Tuesday
Before you ask; yes, I do work Mondays but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my time spent at Terminal 5 yesterday.
It’s my first day back from two holidays (thanks to a great commission cheque) so the first half of the day is spent catching up with the team, exchanging post-holiday pleasantries with Clients and Candidates and planning for what is traditionally a VERY busy month.
It’s a big start already and it’s not even 10am. One of our biggest Clients has instructed me on a ‘New Homes’ position and in my head, I already have the PERFECT Candidate. After taking the call, I realise I have this month’s appraisal in my diary later. As much as I love sitting and talking about myself for 15 minutes, I always worry about how these things go! (the daily anxieties of a Recruiter, hey!)
I call my perfect candidate and just as I thought, he couldn’t be keener to move forward. Less than 10 minutes go by and an interview is on the cards – looks like tomorrow could be the start of a very quick win. My 1:2:1 has come around all too quickly, after sitting down and talking through my recent performance (the good, the bad and the ugly) the last month has gone well and I get the news I was hoping for, I have been promoted to Associate! I won’t be cliché and say that “money isn’t important” but for me, being rewarded for hard work and performance is what Recruitment is all about. After calling the girlfriend a celebratory dinner is in the diary for Thursday, her treat no less! Happy Tuesday!! (is that even a thing?)
Wednesday
I still have sand in my ears. God knows how I managed to wake up and get to the gym this morning but I was there at 6AM with the rest of them. By the time I’d ‘Boris biked’ into work I was almost ready for bed again, the extra-large Starbucks that is burning a hole in my hand needs to kick in sharpish!
It’s not even 8:30 and there is already a job offer in my inbox, this is what you need when your head is still on holiday, who needs coffee when you have £££ signs in your head?
‘Perfect Candidate’ is in the diary at 11am, a 15-minute phone call to prepare him (bit of market knowledge, little bit of inside scoop from a friend of mine and a light sprinkling of generic recruiter spiel) and I am confident he is good to go.
Someone I have worked with and known for years has dropped me a message to say, “keep your eye out.” We both know what this means so we arrange to speak over the phone. I can see how this conversation is going to pan out, it’s nice when people come to you first rather than hearing through the grapevine.
The rest of the day delivers; offer number one signed and sealed with a very happy Candidate and ‘Perfect Candidate’ has earned themselves a 2nd interview tomorrow… BOOM
Thursday
Today starts with a car crash… one no show for a 9am interview and another person cancelling an interview later, oddly enough they both have ‘family emergencies’ and neither answer the phone. We like to give people the benefit of the doubt but if I had a £ for every ‘family emergency’ I have come across in recruitment… you get the drift. Moving on from the bad news, I plan what I’m having for lunch. It’s 11am…too soon?
Just when I was prepared to throw in the towel, the perfect candidate is on the phone and he has smashed the 2nd interview. Within seconds of ending the call to the Candidate the Client is calling; it couldn’t have gone any better and it’s deal time.
Catching up with my old colleague he’s not happy in his current job; he has been a Manager for 5 years and I’m the guy to get things done for him. Time to get my detective hat on, this isn’t going to be a quick placement but it makes it more rewarding when we do find something that works.
For once I’m shooting off ‘on the dot’ – I have steak dinner and red wine to inhale, perfect end to another roller coaster day.
Friday
I’m feeling a little ropey but today is going to be a great day – the offer has arrived in my inbox for my perfect candidate who nailed the 2nd interview yesterday, Monday start date too. I deliver the good news, it’s quickly followed by an acceptance and signed paperwork. It’s amazing when placements like this come together; happy Candidate in his new dream job, happy Client that found the best guy for the job within 24 hours….and a happy boss. Beating off competition from other Recruiters makes it more rewarding too. Apparently, he had 5 other offers so I can be confident this person will be a great addition.
Today is a short one, having smashed our targets for last month, the Top Billers' are off to ‘lunch club’ – off we shoot to Soho to take full advantage of the Grant Kaveney’s credit card (thanks bossman).
