Job profile

Personnel Consultant (m/f/d)  

Recruitment consultants play a crucial role in the dynamic and diverse professional field of consulting. They are the interface between companies looking for qualified specialists and candidates who want to take on new professional challenges. Recruitment consultants use their expertise and experience to find the best match between the company's requirements and the candidate's skills. They help organisations achieve their goals by finding and retaining the right talent. At the same time, they help candidates to develop their careers by offering them suitable job opportunities.

If you're interested in learning more about the exciting world of recruitment consultancy, read on. We'll dive deeper into the roles, skills, recruitment consultant salary and career opportunities of a recruitment consultant.

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► Definition
► Salary
► T asks
► Training, studies & further education
► S kills
► FAQ

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What is a recruitment consultant?
The job of a recruitment consultant explained

Recruitment consultants support their clients, often large companies, throughout the entire recruitment process - especially when hiring new employees.

They carry out a wide range of activities in their job. Primarily, personnel consultants have the task of advising companies competently and in a target-orientated manner on all personnel decisions. As a rule, they take on the entire recruitment process and actively search for suitable specialists and workers or advertise appealing job vacancies for the company.

Recruitment consultants work closely with companies' HR departments to understand their needs and requirements. They conduct extensive research, utilise their network and use specialist recruitment techniques to find the most suitable candidates. They conduct interviews, assess candidates' skills and experience and ensure that they are a good fit with the company's culture and objectives.

Constantin Grimm is himself a recruitment consultant at Hays and describes his day-to-day tasks as follows: "I'm responsible for Finance Direct Placement at Hays and my daily tasks include identifying and approaching potential candidates, conducting qualification interviews - what we call the matching process - and working closely with companies to understand and meet their staffing needs. Personal and constant contact with my client contacts and candidates is essential."

Personnel consultant salary:
a comprehensive overview  

Recruitment consultant salaries can vary greatly and depend on various factors such as location, experience and company size.

On average, a personnel consultant in Germany earns between €45,000 and €75,000 gross per year.

In addition to the regular salary, recruitment consultants often receive annual bonuses and commissions. The commission is paid based on the successful placement of candidates. Therefore, the total salary of recruitment consultants can increase significantly if they have many successful placements.

Top earners in personnel consulting can even earn between €200,000 and €300,000 per year. The prerequisite for such a high salary in personnel consulting is a corresponding qualification and particularly outstanding performance.

Factors that influence the salary of recruitment consultants:

Industry: The industry in which a recruitment consultant works can have a significant impact on salary.

Company size: Larger companies generally pay higher salaries than smaller companies.

Region: The salary of recruitment consultants varies depending on the federal state.

Professional experience: Salaries generally increase with professional experience.

Quality of the mandates: The salary of a personnel consultant is also calculated according to the quality of the mandates she receives.

Overall, the job of recruitment consultant offers attractive salary prospects and the opportunity to earn a high income through hard work and successful placements. However, it is also a demanding profession that requires expertise, commitment and excellent communication skills.

Starting salary as a personnel consultant:
Junior personnel consultant salary  

The average starting salary for recruitment consultants is €40,000 per year, although this can rise to up to €80,000 over time for managers. The amount of the starting salary depends primarily on previous experience and training.

Personnel consultant tasks:
What does a recruitment consultant do?

The task of personnel consultants is to provide companies with targeted and competent advice in their search for managers and specialists.

They specialise in the direct search or executive search of candidates, but also publish job advertisements on internet portals or in other media. For direct searches, the recruitment consultant creates candidate profiles that match the areas of responsibility of the advertised positions and then searches for people who fit this description.

There are also other tasks from Human Resources, such as employer branding or the termination of an employment relationship.

Research work is important for the job of a personnel consultant. A recruitment consultant uses job networks such as Xing or LinkedIn, databases and other search options to find specialists. The recruitment consultant then has the task of conducting in-depth telephone interviews or job interviews and drafting employment contracts.

Within the company, the HR consultant is also the first point of contact for employees who are looking for a change within their position. This means that recommending suitable internal candidates to the management is also part of the job.

To summarise, these are the most important tasks of personnel consultants:

Support and supervision of the recruitment process
Executive search (recruitment of executives)
Creation and publication of job adverts
Research work
Conducting telephone interviews and job interviews
Recommendation of suitable employees
Personnel communication (internal & external)
Personnel marketing
Active sourcing in social media (social recruiting)
Remuneration counselling
Support during the onboarding process
Consultancy in employer branding, HR or internal communication

"The best thing about my work is clearly a successful placement! When both the candidate and the company are satisfied, you know you've done a good job and that simply gives you a great feeling." says Grimm about his tasks.

Why do companies use HR consulting?

