Happy 1 year anniversary to me!!

Somehow it has been an entire year since I joined the London team of Better Placed…… I am sure it was my 3 month probation just last week……..

Normally my social posts concentrate on the roles we are managing, industry news or exciting times for our clients. I thought sharing my experience of my first 12 months at Better Placed would be a nice change!

At the end of 2017, I started looking for a new role after returning to the UK following a 7-year stint in the Middle East. Having worked for recruitment companies in the past – ranging from brilliant to appalling – I really knew what I was looking for in my next employer. I wanted somewhere I could do the job I love without having the KPI target and boiler room antics that force recruiters to do a bad job to just ‘make the figures’.

From the minute I walked through the door at Better Placed, I knew it was where I wanted to be. There was too much synergy between myself, Liz Hopkins (Board Director - London) and Rowan Fisk (Manager - London) for it not to work! Like me, Better Placed is all about getting to know people and what we call The Real Network . Quite simply - enjoying doing a good, honest job. I wanted to work alongside a team of not only brilliant recruiters but also people who don’t take themselves too seriously – which this lot certainly do not!

I was brought on-board to grow and develop the digital practice within the existing client base. Over the past year I have worked on a variety of roles for a number of our amazing clients within the consumer financial services, retail, lifestyle, FMCG and sports sectors. It’s genuinely been a lot of fun.  

Alongside my day job I have also attended a number of training courses led by our three MD’s and Board Directors from ‘back to basics’ recruitment (we never stop learning!) all the way through to leadership skills with Andrew Sillitoe. I now run the 30-minute weekly training sessions for the London team on any subject they feel they need help with.

Some of the ‘non-day to day’ highlights of the year have been when we came 4th in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For, the summer sports day playing rounder’s and tug-o-war near Headingly, the Christmas party in Leeds and drinks in the sunshine over the summer at the local pub on Friday afternoons.

I would say what has really made Better Placed stand out for the crowd for me is how not only have I been supported in every way possible on a professional level, they have gone above and beyond their call of duty on a personal level. It is easy to say that your work and personal life are to be kept separate – however we all know that at times this is impossible. Having suffered with a debilitating level of anxiety most of my adult life this is, in general, under control. However over the past year there have been times when this really has not been the case and I could not have asked for a better employer. To give an example of this, during a conversation with Rowan I explained that I am lucky to have a great support network – his response I will never forget. ‘Well just know that your support network has just grown by one’. That says it all.

With benefits including private medical insurance, monthly gym membership and a commission structure I defy any business to exceed, Better Placed is one of the few recruitment companies who really are employee first lead. These are all things that make a true difference and make me feel like I have found my home!