Reed Graduate Scheme

[[ Ry ]]

Hi guys, I have been applying for various jobs for after I finish Uni and received a voicemail from Reed regarding the GTS I applied for. Has anyone done this or any back ground on it? I have searched around various places but can't find any first hand discussions about it and if it is any good.

From the look of this ( http://www.reed-gts.co.uk/Structure/gts-Structure.aspx ) it looks like for year 1 I'd be a phone drone and years 2 and 3 seen a bit vague.

The wage is £21,000 plus a £2,000 bonus on starting and they offer sponsorship through an industry qualification.

Any advice or input?

 

[[ Ry ]]

Anyone?

 

[weringo]

If you meet their entry requirements then there's far better grad schemes you could get on rather than being a recruitment monkey.

 

[[ Ry ]]

That's part of the issue, many of the schemes that I have applied for have dismissed me due to my lack of UCAS points as I did not sit A Levels and entered University as a mature student.

So you think it will consist of 3 years of recruitment garbage opposed to gaining a relevant industrial qualification in HR (for example)?

 

[weringo]

Well the page seems very non specific, that means you're not going to be guaranteed to a) get any good experience or b) get any sort of decent pay progression.

I know someone who became a recruiter after graduating, he spent all day searching online for people who've submitted CVs and calling them up. He quit after a few months.

Try applying to smaller firms if you're worried about UCAS points, they're more likely to take the time to look though your application rather than autofiltering everyone out who doesn't meet the criteria.

 

[sunama]

I know someone who became a recruiter after graduating, he spent all day searching online for people who've submitted CVs and calling them up. He quit after a few months.

Indeed. Recruitment is in essence, a pure sales role. If are good at sales though, you can make far more money than you would in a standard graduate trainee scheme.

To be in sales, you have to be very much focused on making money (bonuses).

Almost every company requires sales people as this is the life blood of any company, so good sales people are worth their weight in gold. This is the reason why most sales people (after bonuses) are some of the highest paid (non management) members of staff, of a company.

An acquaintance of mine said that during the boom times, recruitment offers big money. However, during the recession, times have been tough.

Good luck with your job hunting.

 

[fendi]

That's part of the issue, many of the schemes that I have applied for have dismissed me due to my lack of UCAS points as I did not sit A Levels and entered University as a mature student.

So you think it will consist of 3 years of recruitment garbage opposed to gaining a relevant industrial qualification in HR (for example)?

I have a friend who started off in the recruitment game as a trainee. 6 years later he is a director driving an Aston. The last cruise he went on (1 week) with his partner cost him £7k. He paid for her folks to go too as it was one of their 60ths. There is plenty of ££ to be made if you work hard. There can be a lot of backstabbing though/ office politics if you are unlucky.

 

[sunama]

There is plenty of ££ to be made if you work hard. There can be a lot of backstabbing though/ office politics if you are unlucky.

This goes for almost any sales role. If you have the gift of the gab and know how to sell, you will out-earn the operational staff, with ease.

If you are purely money oriented and possess the gift of the gab, sales is the way that you want to go. If money is not too important, then go the technical/skill/tradesman route.

 

[[ Ry ]]

Thanks for the responses guys, very helpful.

In regards to the job role, it seems the general view is that it will be a sales/recruitment type role for the whole three years? This is what has confused me looking through the website. I guess I should contact them and ask them for a breakdown of training over the scheme etc.

 

[fendi]

The guy I know though isn't your typical salesman. He doesn't try to BS you or do a hard sell. He believes in what he does and tries to offer a good service, closing deals comes naturally. He's pretty smart too which helps though not the greatest academically. He dropped out of uni to get into recruitment because he saw it as a faster way to start earning. Note he isn't 30 yet. He's been a bit lucky along the way and works crazy hours, but loves what he does. I imagine he wants to retire early after starting his own agency in the future.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It is basically just telesales with a posh title to get people attracted, sadly.

They came up a lot when we were all applying for placements at Uni. Few of my mates got interviews and found that it was basically telesales, and high pressure telesales at that.

 

[[ Ry ]]

It is basically just telesales with a posh title to get people attracted, sadly.

They came up a lot when we were all applying for placements at Uni. Few of my mates got interviews and found that it was basically telesales, and high pressure telesales at that.

That is what I was thinking, although how do they get away with offering industry qualifications? I could put up with 12 months of telesales/mundane work if years 2/3 were beneficially to a different career path.

The way I'm looking at it is; the basic money is good straight out of Uni and if it isn't just 3 years of telesales/boredom then surely it couldn't be that bad?

 

[sunama]

I could put up with 12 months of telesales/mundane work if years 2/3 were beneficially to a different career path.

