My Road to Recruitment

After 4 years of considering a move to the recruitment sector, I am now a month into my new role as a recruitment consultant. Prior to this I spent 12 years working in the education and training sector in several roles, I have now taken the leap and have embarked on a career in the fast-paced environment of recruitment.

I am in my 30s, married, have two small children, a dog, and a mortgage. Having already invested over 15 years into my career I always felt that it would be something I would be doing until I retired, how wrong I was! Don’t get me wrong, I have loved working in education, teaching and being able to make a positive impact in the lives of young people, it was what I wanted to do. However, the sector was and, in my eyes, has changed, which resulted in my own personal change in motivation. I always knew that you never went into teaching or education for the financial rewards, but I started to realise the difficulties I and others faced when looking to progress within the profession. Over the years I had reached out to friends to explore alternative career possibilities, but I guess I also thought ‘was the grass going to be greener?’

When a job in recruitment was on the table a few years ago, I deliberated changing careers and starting again but I followed my head I stuck with what I knew, starting a job with a new employer and hoping for new opportunities. I firmly believe that at the time the decision was right, and I have no regrets, being able to work with very experienced professionals and having the opportunity to develop my skills, knowledge and understanding, but I was plateauing, and something was missing.

The turning point came when the organisation I was working for unfortunately had to go through a restructure. I was initially disappointed, anxious, and even though that there was a job available, I soon realised that this may be the opportunity that I had been waiting for, to challenge myself and move on. Obviously, I searched for jobs in the same sector and in similar roles, but the opportunities were limited with an enormous number of professionals in the talent pool . After a couple of weeks of completing application forms, cover letters and updating CVs, my enthusiasm was dwindling, and I really started to reconsider where I was heading. Again, in my 30s I reached out to a few friends to see what was out there.

Out of the blue I received a LinkedIn message from a Recruitment professional by the name of Jacqui Wall. The message intrigued me from the get-go. After a very insightful MS Teams meeting and an opportunity to meet face to face with Jacqui and Managing Director Paul Brammer, I started to feel that this was a career that I wanted to embark on. I went away from the meeting excited, optimistic, and continuing to research ‘a day in the life of a recruitment consultant’ and try and answer any queries that I may have had. I spoke with family, friends, and colleagues and I soon made the decision that this was for me.

So… here I am 4 weeks into my new career as a recruitment consultant and what a 4 weeks it has been. I have been inducted into the fast-paced world of recruitment and its processes, been able to place candidates at interview and helped secure a new role for a HR professional already. I can see why the job can become so addictive. I have been made to feel so welcome by Jacqui and her team, who all bring personality and professionalism to the role and to the office. I have been lucky to be able to work closely with each of the team in a short space of time and be able to use their expertise to settle into the role. There is such a great team ethos here at Ashley Kate and there is a great ‘buzz’ in the office, making it enjoyable to come to work.

Changing career at any age can be daunting. There is no doubt that it can make you nervous, anxious, or even scared. However, if you speak to the right people, those closest to you, take time in making decisions and really consider what you want to do, there will be a very good chance that you will never look back.
If you’re a passionate, hardworking, and ambitious individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, a career in recruitment should be considered.

 

Darren is a HR Recruitment Consultant here at Ashley Kate HR & Finance who provides effective recruitment solutions for HR & Finance roles from Admin to Board level. If you’re looking for your next opportunity in HR, please do not hesitate to connect with Darren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-keeling-4865a3190/