The Career Cycle of a Recruiter- the third article in our Recruitment Series.

I am delighted to publish the next article in our series, an interview with Connor Ingram Recruitment Manager at Coretech, a WPP company. Please see Connor’s recruitment story below.

We would like to thank Connor  for taking the time to contribute to this article and hope you enjoy reading this instalment!

1.What led you into a career in recruitment?

Honestly? I had just come back from travelling/ working and wanted to move to London. I saw a lot of roles advertised with agencies and loved the idea of helping people find jobs! I quickly came to realise that building relationships in this way was very rewarding, and decided to stick with it for the long-term. It also helps that I truly love asking lots of questions.

2.How did you secure your first Recruitment role?  

I messaged a lot of agencies. First I had a look at which agencies out there gave great training for someone with no experience. I then looked at their website/LinkedIn pages for ‘day in the life’ posts to see what it would be like to work there. Once I was happy with that, I would find the managers contact details and email them directly with my CV and a brief background into what I was looking for. More importantly, I was honest with them. I had limited knowledge of what the role fully entails, but I knew the types of values a company should have in order for me to commit to them. After a few interviews (some not so great) I was offered a couple of amazing opportunities.

3. What were your main motivations for moving in-house? 

I guess I could say so much now I have been doing it for a while, but initially it was the desire to be part of the bigger picture. In agency you typically pick up a job once it has been fully signed off, you then recruit for it, and then keep in touch with the candidate/managers to make sure everything is fine post-placement (in short). What happens before you get to this stage? What truly happens after? Going in-house gave me the exposure (and influence) from the very inception of a role being created, through the whole lifecycle until ultimately you recruit again. There are so many interchangeable factors , so many stakeholders, and so many problems to solve! I loved the idea of seeing the results of my recruitment affecting the overall company objectives.

4. In your opinion what are the main differences between working in an agency and working in-house? 

Similar to the above, I think the main difference is understanding the process. Things can be a lot slower, and you have to use a lot more tact when trying to get certain things signed off etc. There are always multiple roles and if you don’t fill them, the company you are working for might not hit their objectives. You then have the opportunity and influence to help shape this role in a different way. I also feel that since being in-house I have never recruited the same role twice, there is so much variety!

5. How have you found the transition?

I found it very easy, maybe my personality was more suited to in-house recruitment. Sometimes people find it hard leaving the ‘buzz’ of the agency. Things are slower and sometimes a lot quieter! However the principles are the same. Find the right people and put them in the right role, in the best way possible. Only this time, they become your colleagues! On the flip-side, if you aren’t finding the right people then there is no hiding!

6. What tips would you give an agency recruiter who is looking to make the move in-house?

Work out your reasons why you want to move in-house before applying. If it’s to leave your KPI-driven agency, then look for an agency who doesn’t have KPI’s etc. Be honest when interviewing, and be prepared you might have to take one step backward to take two forward. I was lucky enough to work for an agency who recruited in-house recruiters into roles. My manager at the time, Mark Ladds, was very encouraging and told us to fully immerse ourselves in our candidates’ experience. It gave me a great chance to hear what they do, how they work, and what makes them get out of bed in the morning. It’s a small circle, and one I am truly grateful to be a part of.

Should you wish to learn more about how we can support you in hiring a recruitment professional, please do get in touch as well. 

If you are interested in hearing more about recruitment, please don’t hesitate to get in in touch with me at stephaniehooper@frazerjones.com, call me on 0207 7415 2815 or reach out to our HR consultant team.