Hamilton Forth’s Rachel Sim reflects on her first year working in recruitment and how a grounding in research set her up for success as a Consultant.
The end of September will mark my one-year anniversary of working for the Livingston James Group.
I joined as LJG’s first business graduate upon graduating from University. The graduate scheme gave me the opportunity to rotate around LJG’s three brands; Livingston James, Hamilton Forth and Rutherford Cross, before doing a final 3-month placement within marketing and operations.
However, after my first six months working as a Researcher for Livingston James and then Hamilton Forth, I was given the opportunity to fast-track the graduate scheme and to join Hamilton Forth full-time as a Consultant.
Beginning my career in recruitment as a Researcher provided me with an excellent grounding as I gained a thorough understanding of how to source high calibre candidates, develop a deeper insight into the markets I was recruiting in and kick start the development of my professional network.
There are several routes into a career in recruitment. Some people come from a sales or business development background, some come through research and others take the plunge directly into the role of Consultant. While different routes will be suited to different people, I believe that, personally, my time in Research has been instrumental in my success thus far as a Recruitment Consultant.
A Researcher’s role involves the utilisation of tools such as LinkedIn, search engines and internal databases to search for individuals with particular skill sets or credentials that match the role they are sourcing for. Researchers map out entire markets of people (whether these are niche markets of 20 candidates globally, or more highly populated markets that are then tailored by other factors) and review each person to determine their suitability for the role. This approach requires a great deal of time, thoroughness and analytical thinking.
We are currently in a candidate short market, so relying on job boards and advertising to source candidates may be very limiting. By developing a sourcing strategy, similar to that of a Researcher’s, that targets passive candidates, Consultants can access top talent who may not have applied to a role otherwise.
I personally have continued to utilise this approach as a Consultant within Hamilton Forth, allowing me to develop a better understanding of particular tech markets and build a network of highly talented Developers, Engineers and Technicians.
Given this grounding, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that over 90% of the placements I have made in the last six months have been candidates sourced through direct and targeted approaches, rather than candidates who have actively applied to roles.
Although a background in research is not essential to becoming an accomplished Recruitment Consultant, I believe the skills learned through my time working in research have been imperative to my success and approach as a Consultant, particularly in the current market.
As I move into my second year with Hamilton Forth and the wider LJG, I am excited to see how I can continue to develop personally whilst also recruiting top tech talent for a variety of interesting clients.
To find out more about opportunities within the tech market, contact [email protected].
1 year at LJG: Researcher to Consultant
Hamilton Forth’s Rachel Sim reflects on her first year working in recruitment and how a grounding in research set her up for success as a Consultant.
The end of September will mark my one-year anniversary of working for the Livingston James Group.
I joined as LJG’s first business graduate upon graduating from University. The graduate scheme gave me the opportunity to rotate around LJG’s three brands; Livingston James, Hamilton Forth and Rutherford Cross, before doing a final 3-month placement within marketing and operations.
However, after my first six months working as a Researcher for Livingston James and then Hamilton Forth, I was given the opportunity to fast-track the graduate scheme and to join Hamilton Forth full-time as a Consultant.
Beginning my career in recruitment as a Researcher provided me with an excellent grounding as I gained a thorough understanding of how to source high calibre candidates, develop a deeper insight into the markets I was recruiting in and kick start the development of my professional network.
There are several routes into a career in recruitment. Some people come from a sales or business development background, some come through research and others take the plunge directly into the role of Consultant. While different routes will be suited to different people, I believe that, personally, my time in Research has been instrumental in my success thus far as a Recruitment Consultant.
A Researcher’s role involves the utilisation of tools such as LinkedIn, search engines and internal databases to search for individuals with particular skill sets or credentials that match the role they are sourcing for. Researchers map out entire markets of people (whether these are niche markets of 20 candidates globally, or more highly populated markets that are then tailored by other factors) and review each person to determine their suitability for the role. This approach requires a great deal of time, thoroughness and analytical thinking.
We are currently in a candidate short market, so relying on job boards and advertising to source candidates may be very limiting. By developing a sourcing strategy, similar to that of a Researcher’s, that targets passive candidates, Consultants can access top talent who may not have applied to a role otherwise.
I personally have continued to utilise this approach as a Consultant within Hamilton Forth, allowing me to develop a better understanding of particular tech markets and build a network of highly talented Developers, Engineers and Technicians.
Given this grounding, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that over 90% of the placements I have made in the last six months have been candidates sourced through direct and targeted approaches, rather than candidates who have actively applied to roles.
Although a background in research is not essential to becoming an accomplished Recruitment Consultant, I believe the skills learned through my time working in research have been imperative to my success and approach as a Consultant, particularly in the current market.
As I move into my second year with Hamilton Forth and the wider LJG, I am excited to see how I can continue to develop personally whilst also recruiting top tech talent for a variety of interesting clients.
To find out more about opportunities within the tech market, contact [email protected].
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