A Day in the Life of…. a Tech Recruitment Consultant

Sarah Kinsella is part of the Stelfox Tech Recruitment Team and focuses on Permanent Roles. She talks about her typical work day during the pandemic and how COVID has changed her way of working.

What does your typical day consist of?

Two days are never the same in this job! In Recruitment there always are challenges that arise during the day, so you never know if what you have set out to do in the morning gets done by the end of the day. If I’m working from home, I usually get up, have a coffee and listen to a podcast or some music in a separate room away from my home office, to make sure I’ve had some time to myself like I would if I was commuting to work. In the summer months, I would have gone on a walk or to the gym as well.

I would then set my day up by prioritising what roles need the most attention that day and make a to do list. I feel it is better to contact candidates before they start their workday so I will try to fit in as many calls as I can until about 9:30am. In the mornings I also like to advertise my roles and write candidates profiles to send to clients.

After lunch, I check my to do list to prioritise and reach my daily goals. I will then focus on these tasks along with Business Development and address any surprises the job of Recruiter usually likes to throw in the mix ?

Described like this, my day seems pretty straight forward but believe me when I say some days can be pretty challenging when spent reading dozens (if not hundreds) of pages of CVs, before making a single call or the back and forth with clients and candidates and all the unique questions they might have. 

How has the pandemic affected your way of working? 

It affected me a lot at the start because I used to go out to clients or candidates meeting a lot as I love to meet up, get a real feel for the person or company and  find the right person or culture fit for them. I had to, like everyone else, get used to the digital world of Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams meetings. This actually worked quite well and I made sure to spend the first couple of weeks virtually meeting candidates who were the most affected and needed assistance to find a job quickly. I also virtually met with managers/leaders in my industry for tips on how to adapt remotely. 

I definitely prefer office life and work better when I can bounce ideas off the colleagues around me. But my team and managers are very supportive and free anytime I need to talk or just need some advice. 

What is the most rewarding part of the job? 

It absolutely is hearing the sigh of relief from a candidate or a little burst of joy, when they are told that they have just secured the role they have worked so hard toward getting. Another thing is achieving the “360” piece, as recruiters call it:  when you brought a new client on board and you filled the role they trusted you with. It is so fulfilling!

What are some of the challenges faced on the job?  

Every day is a challenge in recruitment (an exciting one!), nothing is ever straightforward but that is why I enjoy it so much. I have always loved either brain teasers and puzzles, to solve things and find the right fit; and that is exactly what you do every day in recruitment.

Some challenges can be small things from not finding the right candidates to bigger ones like figuring out visas and limited companies or matching the skills or the right budget the candidate or client needs, prepping them through multiple rounds of interview, only to find out they haven’t been selected or the candidate won’t accept the offer.  You then have to figure out what to do to ensure the candidate accepts or find a new person for the role. This is problem solving 101 and despite being sometimes stressful, I get a kick out of finding solutions.

What are some personal qualities someone who wants to work in the recruitment industry should have?  

Resilience. I can’t say this enough! Recruitment is tough and there can be so many setbacks and so many doors closed over and over again. But the best recruiters are the ones who get back on their feet, dust themselves off and keep going. Self-belief, drive and ambition also come hand in hand with this, as it takes a lot to keep pushing but the rewards are worth it.

As a woman in Tech, what is your advice for other women who want to enter the field? How do you find the industry is doing when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion? 

I am excited to be in such a position that we have direct access to a lot of hiring managers and leaders in the industry and I get to directly advocate for more Diversity & Inclusion in their hiring process. I am lucky to be given the resources to go to WIT events, learn about the market and how to improve it. 

It is extremely insightful to spend time first-hand talking to many Tech female stakeholders, seeing the challenges they face and being able to voice that to companies who sometimes just don’t have someone in their organisation to address and act on these issues. Overall women in this industry really have come together and have made sure they are heard, which I admire. They have done so much for the industry and no doubt will continue to.