I had an email from John Cunningham (the REC’s Head of Qualifications) just before Christmas talking about how, following a major review of its qualifications’ portfolio, the REC is seeking Chief Examiners.
I thought this sounded like quite an interesting job so I’ve just had a chat with one of their existing Chief Examiners about his role. Tony Taylor is the Chief Examiner for the REC’s current entry level qualification, the Certificate in Recruitment Practice. He is very enthusiastic about the work that he does with the REC and the benefits being a Chief Examiner brings to his business.
The actual work involved is centered around the four examinations per year. A Chief examiner is responsible for a specific unit (or units) of the qualification and has to produce the syllabus for each. They then have to ensure that the training materials match what’s covered in the syllabus. The role involves writing the exam papers for your unit (this is probably the most time consuming bit according to Tony) and then later down the line actually marking the exam papers.
Once you’ve entered any industry it’s so easy to become static and to fall behind the times. By being involved in a role like this you have to keep up to date with legislative changes and modern practices and technologies. This has got to benefit your own business and staff.
So the key points… you are going to need a good grounding in recruitment and have the ability to impart your knowledge and experience to other people (you don’t actually need to be a trainer to apply for the role). You’ll also need to be able to find some “free” time to get involved in the exam process and be able to make it to the REC’s offices 4x a year; this may be easier if you are the MD of your own recruitment business – but isn’t going to be impossible for someone working for a larger business where you aren’t the boss.
If this appeals then check out the rest of the information on the REC site. You only have until the 19th Jan to apply!
