5 Years in... A look back on my Recruitment journey so far...

1. Breaking in

I found my way into the industry like most do, by sheer happenstance. Back in the spring of 2016 I had quit my job as a Restaurant Manager and decided that I needed a new direction and challenge. The 6 day weeks and 60 hours plus were grinding me down so I took the plunge and quit with nothing to go to (something I generally tell people not to do these days!). I took the summer off to recharge and decide what I wanted to do... and to have an excuse to watch the Euros in France. Another disappointing summer (thanks Iceland). One positive that did come out of that summer is that I had found what I wanted to do next, recruitment. It pressed all the right buttons for me - a competitive industry, challenging environment and your earnings were based on what you put in and delivered.?

I remember the day of my interview with Highfield Professional Solutions vividly. I was sat outside a cafe in Botley (Southampton), going over in my head my answers to questions I was sure they'd ask me so I could seem confident. Whilst at the same time trying to be pleasant to what I thought was my competition also sat outside. The truth was I'd been rejected by at least half a dozen other recruitment companies before then. It's fair to say that I wasn't your typical recruiter. I was in my late 20's, had no "hard" sales experience (just a focus on customer service) and wanted to progress and march up the ladder quickly.

As the interview with Liam, Sam and later Andy started they seemed different to the others. No corporate mumbo jumbo, no ridiculous questions like "Our team are tigers, how are you a tiger?" (yes this was a real question). Instead they got to know me, what made me tick and I quickly felt this was the place for me. Fortunately they agreed and soon I found myself with an offer and a chance. And it was all sunshine and rainbows from there, right? Rubbish.

2. Training

My early days at Highfield weren't quite as glamorous as I'd expected. I was put to work with one of the businesses most experienced consultant. He'd just won a new account and it was up to me to get it going. I ended up spending my first 6 months honing my skills recruiting for anything from binmen to leaf blowers (yes this is a job) and maybe occasionally something a little more technical. The desk was a high volume contract desk (funnily enough pretty much the polar opposite of what I have now) with all the highs and lows that come with it; drop outs, jobs being pulled from under you and a challenging pool of candidates to manage. I loved it.

I firmly believe that this experience prepared me for everything I would come to face. I'll never forget my first placement, a leaf blower in Greenwich. It wasn't much but after I'd got him the job he revealed to me that he had actually been homeless for the last few months and had even borrowed some shoes from his sisters partner for the interview. After a few weeks of pay he had been able to get himself back on his feet. It blew my mind. It was then that I realised just how important what recruiters do is, regardless of the level, you can be a part of changing peoples lives for the better.

3. Finding my place

When I look back on those early days, I can't help but feel I was lucky. I was part of a great business where people would share success. I got a leg up from another one of our leading consultants who won a national account this time with a home repairs company who were going through a large period of growth. This gave me the opportunity to try my hand at permanent recruitment. I never looked back. I spent the best part of a year placing plumbers and gas engineers across the UK. I managed to grow the account and really focus on developing my relationship with this company. I had some great success (418% of target in my first full year) and secured a number of promotions off the back of it. One thing you learn quickly in recruitment however is that nothing lasts forever. 9 months in and things started to slow down and soon the company announced they were done with recruiting more engineers. Just like that it was over.

Again I got lucky. It wasn't a targeted approach but simply a connection on Linked In that led me to have a conversation with a Data Centre (I didn't even know what a Data Centre was at that point!) Operations Manager. He put me in contact with his HR Manager and before I knew it I had signed terms with my first Data Centre Company. All of a sudden I was looking for and having conversations with highly technically skilled people and by hook or by crook I had some success. It turned out that a number of Data Centre companies were crying out for an agency who specialised in Data Centre engineering and who would put the focus on customer service and delivering results. Perfect.

4. Growth

It's an amazing feeling when you find yourself where you belong. In the same way that I quickly knew Highfield Professional Solutions was the place for me, the same was true for the Data Centre market. I was having conversations with like minded people and finally I found I could build up strong relationships just by being myself. I will be forever grateful to those people and to all my clients and?candidates that have been a part of this journey with me. As with anything in life the following few years had it's ups and downs but generally the trajectory was upwards and I learned a hell of a lot about myself and about how to recruit in this market during those times. This led to another big change in February of 2020...

I became a dad. Needless to say this changed my life in many ways. Again this experience cemented for me that I was in the right place. The team at Highfield Professional Solutions were super supportive and flexible as well as allowing me (and others) to continue to work from home even after the Covid restrictions had been lifted. We have now even embraced a new 4-day week which has been amazing for me. Giving me extra focus during the week and more time to spent with my young family on my long weekends (and yes a bit of Friday golf too). I've been able to be around for the majority of my sons first 18 months and it has been an amazing experience and one that I will be eternally grateful to the Highfield team for allowing me to have.

5. DataX Connect

Fast forward to August 2020 when we launched DataX Connect. Our fully purpose built Data Centre specialist recruitment arm of Highfield. It was unbelievably exciting to be a part of the creation of DataX and everything that went into it. We ended up with a brand that could really represent who we are as a team and what we can bring to the market. That team has grown in the first year from just the 3 of us to now having 11 in the team (plus a dog). It has been an amazing experience and something that has been a pleasure to watch develop. Watch this space for some more upcoming announcements soon!

Final thoughts... Ups and Downs

One thing I have learnt over the years is that no matter how well you plan or manage sometimes life will throw in a curveball. No road is ever just plain sailing.

We recently lost one of the founding Directors of Highfield Professional Solutions & DataX Connect, Sam Hughes. Sam was an inspirational figure to us and I know that all of us here will miss him greatly. Sam was a positive person and influence to the office and no matter his personal struggles he always put on a smile, that is how I will remember him. Shortly after my son was born Sam came out with his wife and passed out of his car window a gift for my little one, a 'shumper' (those who know, know). Sam was one of the few that gave me a chance in this industry and I will do my best to honour his memory by doing my bit to make this business as successful as we possibly can. In my early days Sam was always the one to want more from me, although I didn't necessarily realise it at the time when I look back now I don't think I would be where I am now without him. RIP Sam.

As Sam would do, I want to end on a positive note. I've recently had another promotion off the back of a number of retained and exclusive partnerships with many of my key clients which I have loved delivering. Just last week I managed to get away from work for the first time in a long while with my family on a weeks holiday down in Devon. And now here I am celebrating my 5 year anniversary at Highfield Professional Solutions / DataX Connect.

Just as I did when I first started, I love it.

Thank you to everyone that has been a part of my journey so far. I can't wait to see where myself and this business will be at in another 5 years time. Watch this space!