Are you curious about a Recruitment Consultant's typical day?
Today we talk to Laura West. Laura works as a Recruitment Consultant as part of our Delivery team and has recently earned herself a promotion to a Sales Consultant! Here, Laura will take you on a journey through her daily routine, the highs, the challenges, and what a typical week looks like at TRIA recruitment.
If you have ever considered a career in recruitment, or you are curious about how our team talk about their TRIA experience; here is your chance to learn more about the recruitment industry, as well as the “TRIA way” of doing things...
Meet Laura...
- Describe your job in 5 words or less:
Placing-talent-into-various-clients
- What led you to working at TRIA?
I came back from a conservation project wanting to start a career where I could learn more about real world businesses, industries and how they operate. I wanted to gain this experience in a young culture where I could develop and progress. TRIA felt like a welcoming, social, and fun environment to be in whilst gaining this knowledge. Even with opportunities at other companies, I had a strong gut feeling that TRIA was the right fit for me - and I’m very glad I followed my gut!
- What does your working week look like?
In terms of working environment, I’m in the office most days a week. It’s flexible with whether you’d like to work in the office or from home but generally, I’m more productive in the office where I can bounce ideas off my colleagues and can help my contacts be put forward for other TRIA roles.
In terms of the work and what I’m focusing on, it does vary week to week. If you’re working a contract role it can be fast paced as the contract market moves so quickly. But, if you’re working a permanent role, you tend to take more time getting to know your candidates. As a recruitment consultant, I’m trying to work on expanding my desk to gain more clients and contacts in my own network, so this kind of work is always ongoing in the background as well.
- What’s your favourite and most challenging parts of being a recruitment consultant?
Favourite part of my job would be when after developing a relationship with a candidate, they see your value and introduce you to recruit into their current employer. That kind of trust and faith in you to do well in their current company, really builds confidence in yourself and is the dream scenario for working with a candidate who currently works in the industry you’re interested in (for me this is sustainability/conservation/ renewable energy). I can’t deny it is also very rewarding when you receive gifts of appreciation from candidates you’ve helped place into new roles. Or when the TRIA team hit their targets and we all get taken out to do something fun for the day to celebrate.
One of the biggest challenges I face in my job is dealing with unexpected changes that clients can experience internally. However, I see this as an opportunity to continue building relationships with the great candidates we have already started conversations with, and to keep them in mind for future opportunities that may arise. While it may be disappointing not to immediately secure the candidate role, I believe that maintaining strong connections with talented people will ultimately benefit both candidates and clients in the long run.
- A career highlight so far?
A career highlight for me so far was either signing terms with my first client after only 6 months or more recently when I placed a senior role in one of our key clients. I was trusted to fill a Chief Technology Officer vacancy for one of our most important clients and placed the ideal candidate within 3 weeks. Not only did I feel a great sense of pride for filling this senior role, but I was grateful that TRIA had given me the opportunity to fill it in the first place!
And, of course, just receiving my promotion!
- A goal you want to achieve?
A goal I wanted to achieve (and just have!) was to hit my necessary targets to be promoted into a Sales Consultant. I’m very focused on building a strong network of sustainability motivated contacts and clients. My passion is in the renewables / conservation / sustainability / tech for good space and building out a network of clients who are equally passionate about the difference they’re making is very important to me. I’m so excited to get started.
- What advice would you give to someone looking to start in tech recruitment?
PREPARE FOR THE ROLLERCOASTER!
Recruitment is full of highs and lows, and they can be extreme. You can go from having the worse day in your job to the best day in several hours so here’s my advice on how to manage that. Either find a way to keep yourself in the middle so you don’t let the highs and lows affect you too much or find a good group of people around who will support you in the lows and celebrate with you in the highs!
Most of us have gone through whatever you’re facing too so find people that will be there for you, in any scenario!
