Is It Realistic to Expect a New Recruitment Consultancy to Double Revenue Monthly?

Hi, please shed light on the recruitment revenue issue.

One of my friends is working in a recruitment consultancy. It is a new setup and only has two employees as recruiters. He has been given a target of Rs. 4 lac in one month. This means that with the help of one recruiter who is just a fresher and not trained, he has to generate revenue of Rs. 4 lac and also has to engage in business development for that recruitment consultancy. Additionally, every month they will have to double it.

Is it possible? Is this kind of target and workload achievable?

In my opinion, it is not possible. Please provide suggestions that I could pass on to him.

Thanks & Regards,
Vandana Sharma

Hi Vandana,

I think it all depends on the profile of your friend who is being given this work because unless someone is experienced and has handled recruitments, the consultancy won't be giving them such targets. It's not difficult for a person to do so if they have a sound database and profiles of candidates.

Regards,
Sadhana

Hi, It's simply impossible, Vandana. Even today, well-trained recruiters are not able to achieve a Rs. 2 Lakh target with business development; expecting the same from freshers is nothing but rubbish. I have my own management consultancy, and the above statement is based on my personal experience. Deepak is also right.

Sneha Jassuja

Really, his boss might be from Sales and Marketing (Insurance) because these guys talk unethically and impractical concepts (DCRs, Funnel Reports), and many more. HR has nothing to do with this. Mostly, insurance guys open consultancy firms with these notions.

It's absolutely unfair but once in blue moon if any recruiter achieves such unrealistic target that does not mean you set up such target forever. Normally in consultancy firm the target is vary from 4 to 10 times of the salary being paid to recruiter. I strongly advise your friend to change job with another professionally managed recruitment firm. Many of the recruitment firm strait away gives 20%-30% of the revenue. If your friend is capable of achieving 4 lac per month probably he would earn anything between 80K to 120k per month. Any way this is my personal opinion which others may differ it.
Thanks & Regards,
DN

Hi to all,

Thanks to Sadhna, Deepak, Sneha, Fiza, Ravanur, Devnandha, and Senthil for giving your suggestions and sharing your experiences. I will suggest my friend to either look for another job. Before joining any firm, one must be aware of such things. Alternatively, he can discuss achievable targets with his boss.

Thanks once again.

Vandana Sharma

Vandana,

I think that your friend doesn't realize the target they are going to be given. They must think it over and consider leaving the job immediately, as achieving a target of 4 lakh rupees in a month at a fresher level is a very difficult task.

Anurag Sharma

I agree with Deepak; your friend should be familiar with the company and the job profile before starting the job. It is indeed his mistake for accepting such a position.

Wishes,
Suhashini
HR Manager

Hi Vandana,

Please check if your friend was asked to handle positions like CEO, GM, and other senior-most profiles. Why? Because such targets suit only the firm that caters to these profiles. A salary of 4 lakh is possible in firms specializing in executive search. However, as a fresher, I do not agree with a target of 4 lakhs. Please ask him to quit that greedy firm.

Regards,

Hi,

The target given is impossible to achieve. It is better to look for another job or make the employer understand the whole issue.

Regards,
Nandini

Hi Vandana,

I would say the target is quite tough but possible. According to me, if the person follows the below-mentioned points, he might be able to achieve his targets of 4 lakhs.

For Executive Level Hiring:
1) Try to get clients who hire in bulk every month for executive level 40+ and offer a minimum of 1.2 lakhs per annum.
2) Charge 8.33% of the annual C.T.C. to the client for every candidate.
3) For 4 lakhs, give the target to the subordinate of 2 selections per day, which is quite possible.

For Middle and Senior Level:
1) Try to know from various sources like job portals which clients are hiring for Middle and Senior Level and try to tie up with them.
2) Charge 10.2% of the annual C.T.C. for EVERY CANDIDATE.
3) For 4 lakhs, try to close 2 positions in a week, which is again possible.

This way, you might achieve or exceed your target of 4 lakhs. Similarly, for the next month, prepare a strategy and try to get clients with high requirements.

Pranay

Michael,

Excuse me for a second here. Vandana mentioned that her friend is working in a newly started firm. I don't think without proving themselves on junior to middle management levels, they would be able to attain high-end profiles like CEO or GM. Typically, such high positions are usually reserved for consultancies with proven experience in the same.

Additionally, I believe Vandana's friend is a fresher in consultancy. Freshers may not be equipped to handle such senior profiles. Her friend might consider leaving the job, as I have encountered and interviewed many individuals who have struggled to meet targets, even after years of recruitment experience, of 2-3 lakhs per month. It seems her friend is feeling pressured by the employer, and nothing else.

Please correct me if I am mistaken anywhere.

Regards,
Sneha Jassuja

Hello Sneha, I don't think one has to leave the job. If one can reach a 1 lakh target, that's good, and management won't ask anyone to leave the job as even they know that it's very difficult to reach a 4 lakh target. Let him/her face the challenge and gain some knowledge in recruitment as it will help any person to handle pressure, market intelligence, become aggressive, increase network, etc.

