Trainee Recruitment Consultant

AT Talent - Rec2Rec; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-related commission

Private healthcare (incl. optical &amp

24 days’ annual leave + bank holidays

Trips abroad

Job summary

AT Talent - Rec2Rec in Manchester is seeking a Trainee Recruitment Consultant for its US Legal Search team. You will research the US legal market, identify high-calibre lawyers, and initiate direct outreach to discuss opportunities with top US law firms across international markets.

Previous recruitment experience is not required; graduates with strong academics and commercial ambition are encouraged. The role offers a hybrid Manchester office base, high-volume outreach, and clear progression

Qualifications

• Academic ability and strong educational background.
• Commercial ambition and interest in sales.
• Willingness to make high-volume outbound calls.
• Resilience and consistent motivation.
• Persistence in building relationships with senior professionals.
• Excellent communication and rapport-building.
• Curiosity about careers and the legal market.
• Coachability and eagerness to learn.
• Long-term ambition to develop specialist expertise.

Responsibilities

• Research the US legal market to identify high-calibre lawyers for opportunities with leading firms.
• Make proactive headhunting calls to engage candidates.
• Build relationships with lawyers across practice areas and understand their experience and ambitions.
• Qualify candidates and assess suitability for opportunities.
• Manage candidate relationships through interviews and offers.
• Work with experienced consultants to understand client requirements and identify talent.
• Maintain market intelligence and candidate information for future assignments.
• Develop specialist knowledge of the US legal market and factors influencing career decisions.
• Meet activity, performance and revenue targets with support from colleagues.

Skills

Academic ability

Commercial ambition

Phone confidence

Resilience

Persistence

Communication skills

Curiosity

Coachability

Long-term ambition

Education

Graduate

Job description

Trainee Recruitment Consultant – US Legal Search

Manchester | International Market | Clear Career Progression

The Opportunity

An established, award-winning recruitment consultancy is looking to hire a Trainee Recruitment Consultant to join its high-performing US Legal team in Manchester.

This is an opportunity to build a career in specialist recruitment, working with some of the most prestigious law firms in the world and identifying exceptional legal professionals for opportunities across the United States and other international markets.

Unlike many trainee recruitment roles, this position offers exposure to a high-value, international market from day one. The team has established relationships with leading US law firms, including signed agreements with all of the top 50 US Am Law firms, providing a strong platform for developing a successful recruitment career.

The role is particularly suited to an ambitious, academically strong individual who enjoys communicating with people, is comfortable picking up the phone and is motivated by the opportunity to earn well through performance.

Previous recruitment experience is not essential. The business has a proven track record of developing graduates and early-career professionals into successful billers, with some consultants achieving significant revenues within their first year.

About the Business

The business is a specialist recruitment consultancy operating across legal, financial services, real estate finance and commercial finance markets.

Established in 2015, it has developed a strong reputation for its specialist knowledge, international reach and relationship-led approach to recruitment.

Its legal division has a particularly strong focus on the US market, working with leading law firms to identify and attract exceptional legal talent. The team operates in a highly specialised, candidate-led environment where success comes from identifying hard-to-find professionals and building relationships with them over time.

The business combines the backing of an established consultancy with the opportunity for ambitious individuals to develop their own expertise, build a reputation within their market and progress into more senior positions.

The Role

The successful candidate will join the US Legal team, specialising in identifying and engaging lawyers for opportunities with leading law firms across the United States.

This is a headhunt-led role rather than a traditional, high-volume recruitment position. Much of the work involves researching the market, identifying individuals with the right expertise and approaching them directly to discuss relevant career opportunities.

The role requires persistence, curiosity and the ability to build relationships with highly qualified professionals who may not be actively looking for a move.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Researching the US legal market to identify high-calibre lawyers who could be suitable for opportunities with leading law firms.
• Making proactive headhunting calls to engage prospective candidates and introduce relevant career opportunities.
• Building relationships with lawyers across specialist practice areas and developing an understanding of their experience and ambitions.
• Qualifying candidates, understanding their motivations and assessing their suitability for specific opportunities.
• Managing candidate relationships throughout the recruitment process, from initial approach through interviews and offers.
• Working closely with experienced consultants to understand client requirements and identify the right talent.
• Maintaining accurate market intelligence and candidate information to support future assignments.
• Developing specialist knowledge of the US legal market and the factors that influence lawyers’ career decisions.
• Working towards activity, performance and revenue targets, with support and coaching from experienced colleagues.

