Recruitment Consultant
Also advertised as: Delivery Consultant, Internal Recruiter, Recruiter, Recruitment Consultant, Resourcer, Talent Acquisition Adviser
Finds candidates for employers and manages the hiring process from brief to offer.
What the job involves
Recruitment consultants match people to jobs and get paid on results. You win and take client briefs, search and screen candidates, arrange interviews and negotiate offers. It is fast, target-driven and one of the most accessible well-paid roles without a degree.
Typical responsibilities
- Take hiring briefs from clients
- Source, screen and interview candidates
- Manage interview scheduling and feedback
- Negotiate offers and start dates
- Build a pipeline of clients and candidates
Common employers
- Recruitment agencies
- In-house talent teams
- Executive search firms
- Umbrella and contract specialists
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£22,000 – £27,000 a year
With experience
£35,000 – £60,000 a year
Typical hours
40 hours, often longer in agency work
Working environment
Office based, some client visits
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Sales and negotiation
- Interviewing
- Resilience
- Relationship building
- Time management
Transferable skills you may already have
- Customer service
- Working to targets
- Telephone confidence
Requirements employers ask for
- Sales and negotiation
- Interviewing
- Resilience
- Relationship building
- Time management
- No formal qualification required
Useful but not essential
- Customer service
- Working to targets
- Telephone confidence
- Level 3 Recruitment Consultant apprenticeship
- REC certificate in recruitment practice
Helpful qualifications
- Level 3 Recruitment Consultant apprenticeship
- REC certificate in recruitment practice
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Recruiter (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Business
- Related subject: Psychology
- Related subject: Any
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Consultant
next
Talent Acquisition Manager
next
Recruitment Team Leader
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Uncapped commission
- No degree needed
- Skills transfer into HR and sales
What people find hard
- Target pressure is constant
- High turnover in agency environments
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a recruitment consultant?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a recruitment consultant earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £22,000 to £27,000 a year, rising towards £60,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Customer service, Working to targets, Telephone confidence.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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