Almost any sales role will improve your communication skills. If you can master cold calling, basically, when you leave the sales job for something else, you should find it very easy to communicate with people who you don't know (a good skill to possess during interviews).

Basically, we are talking about "the gift of the gab". In most high earning jobs, this is an essential skill to have. Even if you are running your own business (any business), your ability to "sell" is one of the most important skills you have can have.

So, will this sales role be beneficial to any other career you may choose to pursue in the future. Definitely. 100%. Yes.

...and the bonus will be that if you are good at sales, you may earn yourself a fair packet in the process (much more than any of your fellow Uni colleagues who have gone into technical roles).

Damn! I'm beginning to sound like a salesman myself...I shall stop right now.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

There is far, far more to sales than the 'gift of the gab'. I'm on the other side and deal with these guys constantly and 'gift of the gab' makes a mockery of the professional ability some of the better ones display.

 

[sunama]

There is far, far more to sales than the 'gift of the gab'.

Indeed. But communication skills (ie. gift of the gab), is the most important quality. If you disagree, then by all means, give me the most important qualities...I'm all ears.

If you lack communication skills, then even if you have the best product at the lowest price, you will struggle to communicate this to the customer. Part of sales is the ability to persuade and explain to the customer why they should buy your product and not buy from your competitor. Without the ability to communicate, you are finished.

The best salesmen, will have the ability to sell a poor product, for a high price. That's why top salesmen are paid such large sums of money - because they know how to talk to customers and tap into their thought processes.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Indeed. But communication skills (ie. gift of the gab), is the most important quality.

Gift of the gab does not mean communication. The very fact that you're reducing such an important part of the role to a redundant and outdated phrase speaks volumes.

If you disagree, then by all means, give me the most important qualities...I'm all ears.

Communication, responsiveness, ability to (over) deliver, working within timelines, 'getting' the customers' requirements, prioritisation ... the list is endless.

If you lack communication skills, then even if you have the best product at the lowest price, you will struggle to communicate this to the customer. Part of sales is the ability to persuade and explain to the customer why they should buy your product and not buy from your competitor. Without the ability to communicate, you are finished.

I don't think anyone would argue with this, it is blindingly obvious even to those with no sales background.

The best salesmen, will have the ability to sell a poor product, for a high price. That's why top salesmen are paid such large sums of money - because they know how to talk to customers and tap into their thought processes.

I had an idea of what you might deem to be the 'best salesmen' and this confirms it. Thankfully, not all organisations employ monkeys to sell crap for a big profit.

 

[[ Ry ]]

Have you tried approaching the HR departments of companies you wish to apply to, if their headline grad scheme requirements stipulate x number of UCAS points? They might still accept you, if you have ~non-standard qualifications~/got into uni without A-levels.

Contacted several (6-7) before I applied and they all replied negatively, which annoyed me and put me off applying for more until recently.

Thanks for all the replies about sales/recruitment etc.

I'll phone them tomorrow and discuss the role and personal development during the scheme.

 

[[ Ry ]]

I'm sure the reasons behind the answer I got was to do with the timing of me asking (towards the middle/end of the application window). It really annoyed me that they would flat out refuse someone who doesn't have A Levels but is about to achieve a (all things going well) 2:1 degree, for a graduate scheme. I understand that they can set whatever requirements they want but still, it's quite laughable.

 

[dowie]

There is far, far more to sales than the 'gift of the gab'. I'm on the other side and deal with these guys constantly and 'gift of the gab' makes a mockery of the professional ability some of the better ones display.

Depends on the type of role but generally it is the communication/interpersonal skills that are most important in sales in a general sense.

In the context of this thread that is very likely to be the case - the OP is hardly going to be some specialist head hunter in the immediate future - he needs to convince candidates to choose jobs he has available and employers to choose his candidates. In terms of 'gift of the gab' not sure if the previous poster meant communication skills in general or just people with lots of banter etc...While they might not necessarily do so well in say selling software to banks/corporates recruitment is one area where a BS'ing wide boy type can do quite well.

 

[toshj]

It depends on which area of recruitment you end up in. Communication skills and gift of the gab are secondary skills in recruitment. Primary skills are work ethic and motivation. Some of the best recruiters and headhunters I know have pretty average (or even bad) communication skills. In recruitment, if you work smart enough the CV/candidate will do the hard parts for you.

With regards to the OP, a grad scheme relating to recruitment isn't something I'd particularly recommend. If you want to end up in HR, best join a blue chip company as a grad in their HR program and then move up from there. Reed and similar recruitment firms will have you hitting the phones for 10 hours a day.