What does being a freelance recruitment consultant involve?
A freelance recruitment consultant has no boss and is subject to no exclusivity rules, unless their contract explicitly states otherwise. They specialise in recruitment, their aim being to find the best candidates to meet their clients’ recruitment needs.
A freelance recruiter must also be able to identify, explain and justify the reasons why the candidate selected is right for the position to be filled. To be a recruitment consultant, then, you need to have the sales skills to build up a portfolio of clients. You also need in-depth knowledge of the world of human resources (from management to employment law).
Lastly, a good freelance recruiter needs to be at ease with psychology, in order to attract and convince potential candidates.
What tasks does a freelance recruitment consultant do?
The tasks of a freelance recruitment consultant fall into three categories:
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Sales tasks: selling themselves to clients and knowing how to present a company to potential candidates. A freelance headhunter must first analyse the needs of the position to be filled and, if necessary, draft the job description or ad, which must be sufficiently appealing to convince candidates and shared via the appropriate channels.
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Recruitment tasks: the freelance recruitment consultant must first source candidates.
They must then sort the applications and select the most suitable applicants for a preliminary phone interview. The best qualified candidates will then be met in person at the recruitment agency’s offices or via a video conferencing tool. The freelance recruitment consultant may require the candidates they refer to complete a psychometric test, the results of which will then be presented to the client as an additional, more objective analysis. -
Support tasks: a freelance recruitment consultant provides end-to-end support to their clients to keep serving their needs. They may also support candidates during onboarding and throughout their career, as they move from one job to another.
What training do I need to become a freelance recruitment consultant?
In France, there is no state-accredited diploma containing the title “recruitment consultant”, and no specific academic course in recruitment consultancy. At least three years of higher education studying management, psychology or human resources at a university or business school are the best way of preparing for a career as a freelance recruitment consultant.
However, some private organisations do offer specialised training courses in recruitment consultancy, which do not award a degree or diploma but can sometimes result in certification.
What professional experience do I need to become a freelance recruitment consultant?
Some professional experience in recruitment is vital before embarking upon a career as a recruitment consultant. Before considering becoming a freelance recruitment consultant and creating your own recruitment agency, it is highly advisable to have worked as a junior recruiter or a recruitment manager in a company.
What legal status should I choose to register with as a freelance recruitment consultant?
Though going freelance means having no employer, all freelance recruiters must have a recognised legal status in order to be able to bill for their services as a business. In France, freelancers can choose from multiple possible legal statuses for their recruitment agency:
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The micro-enterprise option: as a micro-entrepreneur, the freelance recruitment consultant will create a sole proprietorship (entreprise individuelle) and will be subject to the corresponding rules. The formalities for creating and managing a single-person recruitment agency with micro-enterprise status are particularly flexible. The main condition is that the annual revenue of the micro-entrepreneur must not exceed €70,000.
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The single-member company option (société unipersonnelle): this option is open to any recruitment consultant who would like to work alone, without a partner, but who is not eligible for the micro-entrepreneur option because they earn more than €70,000 a year. They have the choice between a limited-liability single-member company (EURL - Entreprise Unipersonnelle à Responsabilité Limitée) and a simplified joint-stock company with a sole shareholder (SASU - Société par Actions Simplifiée Unipersonnelle)
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The option of creating a multiple-person company may be appropriate if the ultimate ambition is to create a recruitment agency with several partners, particularly by bringing together several recruiters who previously operated as freelancers. The partners can choose between a partnership (société de personnes) – an increasingly uncommon option – or a simplified joint-stock company (société par actions simplifiée – SAS), which is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative to limited-liability company (SARL) status, because it is more advantageous tax-wise.
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The option of portage salarial – working for an umbrella company as a freelance recruitment consultant – should not be forgotten. It enables a freelance recruiter to benefit from the assistance of an organised legal entity that takes care of all their administrative tasks and enables them to concentrate on their core business: sourcing, assessing and supporting candidates.
Using Hunteed for your freelance recruitment business
Want to start a business as a freelance recruitment consultant? Hunteed provides a real springboard, bringing you new business immediately without the need for any sales canvassing on your part. It enables any recruiter to work as a freelance recruitment consultant without having to worry about going out and looking for clients themselves.
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