Mates, your views please.

Cheers,
Shashi.N

Hi Everybody,

Good Day,

I have read the comments of citehr members. The target which has been given to the fresher to achieve can be easily filled or cannot be filled. If this recruitment agency is having foreign clients, then the target can be achieved very easily; if not, it's a bit hard.

Cheers, Mohsin

Hey, it's absolutely unfair. I'm also working in a consultancy, but they give limited targets that are at least possible to achieve. Tell your friend to search for another job ASAP.

Hi!

It is one thing to set a target, another thing to achieve it. Encourage your friend to ask his management to provide details of past activities and the achievements of the firm. If they are new, he can suggest feasible ways and means to accomplish tasks.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day; everything takes time. While aggression can be beneficial, being too hasty with too little at hand is a reason why 8 out of 10 startups fail early.

No issues. These are valuable learning lessons for a fresher. Encourage your dear friend to speak with the boss, seek advice, give their best effort, and explore other job opportunities.

Good luck!

Regards,
Biswadeep

Hello friends, I am new to this community. However, as I am working on my project in a consultancy, I think this target is too high for a person. It also depends on the local market and the type of mandates they receive - whether it's high profile or entry level. If he is really good as a BD person, maybe he can achieve it, but I still think that it's too high. In my organization, one person was able to reach a target of 2.2l. That's from my side.

Regards.

Hi,

To my knowledge and experience, achieving the targets also depends on various external factors such as the current scenario of the particular industry, the lead time for completing the process, the position, and the rate system (Flat rate or fixed). I hope that without a trained recruiter, the target you have mentioned would not be possible.

Hi Vandana,

It purely depends on the kind of clients they are handling, but 4 lakh is not possible for a fresher. I had worked in a similar situation, but the difference is my targets were not so high, but they were quite achievable. If they are handling fortune clients and are achieving the same targets or more than that, as your friend is given... in that case, 4 lakh is not possible for a fresher. Your friend should leave that job immediately and search for other consulting firms.

"Every month they will double the revenue targets" is completely foolishness. Nobody can achieve those targets unless they have a strong relationship with the clients or hiring managers. Revenue targets are increased either on a half-yearly basis or yearly basis.

Thanks,
Varun

I am very confused about the job. I am not sure whether I should pursue a sales or marketing role instead of HR.

Reply:

Please inform your management to change the target.

Please shed light on the recruitment revenue issue. One of my friends is working in a recruitment consultancy. It is a new setup and has only two employees as recruiters. He has been given a target of Rs. 4 lac in one month. This means, with the help of one recruiter who is just a fresher and not trained, he has to generate revenue of Rs. 4 lac and also engage in Business Development for that Recruitment Consultancy. Additionally, every month they will have to double it. Is it possible? Is the kind of target and workload given to him achievable?

In my opinion, it is not possible. Please provide suggestions that I can pass on to him.

Thanks & Regards,
Vandana Sharma

No, it's not possible. Your friend should search for some other realistic company. If he is able to achieve the target, then also, because then he would be an extraordinary person. I will only like to recruit him in such a case.

Vandana, I appreciate your concern for your friend. I suggest something from my prior experience. It is virtually impossible for a company that works with only two recruiters to speak loudly about their existence in the scenario. The management should never give unachievable targets to their employees as it demoralizes them. Worst of all, the next time a target is given to the same employee, he already knows that he is not going to succeed, and he loses the battle before it even starts. Henceforth, it's a bad remark on the management. They need to think about work-life balance. In spite of this fact, I think your friend could be in a similar industry in which the requirement is posted, and he could bank on his contacts. A decent chain can be built to execute the requirement. For instance, in the construction industry, two project directors or more would generate that consulting fee. Hope I've answered the question.

Hi, it depends on the geography, terms they are working on, etc. If the location where he is sitting is a metro and his terms are 12.5/16.67%, somewhat it can be doable. Also, he must have at least 10 clients in his hand; otherwise, it is an unrealistic target that nobody can achieve.

Regards,
Senthil Kumar G

Really, it's correct. It's impossible to achieve such a huge target; one workload will be increased, not the performance can be done.

Targets in a recruitment company should be set based on the salary paid and the tenure. For example, the target could be 5 or 6 times the salary that the employer is paying, or starting with a small target like 75k in the first month and gradually increasing it to 1.5 lac or 2 lacs by the end of the 3rd month. Three months are usually considered the learning curve. After a few more months, depending on the performance, the target has to be increased.

If your friend has the potential and believes he can achieve the target of 4 lacs, then it's good for him; otherwise, he has to voice it out to his employer and explain why he can't achieve the target.

Dear Vandana,

I would like to say that the present scenario of recruitment is very typical. If somebody (an experienced recruiter) is achieving even 5-10 times his salary, it is a good sign. For freshers, there should be no target for at least 3 months.

