How did you get into a career in resourcing?

I had been working in banking and a position came up in the HR department which I was offered. One element of this was recruitment and I found I really enjoyed it. After some time in that role I went to a recruitment agency for them to find me a role in recruitment and they offered me a job as Recruitment Consultant. My career has been a mix of recruitment working for an agency servicing the needs of clients and also recruitment as part of HR teams servicing the needs of the business.

What are the key responsibilities in your role?

Liaising with the business regarding their needs. Sourcing candidates via various methods, the aim being to keep recruitment costs to a minimum. I also interview candidates and negotiate regarding salary/package.

Describe a typical day.

This would be a mix of meetings with hiring managers, interviewing candidates and administration tasks such as writing text for advertisements or ensuring contracts of employment are finalised.

What skills are needed for this role?

You need to have great communication skills and the ability to interact with employees at all levels of the business. Strong administration skills also help. You need to have confidence and be resilient.

What challenges do you face in this role?

The biggest challenge is people, be that hiring managers wanting to deviate from the recruitment process to candidates, you think you have finally found the perfect candidate and they refuse the offer or have unrealistic expectations of their worth in the market when they negotiate their package.

What keeps you motivated to go into work every day?

Variation, you can have a rough plan of what the day ahead will look like but that can change very quickly for example, three employees from one team resign and you get called into a meeting regarding urgent recruitment needs. Candidates also make the job interesting, CV's can only give you one dimension and often when you meet the candidate you realise they are not right for the role even though their CV was amazing or their CV was not the strongest but they are perfect for the role when you meet them.

What advice would you give someone considering a career in resourcing?

Think about your strengths, do you enjoy interacting with people? Are you resilient enough to cope when candidates drop out of an offer? Are you confident enough to deal with people at all levels and challenge them in an interview?

Any other comments?

Resourcing is a really fast paced environment but if you have the skills it is a tremendously rewarding career path. After time you will find that you know everyone in the company as you either talk to them about their recruitment needs or you have been involved in their hiring process and inducted them into the company.