads into our next section, handling rejection.

 

Handling Rejection

Unfortunately, rejection is an unavoidable part of recruitment, and for many just starting out, it’s one of the toughest adjustments to make. Recruitment can be trickier than other sales roles, as you’re working with people and big life decisions. Candidates change their minds. Clients pause hiring. Offers fall through at the last minute. It can feel personal, especially when you’ve invested time and energy into getting a process over the line. None of it is a reflection of your effort or ability, but early on, it can knock your confidence. The key is learning not to internalise these setbacks, even when it happens more than once. And eventually, what initially feels like failure often turns into insights which you can use to shape your next conversations.

You’ll also start to see the bigger picture. A candidate declining one role doesn’t mean it’s all been for nothing – in fact, often it can open the door to a better-fitting opportunity later on down the line.

In recruitment, progress isn’t always linear, and resilience is built by staying consistent and proactive, even when it doesn’t go your way. Handling rejection isn’t about becoming immune to disappointment; it’s about understanding that setbacks are all part of the process.

 

Communication is a Skill, Not a Personality Trait

One of the biggest misconceptions about recruitment is that great communicators are “naturals.” In reality, communication in recruitment is a learned skill, and your first year is a crash course in developing it. Early on, you’ll realise that speaking confidently isn’t the same as communicating effectively.

When you first start out, conversations can feel scripted. You’re thinking about what to ask next, how to explain a role clearly, or how to keep a call moving without sounding rehearsed. Over time, those interactions become more natural as you learn how to tailor your message to different audiences, e.g. a nervous first-time candidate, a hiring manager under pressure to fill a role quickly.

You’ll also learn that strong communication isn’t about charm; it’s about clarity and empathy. Guiding candidates through an application process requires listening just as much as talking. Understanding motivations, addressing concerns, and setting expectations early all become essential parts of the job. Research shows employers consider soft skills more crucial than technical expertise.

As your first year in recruitment progresses, communication stretches beyond phone calls; Emails, LinkedIn messages, video interviews, and social platforms all demand slightly different approaches. Like many new recruiters, you’ll learn through trial and error by refining your tone and your messaging and using feedback from the conversations that didn’t quite land. With 9 out of 10 companies using video interviews now, adapting communication styles across formats has become a core part of the role.

Eventually, you’ll start to notice a shift. Conversations feel more fluid, and relationships with clients and candidates begin to form. Effective communication becomes less about saying the right thing and more about creating trust. When that happens, candidates stop seeing you as just another recruiter and start seeing you as a trusted advisor. That change alone can redefine how you approach the job.

 

You Start Thinking Commercially

At some point in your first year, your perspective will begin to shift. Recruitment stops feeling like a series of individual tasks and starts to look more like a business. You realise that matching candidates to roles is only part of the job - understanding

1. ·       why a role exists
2. ·       why it needs to be filled now
3. ·       why a client makes certain decisions

becomes just as important.

Early on, commercial awareness often develops quietly. You start to notice patterns in the market such as which skills are in demand and where talent is scarce. 70% of recruiters say competition for top talent is their biggest challenge,

Thinking commercially means staying informed. It’s about understanding market trends and aligning recruitment strategies with a client’s long-term goals. By this stage, recruitment is no longer just about outcomes; it’s about impact.

 

You Learn the Value of Consistency

Consistency is one of the most underrated skills in recruitment, and it’s rarely something you can master straight away. In the early days, no two weeks look the same. Some are packed with calls, others feel slow or derailed by setbacks you didn’t see coming. Add in new systems, changing processes, and candidate expectations, and it’s easy to feel reactive. But what quickly becomes clear is that progress doesn’t come from big wins alone, but from showing up consistently, even on the days when momentum feels low.

Developing simple habits is what makes the difference. Regular follow-ups, and clear communication helps build trust over time. And those small actions compound. The unpredictable days begin to settle into a rhythm - your confidence will grow, and productivity becomes more sustainable. At the end of the day, consistency isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing the right things, reliably. It becomes the foundation on which long-term success in recruitment is built.

 

You Realise Recruitment Teaches You More Than Recruitment

Working with a wide range of candidates and clients quickly shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Conversations don’t always go to plan; people can say no, and rejection becomes a part of the process, but it’s through those setbacks that resilience is built. You learn not just how to recover, but how to keep going with consistency and confidence.

Much of this growth happens on the job. Some things can’t be taught in training sessions or manuals. The first year is often where you make the most mistakes, but it’s also where you learn the fastest.

Before routines are established, it’s common to wonder how everything will ever fit together. Over time, though, you’ll form a structure and tasks that once felt daunting become second nature.

As technology and automation continue to change recruitment, the human element remains essential. The ability to connect, listen, adapt, and think creatively can’t be automated. Balancing intuition with evidence creates a powerful, transferable skill set.

By the end of your first year, you’re a better recruiter and a more capable professional, with skills you can carry forward into your own personal growth.

Still wondering whether a career in recruitment could be the right fit for you? Check out more of our blogs to help you decide once and for all 

 

Start Your Recruitment Journey With Koda Staff

If you’re interested in recruitment and thinking about what your first year in recruitment could look like, Koda Staff partners with exceptional talent and ambitious businesses across multiple markets and industries.

Get in touch through our website or by reaching out to me (Katie Heywood) on LinkedIn or email to explore opportunities and start your journey in recruitment with Koda Staff.