Regards,
AJAY

Vandana,

As far as I am concerned, his boss will not accept and give up his statement. We have shown with concrete examples and statements that it is not possible. It is better to ask that boss to guide him/her.

Regards,
Samadh

Hi Vandana,

Frankly speaking, achieving a target of INR 4 lakh per month is very much a possibility if there is a good client list readily available to hire candidates and the minimum placement per month is at least 8-10. But even for these 8-10 placements, you would require to generate around 20 offers (assuming 50% dropouts). If these conditions are met, then achieving a target of INR 4 lakh per month is as simple as eating a piece of chocolate cake.

I would suggest telling your friend to explain this concept to his/her boss and then discuss targets. When I saw replies from a few others, it seems that many recruiters would agree to the point of bosses setting unachievable targets.

Regards,
Rushbh

Hi friend,

I agree with you. My suggestion is to ask your friend to search for another job. Why did he join such a rubbish firm? I really hate such employers, and I think the person who recruited your friend might be from a marketing background and moved into HR. :-P:icon6:

Hi,

I guess this is not a tough task. But it depends on many things:
1. Your friend is working in which city.
2. What kind of clients and positions this consultancy handles.

Also, how much is your friend getting paid as a salary? Because I think if your friend has a target of 2 lakhs monthly, then they should get a minimum of 25-30K + Incentives per month.

It is impossible to do this. Recruitment and Business Development are two different directions. Business Development work can only be done by experienced people. Nowadays, client handling is not a joke. It is so hard.

Vandana,

It seems to be a little tough because achieving the target of 4 L is only possible if the firm is exclusively dealing with the recruitment of top management, i.e., GM and above level, whose monthly package starts from 1.5 L per month and around or so.

Our organization is paying a handsome amount every month for the recruitment of such top-level employees, even appointing expatriates from abroad (UK, US, Thailand), that too from an Indian consultancy firm having only 2-4 employees. So it is possible.

Think positive.

Vijay Srivastava

Hi Vandana,

It's impossible to achieve a target of 4L in a month, especially for a fresher. He needs some time to understand technologies, levels of experience, and many other things. I suggest telling your friend to discuss this with his seniors. I believe they will be able to understand the situation. If not, then perhaps it's time to start looking for a new job.

Regards,
Shubhangi

Dear Vandana,

In the recruitment industry, there is a learning curve of the first three months under proper guidance and in the right spirit and direction. By giving a target in the first month for a fresher, it increases the chances of stress and nervousness, hence diminishing performance. But at the same time, the employee should take a sense of ownership by engaging himself in getting more results. In the end, the employer is interested in the end result. I feel that he should talk to the boss and explain the situation he is in. If the boss sticks to his decision by giving a 4Lacs target, then he should start looking around for a job instead of having a more stressful life.

Best Wishes,
Rajesh Gonsalves
"LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR THE WRONG JOB."

Hi Vandana,

My personal experience says that you can do a job only if you are dedicated and motivated enough from inside to do it. I worked with a recruitment consultancy hiring mainly for telecom domain clients and was single-handedly taking care of multiple clients of some big corporations across India. The targets provided by these small consulting firms appear unachievable, especially if the staff strength is too low. I would advise your friend to go for a consulting organization that has a large employee base (approximately more than 20 employees), so that the workload gets equally distributed among the consultants and not a single person suffers due to seemingly impossible targets.

Thank you.

Hi,

First of all, I would like to tell you that I am already running a consultancy, and my employees are generating business of $13k to $15k on a daily basis. I have six employees, and they work for 27 days in a month. My consultancy deals with core corporate recruitments in sectors such as retail, broking, insurance, hospitality, aviation, and many more. The success of the consultancy depends on the type of work it is handling. For instance, if the consultancy is engaged in securing contracts with companies and is hiring three branch managers at a package of $70,000 per annum each, the consultant can raise an invoice and easily earn a handsome amount of $280,000 by recruiting these three branch managers at once. I hope this sheds some light and changes the perceptions people have about consultancies.

Regards,
HR Head

Hi, my friend also had a situation like this. She was offered an IT recruiter job with a one-year bond of 3k for the first 3 months, then 6k. The incentive offered was 500-2000 per candidate. When she asked for a percentage basis, they set a target of 2 lakhs for three months, upon which no incentives were provided, and then 15% over 2 lakhs.

Is this a good offer?

I personally feel that the boss may have set the target knowing that it is difficult, and if the employee tries to achieve it, he will be somewhere close. The point is, how many people actually try? If the firm is handling senior positions or mid-level positions at 8.33%, a mere six to seven positions with an average monthly salary of 70K+ is all that is needed. I do not think that for a sincere employee who really wants to be a good recruiter, that is asking too much. Yes, as a fresher, initially, there will be some difficulty in achieving all of 4,00,000, but over time, i.e., by 6 months, he/she will be able to. HR has to think from a business perspective and not like a tele-calling team or hire-and-fire team.