Specialist recruiter
Jael Simon studied Geography at Newcastle University. She is now a Recruitment Consultant at Michael Page International.
Good decision
Like a lot of students, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but in my last year at university I started to think about it more and more. I found that my skills and ideas about what I wanted from a job matched recruitment, and so I began research into the sector. Michael Page International stood out as a fantastic organisation and I really liked the fact that they had an established graduate scheme.
On a day-to-day basis my role is extremely varied and the activities I conduct range from relationship management and business development to sales and managing client and candidate expectations in an advisory capacity.
When I started in the team, to ease me in slowly, I worked with junior candidates covering the not-for-profit and public sector market. However, as I progressed through my training and development I was given the opportunity to work with the senior end of the market and to develop the charity sector. I now have ownership of this sector, which is a fantastic opportunity for a graduate who only started a year ago.
Well-known names
I work in a very exciting sector, with high profile clients such as international development charities. Working with these organisations is very enjoyable as candidates are extremely passionate and dedicated to their sector.
The best bits about my job are making successful placements or making good progress with business development as you can take total responsibility for this. I have found the way I have been empowered at Michael Page International really exciting - you take full responsibility for a success.
There are a lot of skills required to be successful in recruitment but I would say that communication skills, the ability to build relationships, tenacity and active listening are some of the most important. You also need to be resilient as recruitment has its highs and lows, an example being where a candidate declines your offer. The most important thing though is to convert challenges into opportunities. Team work is an essential part of my day-to-day role and is the ethos of our organisation.
I would advise graduates interested in working in recruitment to have a look at the Michael Page International website and apply. I was really impressed by the organisation and feel it offers great opportunities for graduates.
More about sales and recruitment careers
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