How to get your first job in Recruitment

So, you’re a recent graduate looking for your first job and you’ve stubbled upon Recruitment? Good choice. Recruitment is one of the highest-earning, fastest-moving grad careers out there—but it’s not always well understood.

This guide will walk you through exactly what to expect when applying for an entry-level recruitment consultant role, especially at a high-performance firm like Levin. From application to onboarding, here’s how to land your first recruitment job—and thrive in it.

1. How the Application Process Works

You’ll either:

• Apply directly via a job ad on LinkedIn or our website
• Be headhunted by someone in our Talent team after they’ve spotted something promising on your profile

Once you’re in conversation, the first stage is a pre-screen phone call. It’s casual, but focused. We’re not looking for prior experience in recruitment—we’re looking for the raw materials that make a great recruiter. That includes:

• A strong work ethic
• Evidence of commitment (e.g. sports, part-time work, volunteering, clubs/societies)
• Resilience, drive, and curiosity
• Personality! We want to get to know you.

2. The Interview Stages

Here’s what you can expect:

• Phone interviews early in the process
• In-person interviews with managers or team leads once things progress
• A Phone roleplay assessment near the final stage, where you’ll act out a sales call to a client or candidate

We’ll support you throughout, but we’re testing for:

• Confidence and communication skills
• Your ability to build rapport
• Coachability—how well you respond to feedback and guidance
• A clear understanding of the role (👉find out more about what recruitment is here)

We’ll also look closely at your verbal and written communication, because much of the role involves selling, persuading, and influencing—often over the phone or via email.

3. Feedback and Timelines

We move fast. We’ve taken people from initial message to offer in under a week.

You’ll hear from us at every stage—whether successful or not—with clear, constructive feedback. We respect your time and know you might be in other processes too, so we aim to keep things moving without dragging it out.

4. What Happens After You’re Hired

Once you’ve signed your offer, you’ll get a start date, and you’ll join as part of an academy group—typically 4–12 grads starting together.

The Academy:

• Weeks 1–2: Formal classroom-style training led by our internal L&D team
• Ongoing: On-desk coaching, one-on-ones, group sessions, and ad hoc training
• You’ll be trained on recruitment fundamentals, sales techniques, market mapping, and how to use our tools

To pass probation, you need to make your first deal. While probation is typically 3–6 months, most people hit their deal well before that thanks to the support and structure of the academy.

5. Building Belonging Before You Even Start

Before day one, you’ll be invited to join our Levin Ambassadors programme—a pre-start buddy system that helps you feel connected to someone in the business early. You’ll be matched with someone based on shared identity (e.g. race, gender, background – your choice!) or job interest and check in with them:

• Before you start
• A few weeks in
• Again after a couple of months

It’s a safe, informal space to ask real questions and hear about their journey. Interviews are great—but we know people are on their best behavior. This gives you the chance to hear from someone who’s been in your shoes.

6. What Happens After the Academy?

We don’t stop training once you pass probation. Every consultant at Levin is part of ROCKET, our career-long progression and development programme. You’ll move through structured training tracks depending on:

• Your promotion path (individual contributor vs people manager)
• Your specialism or chosen market (who your hire and in what sector of Tech)
• Your goals, like becoming a top biller or leading a team

Learning never stops—and neither does your earning potential.

7. The Skills That Set You Apart

We don’t care what degree you did. We care if you can bounce back, show up, and work hard.

🧠 Resilience is number one. In recruitment, your product is people. And people have free will—candidates drop out, clients change their minds, processes stall. Even if you’ve done everything right, deals fall through. Being able to push through those moments and come back stronger is what separates good from great.

🏆 Our top performers are hungry. They want to win. They love leaderboards, incentives, Lunch Clubs, and being the best. But they’re also humble—they learn from each other, lift their peers, and celebrate team wins just as hard as individual ones.

At Levin, we’re proud to have created a competitive but kind culture. You’ll never have to step on someone to get to the top here—but you’ll be pushed to give your best.

In Summary: How to Land Your First Recruitment Job

Interested in starting your recruitment career at Levin?

👉 Reach out to our Talent Team and explore open roles today.