Written by:
Christine Christodoulou
#RevociansReveal – The truth about a career in Recruitment
When you’re a graduate heading out into the world of full-time employment it can be over whelming. You’re going to be hit with a lot of career options and let’s face it… a lot of opinions. Some options will be a stop gap before you find your true passion and others will lead you into a long journey in a career where you’re able to pull up the ranks in an industry.
One of the options you’re bound to see pop up when you’re trawling the job sites is that of a trainee recruitment consultant.
What even is that? Why Recruitment?
Being totally honest with you, recruitment careers are not something people grow up dreaming about and it’s probably not one that they tell you about at Uni or school. But, that doesn’t mean it’s one to scroll on by.
Recruitment grows in popularity year on year for graduates the world over. The possibilities and rewards (without sounding cliché) are endless for those who are willing to jump in and work hard.
Our latest content series is designed to help new job seekers who are interested in recruitment careers navigate their job search and understand if a recruitment career is the right option for them. Revocians Reveal is all about dispelling myths in the industry, celebrating the achievements, and dishing out tips to the next generation of recruiters. Each instalment you’ll hear from a member of the Revoco team on their career so far, achievements, f**k ups and of course, their advice to anyone thinking about pursuing a career in this space.
So, with that being said, we’re delighted to share with you our first instalment where we hear from Lily! Lily only joined Revoco in November, but her recruitment career began quite a while before that. In her short time with us, Lily has continually pushed the boundaries and has been up there with the top performers month on month.
If you’re serious about learning more about a career in recruitment … here is a strong place to start.
Before we get down to the nitty gritty, here’s a bit about Lily…
Born in Bristol, Lily grew up in Portishead, a beautiful marine town just outside of Bristol. Being an only child, she developed a very close relationship with her Mum, a self-employed artist & interior designer and her Dad, a Senior Police Officer (now joint B&B owners!)
Deciding to carve her own career path though, rather than following in the footsteps of her parents, she found a love for social sciences during her GCSEs and A-levels and went on to pursue a Sociology Degree at the University of Exeter. During her time at University, Lily became heavily involved in the Sociology and Anthropology Society, eventually becoming the President in her final year which proved a tricky balancing act alongside a dissertation and final year exams. Clearly not that difficult for this bright spark as she graduating with a First-class degree. Yes a First!
After Lily realised she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do with her life and knew her love of singing and acting was unlikely to provide actual career prospects, she engaged with a recruitment agency to find a graduate-level role. She was recommended to give recruitment a go and 4 years later here she is. Senior Delivery Consultant.
When she’s not engaging with candidates, Lily loves to don an apron and whip up some tasty baked goods (cupcakes are a particular favourite!) She also found a new love for fitness a few years ago and regularly visits the gym before work practising her deadlifts and perfecting her squat game.
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So Lily, let’s get into it. What sparked your interest in a career in recruitment?
I wanted to work in an environment where I would be interacting with lots of different people on a day to day basis and where I could impact their lives! I also loved the career possibilities in recruitment – the progression available and the commission you can make through hard work!
What market do you specialise in?
I specialise in the retail space across tech transformation, mainly working with Business Analysts and Project/Programme Managers.
If you had to pin it down…What do you like most about your role and your market?
I love supporting candidates through their job search, from CV advice through to interview preparation and actually securing them an offer! The market I work in is particularly dynamic and revolves around transformative projects which is always exciting to be a part of.
What are the challenges you face?
Working in recruitment means working with people! People can change their minds, make their own decisions and it can be a difficult balancing act to ensure a smooth process for both candidates and clients – however, this is all part of the challenge of recruitment which keeps you on your toes!
Another challenge can be identifying candidates who have a niche skill set. Client’s often reach out to us when they are struggling to find talent for a particularly niche role and it is then down to us to find them a gem – this process can sometimes be timely and takes patience.
What’s been your biggest achievement?
In my role with Revoco so far, my biggest achievement has been winning Revocian of the month and also for winning the quarterly sales incentive (with the help of my wonderful counterpart Josh!) and taking home an electric scooter.
Other highlights in my career include…When I got a promotion at the same time as passing my first ever probation after 6 months in recruitment.
Winning two Director’s trips – one to Croatia and one to Japan! Fully paid for trips away for the best performers of the year.
Winning multiple lunch club trips (my fave thing).
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What’s been your proudest moment?
I don’t have one proudest moment but I’m proud that after 4.5 years of recruitment, I still enjoy my job every day!
What do you like about working at Revoco ?
Mainly the people and the culture! We have a great team here, everyone is so supportive and friendly and we have a good laugh! We are treated like adults and have a great culture in which we all work hard and genuinely care about how we treat our candidates and clients. It also helps having a swanky office with dogs on the loose, as well as the ability to work from home a couple of days a week.
What has been your biggest recruitment mistake?
Getting a candidate all the way through the process to offer stage and then realising they have a working status that can’t be supported by the client and having to disappoint both the client and candidate at the final stage. Not my finest moment…. What did I learn? Always double check a candidate’s right to work status early on in the process as part of a compliance check.
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If you could go back, what advice would you give to your trainee recruiter self?
I would say… don’t be afraid getting things wrong and failing. I always felt like I should know how to do everything right away and wouldn’t always ask questions when perhaps I should have in order to learn – instead, I just tried to figure it out myself which led to difficulties further down the line. If in doubt, just ask and appreciate the importance of messing up because it’s the only way to truly learn from your mistakes.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a career in recruitment?
Be prepared to work hard – recruitment isn’t an easy option and you require a strong work ethic to be successful. Ensure you have the resilience to bounce back from disappointment or challenging scenarios. But, if you believe you have the drive and the stability to take it on, then go for it! I wouldn’t change my career for the world – recruitment can be so much fun and very rewarding
2021 is shaping up to be a great year for us and we have exciting plans in the pipeline. We’re currently on the look out for trainees to join us and be a part of the journey. No experience is necessary, just a drive to succeed and be a part of what we have envisioned. If you’ve finished this blog and you’re sure recruitment is the right step for you. We’d love to hear from you!
Check out our job spec here for more details on what we’re looking for (click here).