First and foremost, professional personnel consulting saves companies time and often money. This is because targeted recruitment procedures and a targeted approach to suitable specialists can save a lot of resources that would otherwise be spent on lengthy processes.
In addition to classic headhunting for management positions and top executives, medium-sized companies also utilise personnel consulting for the further development of their own HR department.

How do you become a personnel consultant?
Training, studies & further education

Recruitment consultants come from different backgrounds and have different career paths. There is no set route to becoming a recruitment consultant, but there are several paths you can take to be successful in this profession.
The professional title of personnel consultant is not protected and can therefore be used by anyone. No special training or membership of a chamber is required. Companies must therefore be careful when choosing a recruitment consultant in order to receive professional support.

Personnel consultant lateral entry

A lateral entry into personnel consulting is definitely possible. Recruitment consultants often come from other fields such as sales, marketing or management. Individuals who have strong communication skills, a good understanding of business processes and the ability to build and maintain relationships can build a career in recruitment consultancy.

For a successful lateral entry, the IHK offers courses that end with a qualification as a specialist in personnel consulting and recruitment. In addition, knowledge and experience in specific sectors increases your chances on the recruitment consultancy labour market.

Personnel consultant training: The practical way

There is no specific training that you have to complete to become a personnel consultant. However, many recruitment consultants have completed training in a relevant field such as business administration, human resource management or psychology. A solid education can provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to be successful in this profession.

Relevant expertise in a certain industry can be an advantage for a career as a recruitment consultant. Industry knowledge and experience are helpful when searching for candidates in specialised areas.

Personnel consultant studies

A university degree can be a good foundation for a career in personnel consulting. Many recruitment consultants have a degree in areas such as business administration, human resource management, psychology or a related field. A Master's degree or higher qualification can be helpful, especially if a management position is desired.

Possible degree programmes for prospective personnel consultants:

Personnel consultant training

Continuing education is an important aspect of a recruitment consultant's career. As the demands and trends in the recruitment industry are constantly changing, it is important that recruitment consultants constantly update their knowledge and skills. This can be done by attending seminars, workshops or courses offered by professional organisations or educational institutions.

Possible further training for personnel consultants with experience:

Skills of a personnel consultant

A recruitment consultant needs specialised knowledge of the sector of the company they work for. Knowledge and experience in sales or the service industry are also important for the job. Strong communication skills and a very good command of German and English are essential for a job as a recruitment consultant.
Constantin Grimm knows what is important in personnel consulting and describes the most important skills as follows: "The most important skills include good communication skills, good judgement, negotiating skills and, most importantly, empathy - human and not perfect! But also organisational skills and the ability to manage several projects at the same time. Commitment and reliability are the basic requirements."
The soft skills required of the personnel consultant are a high level of social competence and an independent way of working.

The most important skills of a personnel consultant summarised:

Consultancy expertise
Reliability
Good communication skills
Confidentiality
Ability to work in a team
Goal-orientated way of working
Negotiating skills

Personnel consultant career:
opportunities on the labour market  

The career prospects for recruitment consultants currently look very good. Companies in the IT or engineering sectors in particular are now increasingly relying on recruitment consultants or so-called headhunters for their recruitment. This is because many companies do not have the resources to search with sensitivity for suitable specialists who often cannot be found on the open market.

Read more about the tasks of HR administrators, HR managers and HR officers. This is because the portfolio of tasks differs from those of HR administrators and HR consultants. All job profiles currently offer good prospects on the labour market, as the shortage of skilled workers is prompting companies to rethink recruiting.

When asked what advice he would give to people who want to become recruitment consultants themselves, Constantin Grimm says: "Patience and perseverance! When someone is new to the profession, it's super important to make a name for yourself on the market and build up your own personal brand. Our profession depends on a good network. It's very important to find your own style and, above all, to enjoy what you do, because that's the only way to be successful in the long term."

Top vacancies for recruitment consultants Jobs (m/f/d)

FAQ

What does a personnel consultant earn?

The average salary of a personnel consultant in Germany is between €45,000 and €75,000 per year. This is usually supplemented by commission, which is performance-based.

What does a recruitment consultant do?

Recruitment consultants are professionals who help companies find qualified candidates for open positions. They conduct interviews, assess candidates' skills and experience and ensure that they are a good fit for the company's culture and goals.

What do you need to become a personnel consultant?

To become a recruitment consultant, you usually need training in a relevant field such as business administration or HR management, strong communication skills, a good understanding of business processes and the ability to build and maintain relationships. However, a career change into personnel consulting is also possible.

Is a recruitment consultant a good profession?

A career as a recruitment consultant offers attractive salary prospects and the opportunity to earn a high income through hard work and successful placements. However, it is also a demanding profession that requires expertise, commitment and excellent communication skills.

Job profile Personnel Consultant (m/f/d)