Diary of a Recruitment Consultant
Diary of Mark Watson, Recruitment Consultant
It's another busy Thursday in our Gatwick office. We have some fantastic travel roles on at the moment and we are all busy reading through the CVs of candidates who have registered or applied online the previous evening.
The first call I make is to a candidate who has worked in retail travel and is looking for a new sales role. I arrange to meet her at 11am and we spend time talking through her CV and discussing what she is keen to move into. I have the perfect role for her and nip out of the meeting room to call the company in question. After a few minutes talking with my client I manage to secure an interview for her for that afternoon! I go through the job details with her thoroughly and pass on C&M's interview hints and tips. It's then a quick dash home for her to grab some lunch and get changed. Her interview is scheduled for 4pm, so I won't get feedback until tomorrow.
The rest of the day is spent speaking with new candidates and catching up with clients to discuss vacancies I'm working on. I love speaking to new people and it’s the variety in this job that means every day is different. Another day has shot by and after a quick team de-brief, it's off to the gym for a run. I think back to my candidate on her interview and look forward to finding out how she got on tomorrow. It's always a nervous wait, but I'm confident she will do very well...fingers crossed....
I arrive at the office early today, as I am keen to find out how my candidate Sarah got on at her interview yesterday. I make a round of coffees for the team and fire up my e-mails. Great news - my client has sent a message to say that the interview went really well and they would like to make an offer. I call them straight away to confirm the details and they say how impressed they were with Sarah and how she will fit in perfectly. Just as I put the phone down, I get a call from the Sarah to say that she loved the company and the role sounds right up her street. I give her the news that they would like to make her an offer and she is delighted! She starts in one month, so I make a diary note to call her nearer the time and wish her luck.
It must have been a busy night on the job boards last night as I have a lot of e-mails and applications to read through. We have a mid-morning team meeting to discuss candidates who have recently registered and then call round to a few travel companies to try and secure some interviews.
After a quick sandwich, I head off to meet a client who is holding a candidate assessment centre at their head office. I have a candidate attending at 2pm and I bump into him in the corridor looking very nervous! I wish him luck before going into a meeting to hear about some new vacancies my client is looking to fill. I take lots of notes and begin thinking of candidates who I know will be suitable. The roles are urgent, so it's back to the office to start searching. Just as I arrive, I take a call from a candidate who's Sat Nav has taken her the wrong way and she is running late for an interview. I re-assure her that she is only minutes away and guide her in - who needs technology when you have a good old-fashioned road map!
The afternoon comes to an end and it's off for a quick Friday night drink with the team. I look forward to having a relaxing weekend before the fun starts again on Monday.
