comprehensive and attractive welfare plans to recognize our staffs’ efforts for their hard work and to ensure that they have job satisfaction. JAC Recruitment’s corporate culture also fully encourages open communication between staff and management, as this enables everyone to feel empowered and comfortable in their work environment.

What is your job like as a recruitment consultant in the banking and finance team?

The banking & finance team was formed in early 2007, and that’s when I joined JAC Recruitment. Last year was a particularly positive one for the banking and finance industry, so the team was essentially formed to provide greater specialization and focus for our clients and candidates in this industry. My role, like the rest of my team members, entails providing professional and effective recruitment services for our clients. Everyday is about building and maintaining relationships, and time is of essence, which is why we always act fast and get back to our clients swiftly when providing their recruitment solutions.

What challenges do you face working as a recruitment consultant?

Challenges always exist – such as competition from other recruitment agencies, and job candidates sometimes use different agencies at any one time to help them get employed. So it can be disappointing when we present a candidate to a client, and they say that the candidate has already been presented to them via a different agency.

Sometimes, candidates also accept a job offer, and later reject it when they receive an offer that has a higher salary or better benefits. This leads to our clients asking us why we don’t screen candidates more thoroughly to find out if they are committed to the job placement. However, there are always external factors that are beyond our control, such as buoyant market conditions, or a more lucrative counter-offer that a candidate receives.

Have you had any highlights as a recruitment consultant?

When I first joined JAC Recruitment, I managed to close two recruitment deals at once. For somebody who never believed in going into sales, I must admit that it was quite satisfying for me. I got a certificate of commendation for my achievements, and even though one of the deals eventually fell through, it nevertheless gave me confidence to believe that I could succeed as a recruitment consultant.

Honestly, I feel a personal satisfaction every time a client chooses a candidate that I recommend to them. And this is very validating for me, as it can be hard work, putting in time and effort to ensure that a candidate is given the best support needed so as to boost their chances of getting their desired job.

What qualifications and qualities does one need to succeed in the recruitment industry?

Personally, I studied Banking and Human Resources at university, so I’m essentially ‘marrying’ these two disciplines as a recruitment consultant. Being a fast learner is good as the banking and finance industry is constantly changing, so you have to be knowledgeable in new products and services, and you also need to have tenacity to succeed.

It’s very important; I feel, to have a ‘never say die’ attitude and never let anything get you down. So it’s essential to be able to learn from negative experiences and grow from them and become a stronger and smarter person in the process.

I also think that it’s good to be inquisitive and have a genuine interest in finding out what a client or candidate’s needs are. Being inquisitive also helps you to ask the right questions that will lead your candidates to tell you what they really want in a job, so that you are able to best cater to their employment needs.

The job skills aspect in being a recruitment consultant can always be learnt – be it product knowledge, telephone skills, interviewing skills and how to carry yourself, but your personal attitude is the most important.

What is JAC Recruitment’s vision and strategy for the future?

We plan to expand our staff strength and extend our company’s reach into as many different industries as possible so as to better serve our clients. JAC Recruitment also highly values Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and we have a new CSR initiative called the “One placement, one plant, one planet” project whereby our company will plant a tree in a national park in Sarawak, Malaysia, for every job candidate that a client selects.

This helps to promote reforestation and the main intention of this initiative is to give back to society. A part of our sales revenue is utilized to drive this meaningful project, and enables us to involve our clients and candidates in CSR, and help them do their part to save the earth.