Starting a business needs 150% commitment
When it comes to starting up your own business, Marker says fear of growth is a big challenge to overcome.
"The thing is... if you don't grow, you'll be run over. In order to really deliver the service you promise you're going to deliver, you've got to have the tools, you've go to have the cash flow, and you've got to have the right people.
"If by delivering a great service it increases demand for your service, you either walk away from that demand, or if you accept it, you'd better be able to deliver. It can be a fear of growth - the unknown - 'can I afford it, what's going to happen?'
"When you look back at successful people, the highest percentage of them inevitably put their biggest asset on the line, which is usually their family home. That's a big decision to make - it's like deciding to have a child - once you have it you can't give it back, you've got to continue to feed it and nurture and develop it.
"Also, if you're going to start in the recruitment industry, and fortunately and in some cases unfortunately, there's no barrier to entry... make sure you know your market. Make sure you have a point of difference. Make sure the passion is there and make sure you have the energy, because it's 24/7. Even when you go on holidays, (if you get holidays), it's 24/7; you're still thinking about your business. Your business becomes your child, and you just can't switch it off. So you'd better have that 150 per cent commitment if you're going into your own business."
Drive, desire, determination, discipline and dedication
Marker says that what makes a successful recruiter "comes down to pretty basic stuff".
She says intelligence - both intellect and emotional intelligence - is "very, very important", but beyond that, drive, desire, determination, discipline and dedication are necessary.
"You've got to have the whole suite of those traits, because we're dealing with the human element and you never know what's going to happen.
"Honestly ask yourself, 'have I got those traits?', because if you don't have them all, don't enter into [recruitment]."
Be honest - don't over-promise
Marker's advice to recruiters is: "Be honest with your clients and your candidates. The only thing you should be guaranteeing both is that you'll do your utmost to assist them. Do not guarantee that you'll find them the right job; do not guarantee that 'of course I'll be able to find you the right person', because there's no one who can guarantee that.
"The only thing you can guarantee, and you should guarantee, is that you'll give it a hundred per cent. You will deliver service in the true meaning of the word. You do want to partner with that client or that candidate, and you do understand when someone comes to you asking to help their career; that's a privilege. Consider how they will feel if they don't get the call back, or if they don't get any feedback from you, or if they don't even get acknowledgment of the fact they've applied to you."
Cover all bases
Marker says one of the most challenging parts of being a recruiter is managing the industry's "intangible product".
"You're dealing with human emotions, which you can control and guide and lead to a certain degree, but people change their minds, often at the last minute and for the most unbelievable reasons. And that's the most frustrating thing about our job and the job that recruiters have.
"The only thing you can do (I call it the grunt work) - and this is also where the science of recruitment comes in - is to make sure that wherever you possibly can, you cover all bases, from a competency-based point of view, from a behavioural-based point of view, and then get in behind the scene and understand what is their emotional and family point of view as far as making the next move is concerned.
"There's little things, like, if an individual is transferring, and there are children involved, for example, you've got to ask about the children's hobbies and consider whether the new area will meet their needs, because if the family life isn't happy and stable, it will definitely affect your professional life. So you can try and drill down and get behind the scenes as much as you possibly can, but because of the human aspect, there might sometimes be things that you miss, or things that people withhold from you."
