Introduction to Recruitment #1

Coming into recruitment I was aware of the demanding nature of the job due to both parents having a combined experience of roughly 60 years in the industry.

Throughout my childhood I was acclimatised to constantly pausing live television just so my Mum could take a 'business' call from a person she always called 'client'. I never appreciated her doing this, until I found myself half past 8 on a Friday night sat at her kitchen table screening a candidate as she giggled to herself. 

Having worked in a fast paced retail environment I was fully prepared to step into a role which required me to be efficiently pro-active.. at least I thought. Who knew that using your brain constantly was more tiring than work which was physically demanding? My religious work gym isn't as consistent as it was in 2015 (provisionally) but I am enjoying my new 9 o'clock bed times.

I trust no one.

I've always took pride in my ability to judge character however over the phone I've found this a whole different kettle of fish; a kettle hasn't been refilled by the last person who used it. You get the picture. Frustration. 

Some candidates become best friends with me on the phone when I'm offering them a potential route back into employment. When it comes to calling them to find out why they haven't turned up for their interview the relationship is often via answer phone. 

I thought we were friends? What happened to our mutual agreement? Apparently this is common practice for someone who is a trainee. "It happens all the time?" Not exactly my type of consolidation. I've been encouraged by my colleagues to not take these things personally. My argument however is that I am Mufasa, the candidates which let me down are Scar and its not antelope I'm getting trampled by its client expectations which are a lot worse. 

Moving on I've just returned from a training course led by a man called Warren Kemp. The kind Glaswegian taxi driver who ferried us from the station to the hotel we met Warren should have been wearing a balaclava and stripes. If we weren't in a rush the ￡27.50 to travel the best part of 7 miles would have caused more than an upset. 

Nevertheless we arrived - on time - and received almost one to one expert coaching on business development, a part of the job I hadn't yet been introduced too. His relaxed yet thoroughly effective form of teaching couldn't have been more opposite to my experiences of studying business A level. Regardless of my 5am start to the day I managed to stay engaged and I'm excited to put the knowledge he passed on into practice within the next few months. It took 5 coffees and 7 bottles of mineral water; but I made it. 

After a month in the game my skin has undoubtedly thickened (slightly) and my brain is working at almost 200 times the rate it was compared to when I was in retail. Lets see what the next month entails.