SIR · First desks

Your first desk in recruitment.

Career-changer, grad, or crossing over from sales or hospitality? We match you to agencies that actually hire and train rookies well, and we're honest about the ones that chew people up and spit them out.

See entry-level roles → Get in touch
3×
NSW Rec2Rec AOY · 22/23/24
10 yrs
placing recruiters
4.98★
82 verified reviews
ANZ
generalist coverage
Who Start In Recruitment is for

You don't need a recruitment CV. You need the right first desk.

Most people fall into recruitment by accident and into the wrong agency by bad luck. We make the first move deliberate.

Career changer

From sales, hospitality, real estate, retail or anywhere targets and people meet. The skills transfer further than you think.

Graduate

Finished a degree and want a fast, commercial, uncapped-earning start. Recruitment rewards effort early.

Sales crossover

Already closing? You're most of the way there. We point you at desks that pay for the skill you already have.

Returning to work

Coming back after a break or a move? Agencies that train properly care about drive, not gaps.

How it works

Four steps from "thinking about it" to billing.

1

Honest first call

Fifteen minutes. We tell you whether recruitment actually suits you, and whether now is the right time. No hard sell.

2

The shortlist

We match you to two or three agencies that genuinely hire and train rookies well, and we name the ones that burn first-desk recruiters out.

3

Prep & introduce

We brief you on each business, prep you for interview, and introduce you warm. You walk in knowing the desk, the comp and the culture.

4

Land & check in

We stay in touch through your first 90 days. The placement isn't done when you sign, it's done when you're billing and happy.

The honest version

What we'll actually tell you.

Rec-to-rec usually means a CV blast and a placement fee. For first desks that's how people end up somewhere that quietly ruins recruitment for them. We'd rather you start once, properly.

Get the honest read →
  • Which agencies actually train, and which throw you a phone and a target
  • What a real first-desk base + commission looks like in your city
  • Whether a 360, resourcing or account-managed desk fits how you work
  • The sectors that hire rookies fastest right now
  • Red flags in a job ad, and what 'uncapped commission' usually means
  • How long it really takes to bill, and what a good month one looks like
FAQ · Breaking into recruitment

Questions before your first desk.

Do I need experience to get a first recruitment desk?
No. Start In Recruitment is built for people with zero recruitment experience, career-changers, graduates and people crossing over from sales or hospitality. What agencies hire for is drive, resilience and the ability to hold a conversation, not a recruitment CV.
Is recruitment a good career to get into?
It can be one of the fastest-earning, most commercial careers you can start without a specific degree, but only at an agency that trains you. The wrong first desk burns people out in months. Our whole job is matching you to one of the agencies that does it properly.
What does a first recruitment desk pay in Australia?
Entry-level base salaries plus commission vary by city and sector. We give you a real, current range for your situation on the first call rather than a number off a job ad, and we tell you which comp plans actually pay out.
How much does Start In Recruitment cost me?
Nothing. Like all rec-to-rec, we are paid by the hiring agency when you start. Our advice to you, including telling you which agencies to avoid, is free.
I came from sales or hospitality. Will that count?
Strongly. Targets, objection handling, managing people under pressure and resilience all transfer directly. Many of the best billers we've placed started behind a bar or in a showroom.
The next step

One call. We'll tell you if recruitment is for you.

No hard sell, no CV roulette. If now isn't the right time, we'll say so.

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