What we think

1 year, that’s 2,088 working hours for the mathematicians out there.

A year in recruitment has taught me a lot more than essential skills such as negotiation, influencing and problem solving, it’s taught me how to manage expectations, how to say no to people and how to deal with tricky situations. Upon reflection, these three things have helped me grow no end. Transferable competency is ultimately what I look for in any job or career as it helps me understand my strengths, and which areas need attention. I love that in my job I can speak to anyone, I can listen to some amazing achievements and help bring about an exciting new change which allows them to progress even further. Whilst recruitment has plenty of ups, it also has its downs, just like any job. But the thing I’ve learnt; the downs are always temporary. These stages are always tricky, but there’s nothing like a great team and culture to offset this.

I, like so many others, never grew up thinking that I was going to be a recruiter, let alone in the industry of my degree. But there is a tangible link to what I have always sought in a job and that’s entrepreneurial spirit. The ability to walk up to my desk (which is currently my living room table albeit!) knowing that what I do on my laptop for the day is my own business. I’m free to make judgement decisions I see best fit, if I feel like I’ve done enough for the day that’s great, if I don’t that’s fine but more crucially, what am I going to do about it? The accountability and responsibility are all on me, no one else, and that’s what I thoroughly love about my job and is something I missed during lockdown and furlough.

Lockdown and furlough were tricky to say the least; not being in London, not seeing the team daily, these were all little things I begun to miss day in day out. But working from home in March did have its benefits, not having to fight my way onto the tube being the main one, the northern line replaced itself with a nice casual stroll of about 3 steps to my bedroom desk. After a while, however, it started to take a toll. Mentality became a huge part of day to day life, keeping myself occupied, making sure I was always achieving and not stagnating. I drove myself to exercise daily and when Boris limited this to 1 hour a day, I became more compelled to do it. Having my half Iron Man postponed didn’t help either, although I completely understood why this would have to be the case. Whilst “The Furloughing”, which might sound like some cheesy American Horror franchise, was unavoidable, I’m glad it happened. It shaped me into a state of mind that begun to appreciate all the small things and now, coming back at the start of August, I have never once taken for granted the things I missed (pints down the local being the main one of course…).

Now that it’s mid-September, I’ve enjoyed getting back into the normal routine, albeit still from home. There are couple of things that I’ve noticed coming back however. In this current climate, it’s tricky to be a Food Business Operator. Having to maintain a strong, positive employer brand is hard enough, but when 350 people apply to one job direct, all demanding feedback, it certainly can overwhelm the most experienced HR team. On the other hand, for candidates, it can be very disconcerting knowing how much competition has increased. Both of these issues are easily resolved by partnering with a recruitment company that you wholeheartedly trust and believe in, be it Seven or someone else.

There’s not a lot left of 2020, so am I looking forward to it being over? In reflection yes, I am. Am I just going to wish time away? Absolutely not. I have my own goals to hunt down and cross off. Is it going to be tougher than I first anticipated? Yes, but to that I say bring it on. 2020 might nearly be done with me but I’m not done with 2020!

To those that are looking for jobs, always remember progress not perfection.

To businesses looking for roles to be filled, get in touch, let’s chat, and you might just get to see out the window past that big pile of CV’s on your desk!