Ivan, Recruitment Manager
I had no idea what I wanted to do when I went to college - and on graduating I thought that working the night shift in Call Centres, thereby avoiding heavy traffic and hoards of people in a bustling metropolis, was the answer I had been looking for. How wrong I was!
I graduated with a Communications Arts degree and went into IT support for the first three years of my working life. Despite the Call Centre industry being the hottest thing back then, and the opportunity to indulge my nocturnal instincts, I realized in the first interview I had for this role that recruitment was for me. The thought of meeting and talking to new people every day, listening to their stories, matching their skills with businesses who needed them, giving out first jobs or enabling career promotions and providing a service that was valuable was exactly what lit my fire!
I had no qualifications in recruitment so needed to wait three long years in a role that didn’t fulfil me. I was doing network provisioning for a telco but it was solitary and not very engaging work. I drifted along with no real passion for what I was doing. Eventually, the life-changing opportunity in recruitment that I had been waiting for came along. In order to get a foot in the door, I had to halve my salary. Not having the requisite training or experience I really had to prove myself. As soon as I took the leap, I knew I’d made the right decision - but it wasn’t an easy transition. There’s no set script when it comes to interacting with people - they tend to do their own thing! You have to think on your feet, adapt to different personality styles, coax shy people out of their shells, find common ground to break the ice. Sometimes you might need to make it up as you go along but I’m a people person and this is what I love. I can’t tell you how fulfilling it is. Talking to someone who’s really excited about an opportunity - and then seeing that person finally get the job of their dreams - cheesy though it may sound, you’re changing lives.
I’m continually challenged with meaningful work and every day myself and my colleagues strive to create a conducive environment for personal and professional growth. Everyone around me is always finding ways to be better and this encourages me to keep pushing myself. I’m part of an open, transparent and fun culture that nurtures and really cares for all it’s stakeholders. I’m connecting super smart talent with opportunities for meaningful work that will light their fire, just as mine was lit when I entered the profession I was meant to. Even if you don’t have the necessary qualifications or experience, find your passion - especially work-wise. Doing what you love will make you good at it, even if it’s not the path you start out on.
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