If you’ve ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it’s really like. This week we chat to recruitment specialist Tas Ravenscroft, from Cherry Pick People in London…
You’ll typically start on a basic salary of around £26,000 to £28,000 as a recruitment consultant in London… As you progress into a senior consultant role, that can rise to £35,000 to £38,000, and as a manager or head of department, you’re usually looking at £40,000-£45,000 in base salary.
Bonus and commission schemes can be very attractive… For example, we offer takings of 15-20% of all monthly billings, paid in arrears, once I pass a £6,000 threshold. There are also opportunities to hit extra bonuses of up to £500 each month. Other agencies might have no threshold at all, or completely uncapped commission, which means in a great market it’s possible to earn £100,000 a year or more. That said, I always advise caution. If a commission structure sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
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You’re often working beyond “working” hours… not because anyone’s forcing you, but because sometimes you need to catch clients or candidates after their work day ends. Or maybe you’re trying to seal a deal on a Friday evening while out for dinner at Dishoom (I’ve definitely been there)! I get 34 days of holiday, including UK bank holidays (some recruitment firms offer unlimited holiday or four-day working weeks but usually tied to performance/set KPIs).
I’ve seen people join a video interview from bed in their pyjamas… or turn up to meet a client in a tracksuit, and even mistake the company for an iconic landmark because they hadn’t done any research.
Never dress down for an interview… Always present yourself smartly, no matter what the company’s dress code or vibe is. Do your homework on the business, and avoid asking generic, boring questions at the end of the interview.
One thing you should never have on your CV is… a photo.
The worst CV mistakes are… messy formatting, over-the-top colours, salespeople applying for sales roles without listing their sales figures. My advice is: keep it clean, clear and relevant. Check your spelling and grammar carefully. Make sure your achievements are on there – and tailor them to the role you’re applying for.
A hiring manager only looks at a CV for 10 seconds on average… so keep it concise and make sure the most important information is on the first page.
To nail a job interview, you should… be able to back up every answer with a real example and get to the point. Long, rambling answers lose impact – clear, concise stories that show what you’ve achieved will stick with the interviewer far more.
People say Gen Z are pickier, they know what they’re prepared to do and aren’t as willing to compromise… I think – good for them! Previous generations, mine included, often put up with nonsense in the workplace, with little regard for boundaries when it came to management and hierarchy. I’m a big believer in protecting your peace (we’re not on this Earth just to work). That said, if you find a great place with great people, a lot of those challenges disappear. I do think older generations need to stop being so critical and cut Gen Z some slack; the world they’re navigating is very different, and far from easy. Honestly, I wish I’d been pickier and set stronger boundaries early on in my career.
Ageism is still a real issue in the recruitment market… even if it’s not always openly acknowledged. Sometimes it’s subtle – assumptions that older candidates won’t adapt to new technology or that they’re too set in their ways. Other times, it’s more direct – with clients quietly favouring a certain profile that skews younger. It’s frustrating, because older workers often bring a wealth of experience, strong networks and a level of stability that can be invaluable to a business. Part of my role as a recruiter is to challenge those biases.
There’s a legal risk when employers ask inappropriate or discriminatory questions… whether that’s about age, family plans or other protected characteristics. Even if it’s unintentional, it can land a business in hot water.
COVID definitely changed the industry for the better in many ways… Before, we relied heavily on in-person interviews, which I still value for building real connection, but now the first interview might be virtual, and a final meeting with HR could be a coffee or a Teams call. It’s made the process more flexible and efficient without losing the human touch.
Diversity is still a priority for companies, but it’s complicated… Globally, we’re seeing some concerning rollbacks of diversity programmes, particularly in the US under certain political leadership, which is really worrying. The UK is still relatively strong on diversity, but it’s not immune and these values can be under threat from political shifts. I’m lucky to work for a company that genuinely values diversity.
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I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all question to ask at the end of an interview… The key is to show curiosity and engagement. You could ask about the team you’d be working with, what success looks like in the first six to 12 months, or how the company supports growth and development. I prefer a more creative angle. You might ask: If the company could solve one problem overnight, what would it be? (This gives insight into priorities and challenges.) Or “what’s one lesson you’ve learned in this role that you didn’t expect?” (to understand leadership and culture). And a fun one: If the office had a mascot, what would it be? (It might seem quirky but it tells you a lot about the team and company personality.)
A typical day can be… checking in on your roles and candidates, making calls to both clients and candidates and managing your pipeline. You’d be juggling multiple tasks: sourcing new talent, reviewing applications, preparing candidates for interviews and following up on feedback.
I’m a big fan of technology and innovation… but I don’t believe we should be replacing people with AI… A good example is Klarna, which replaced staff with AI only to find it didn’t go well (shock), and now their founder is asking people to come back. In our business, we use it for the more repetitive admin tasks, freeing recruiters to focus on what they do best: building relationships and delivering results.
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You don’t need qualifications per se to do this role… I’m always very mindful when asking about qualifications, I have had to do a lot of education of clients who specifically ask for certain experience, like degree-educated.
To be successful in recruitment… you need to be warm, honest and engaging. You have to be a great listener, able to really unpick what people are looking for, and you need to be resilient because you will face plenty of knock-backs. On top of that, strong organisational skills, commercial awareness and the ability to build long-term relationships are key. And perhaps most importantly, you need persistence… following through when things get tough is often what separates the good recruiters from the great ones.
