Inspiration
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE INSTITUTE OF RECRUITMENT PROFESSIONALS
The View
Mehreen Ayub tant is a junior consultant at Admiral Recruitment
Bev Parekh is the branch manager at Impact Recruitment Services
APPRENTICESHIPS LEVEL 5 STUDENT What made you look to recruitment as a career? I had heard about recruitment as a possible career and it was something I was really interested in. I loved the idea of meeting and interviewing people every day, and I thought recruitment would be a great opportunity to push myself. I like that it covers a lot of sectors and industries too. How did you find your apprenticeship? Really good – the whole apprenticeship experience went really well. I’ve been mentored and supported the entire time and been given exposure to all areas of the business. My recruitment knowledge has really grown over the past year and that’s really helped my confidence. I have also learned new skills and a lot of valuable things about the working world. What about recruitment appeals to you? It’s such a great industry to get into. You meet people every day and you learn so much about yourself. My current role is sourcing candidates for Admiral Recruitment’s specialist commercial division, dealing with high-end corporates to source and place receptionists. It’s fast paced and target driven, which really appeals to me. Recruiting for temp roles is intense, isn’t it? It really is – there’s no room for error because you have clients and candidates depending on you, so you need to be on the ball and thinking of them. What would you say to someone who was thinking about becoming a recruitment apprentice? They really need to be open to learning all the time – that’s the main thing. Recruitment is such an open career and a great place to hone your skills, and you will be learning all the time. You can’t be afraid to make mistakes because you will learn so much from them too.
How did you get into recruitment? I moved cities and I was looking for a different challenge and wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Recruitment suits my personality with it being such a fast environment, and it’s also a very rewarding industry to get into. What sectors do you recruit for? I recruit in multiple sectors but predominantly for commercial and office-based roles – anything from junior to mid-senior level. Why did you decide to start the Level 5 Diploma in Recruitment Leadership? I wanted to be a master in the field. While I’ve got the recruiting sales background, I’ve never had any formal qualifications or training in management. I took the Level 5 to enhance my leadership skills, knowledge and be there for the team, and serve them more effectively and efficiently. What do you want to get out of the Level 5? I like to be different and there aren’t many recruiters who have done a Level 5. I wanted to know how I could differentiate myself, so being qualified sends that message about the difference about the quality I can offer. I hope it will make me stand out from the crowd. Adding value to the service we provide is always important. How have you found the Level 5 so far? If I had taken this course without having the practical side, I think I would have struggled. But because I have that, everything is fitting in to place. You realise how everything links up. I would recommend it because it gives you the day to day leadership side of things that complements the sales side. It’s an entirely different ball game, and moving from sales to leadership is an interesting transition.
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