The role involves a high level of telephone-based activity. Consultants are expected to make approximately 100 headhunting calls per day, so confidence, consistency and resilience are essential.

The Market & Earning Potential

The US Legal team operates in a high-value recruitment market where individual placements can generate substantial fees.

• International exposure: Work with leading law firms across the United States and other international markets.
• Established client relationships: The business has agreements in place with all of the top 50 US Am Law firms.
• High-value assignments: Average placement fees are approximately £70,000, with some significantly larger transactions.
• Significant upside: The largest fee recorded by the team this year was £212,000.
• Proven development: Consultants with less than a year’s recruitment experience have already demonstrated the ability to generate substantial annual billings.
• Specialist expertise: Develop knowledge of a defined market rather than working across a broad range of unrelated vacancies.

The market is highly rewarding, but it requires patience. Recruitment processes can take six to eight weeks from the initial candidate approach to an offer, so success depends on consistent activity and the ability to stay motivated while longer-term opportunities develop.

The Ideal Candidate

The business is open to graduates and candidates at the beginning of their careers. Previous recruitment experience is not essential; attitude, ability and motivation are the primary considerations.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Academic ability: A strong educational background and the ability to absorb complex information quickly.
• Commercial ambition: A genuine interest in sales, business and the opportunity to earn based on performance.
• Confidence on the phone: The willingness to make a high volume of outbound calls and engage confidently with professionals.
• Resilience: The ability to handle rejection, remain consistent and maintain motivation when results are not immediate.
• Persistence: An understanding that building relationships with senior professionals takes time and repeated contact.
• Communication skills: The ability to build rapport and communicate professionally without coming across as overly pushy or scripted.
• Curiosity: An interest in understanding people’s careers, motivations and the legal market.
• Coachability: The willingness to learn from experienced consultants, accept feedback and continually improve.
• Long-term ambition: A desire to develop specialist expertise, build a successful career and progress within a growing business.

An interest in law, finance or the professional services sector would be beneficial, although a relevant degree or previous industry experience is not essential.

The business is particularly interested in individuals who are comfortable with a role where activity and consistency are important, but where the financial rewards can be significant over time.

Training, Development & Progression

The successful candidate will receive training and support from experienced recruitment professionals, learning how to research a specialist market, engage candidates and manage the recruitment process.

There is a structured career progression framework, with opportunities to progress from trainee through to consultant, senior consultant and more senior leadership positions.

Progression is linked to performance, development and the ability to take on greater responsibility. For individuals who demonstrate strong commercial ability and leadership potential, there is scope to build a long‑term career within the business.

The business offers a competitive package designed to reward performance and support long‑term development, including:

• Performance‑related commission, with the wider business advertising commission of up to 40%, subject to the applicable scheme and eligibility.
• Clear career progression and structured development plans.
• Comprehensive private healthcare, including optical and dental cover.
• 24 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, with the opportunity to earn additional annual leave through performance.
• Regular incentives, team events and opportunities to earn trips abroad.
• A supportive, sociable office environment with facilities including a bar, pool table and breakout areas.
• Access to specialist recruitment technology, AI‑enabled tools and automation.
• Potential eligibility for an employee share scheme for exceptional long‑term contributors.

The role is based in Manchester, within an established city‑centre office shared with colleagues from across the wider group.

The team operates a hybrid working arrangement, with four days in the office and one day working from home each week. Wednesday is the usual home‑working day, although reasonable flexibility is available.

Core working hours are approximately 9:30am–6:30pm, with an earlier finish on Fridays. The working day is structured around the US market, allowing consultants to engage with candidates and clients during the relevant time zones.

The culture is performance‑driven but supportive, with an emphasis on developing people, working collaboratively and rewarding those who contribute to the success of the business.

The Bottom Line

This is an opportunity for an ambitious graduate or early‑career professional to enter a specialist recruitment market with significant earning potential.

The successful candidate will receive the training, technology and support needed to develop their skills, while working with prestigious international clients and building expertise in a valuable niche.

For someone who is commercially minded, resilient and comfortable speaking to people, it offers a clear route into a rewarding career where performance can translate into substantial financial rewards and long‑term progression.