Starting out in retail management and pounding the shopfloor for more years than I care to remember, life was hard but satisfying. Once a retailer, always a retailer, or so they say...
Hungry for more, having recruited for shop floor staff, the bug hit me when I was promoted into a role which included the recruitment of store, district, and regional managers. Handling national campaigns and seeing individuals go through the process stage by stage, allowed me the opportunity to invest in their journey, hoping that my initial instincts about an individual’s skill set and fit for the business were correct. And they were.
Having spent many years in the wonderful world of retail (which made me who I am today), it made perfect sense to pursue my passion for recruitment outside of store operations. In 1998 I moved into a consultant role for a leading retail recruiter – the perfect move, combining my love and knowledge of the retail world with recruitment. And I never looked back.
Entering the world of secretarial recruitment not long after (and at that time clueless as to what a PA did and what shorthand was), my journey into support recruitment began.
And it has kept me.
Why?
Recruitment is fast-paced, pressurised, people-focused and challenging. Using the skills I gained on the shop floor, managing teams, KPIs and a multi-million-pound turnover, the role of a Recruitment Consultant certainly keeps you on your toes. In years gone by, people tended to fall into recruitment rather than choose it as a career choice. Now, people make educational choices with the recruitment end goal in sight. Ideal for people who thrive when multitasking and working at pace, the old mantra that the customer is always right has served me well. Only now, the customer is both candidate and client!
Recruitment is not an easy ride. There are many highs and lows. Things happen which are outside of your control, but that resilience, tenacity, and drive which I found in retail has stood me in very good stead (and given me a career I love and excel in).
RECRUITMENT ROCKS!