I am often asked, “how did you end up in recruitment”. Ironically, it is not something that I ever seriously contemplated during my working career, nor is it something that I aspired to do whilst in the midst of my studies. The simple answer is that the timing was right to give something new a go!

I entered the workforce in the mid 80’s as an Apprentice Fitter & Turner, and every role between here and there was a calculated process of consistent growth and self-development, with the ultimate aim of one day being at the helm of a manufacturing facility. Once in this position, it became very apparent that the next logical moves were going to be left or right as I found myself standing at the top of the ladder. I then received a serendipitous phone call asking if recruitment was something that I would perhaps consider.

It occurred to me that dealing with recruiters was always a frustrating experience; both as a client and as a candidate. My overall opinion was that I had unqualified people making a judgement call on me as a candidate or on the staff that I sought as a client, and ultimately not delivering on their promises. I saw this as an opportunity to enter the recruitment industry and to right their wrongs. I have close to 35 years of manufacturing knowledge and experience, and the timing was perfect to give something back to clients and candidates.

It is now a couple of years on, and I can honestly put my hand up and suggest that I love recruiting. Placing a candidate into a new role, or helping a client fill a position that they have otherwise struggled to do on their own has been an extremely satisfying experience. And while A.I. is the big talking point, I still prefer doing things the old fashioned way. I have been quoted as saying “there is as much information to be gained from the silence between sentences as there is in the words which are spoken”. I am not sure that A.I. will ever tick either of those boxes!

Ultimately, nobody ever plans to work in recruitment. You either fall into it by accident, or you find yourself in it by coincidence. Like any other job, it has its up’s and down’s, however, the positives far outweigh the negatives. What I would like to suggest is that in order to do well by your client and your candidate, you should ideally have industry knowledge, experience and expertise. This industry expertise is what will differentiate you from other recruiters!

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