5 Things I’ve learnt in a year working in recruitment since joining CareerWise Recruitment

1. Be yourself to the best of your ability – Personality is everything in recruitment

The balance of friendly and professional is so important when speaking to candidates. Kindness, manners, respect and patience go a long way in phone calls that aren’t always delivering good news. There will be times when you are sick of hearing your own voice because so much of the day is spent on the phone- but no interaction will ever be the same. Being your authentic self is a lot easier than faking though!

2. Ask all of the questions, always

When dealing with multiple clients and candidates, you can ever ask enough questions. When I first started out, I often hung up the phone thinking of more questions I should have asked, which is a great excuse for follow up calls! If there is ever an opportunity to speak with a hiring manager it is the best way to get a sense of what they are exactly looking for, job descriptions can be 2 dimensional.

3. You don’t need to understand every single abbreviation in a full Job spec

In my first week, while creating adverts I definitely lost sleep understanding the terminology of Pharma/ Biotech/ Engineering roles. I have a background in Human Resources, I definitely got bogged down in the finer details and worried about how I would help people secure interviews for technical roles. From working different roles and the help of Google, the pieces do come together about systems, what they do and the different areas of each discipline. Just please do not ask me the difference between HPLC and mass spectrometry on the spot!

4. A job offer accepted isn’t always a job started

Currently in Ireland, candidates (especially those of a high caliber) have the world at their fingertips and more often than not several job offers on the table. It can be difficult forming a relationship with a person and to guide them past interview and accept a stellar offer for them to receive an even better offer elsewhere. In the hiring climate, both employers are recruiters alike need to be resilient and act fast in all stages of the process. It does take a while to be resilient, and something I am definitely still working on!

5. No day is ever the same but they go by quickly

The saying ‘you learn something new every day’ and ‘go with the flow’ comes to mind on this one. Some days can feel like firefighting when your planned day goes out the window. With the pandemic and Working from Home culture, candidates were very much available to take calls and often interview at their discretion within the 9-5. As we return to offices over the last 3 months, calls and interviews need a lot more thought and planning. Often schedules are changed last minute which can lead to canceled interviews and frustration. You learn to run with it, meditate and find a resolution pretty quickly where you can.
You learn so much from clients, candidates and colleagues that it doesn’t take too long to establish your style as a recruiter. The days quickly blur into weeks, months and quarters so it is important to take stock when you can!

Lauren Cusack

(Recruitment Consultant) Assoc CIPD – Galway Office
Lauren (Assoc CIPD) has 4 years’ experience in Human Resources. Lauren has joined CareerWise after spending 2 year as a Human Resources Officer in the Hospitality Sector; primarily specialising in Training and Development.

Lauren also has previous recruitment and administration experience working in multinational organisations in both the Med Device and Technology sectors.

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Lauren Cusack