For Procurement Heads’ latest blog, Dan Goodson, Head of our Industrial practice, reflects on how recruitment has changed during his 17 years in the career and what makes it such a great environment to work within.
Like a lot of people, I hadn’t actively sought out a career in recruitment.
In fact, I think it’s safe to say recruitment found me.
Similar to the Human League song, I’d been working as a waiter in a cocktail bar in Southampton after graduating with a film and Spanish degree at Kingston University and grown weary of long antisocial hours.
I got speaking to a customer who worked in recruitment and they suggested I’d be a good match for a career in the profession.
I think that’s what planted a seed in my mind and made me intrigued about the possibilities a career in recruitment could offer.
I spent some time looking into recruitment roles that might align with me and I found an opportunity to work for a technical recruitment agency within their commercial services team as an Interim Procurement Recruitment Consultant.
Initially what drew me to recruitment was the earning potential, but the longer I spent in the sector, and the more I learned about people and the art of negotiation and working the more I saw the opportunity to build a truly long-lasting and rewarding career for myself.
I’m a passionate believer that recruitment is a career where if you put the effort in and are eager to learn you can build a life and skills base for yourself.
I think it is also important to invest in yourself and if you choose a career to continue your personal and professional development, which is why when the opportunity presented itself, I achieved Membership to the Institute of Recruitment Professionals and through continued service achieved Fellowship status.
Changes in recruitment
A lot has changed since I became a Recruitment Consultant in 2006.
When I stepped into the office on my first day in recruitment, fax machines were still commonplace.
CV marketing went through the post, with each having to be signed individually.
It was a micromanagement culture that was KPI-driven, there was no flexibility on hours or work locations.
And CVs were hidden away in drawers – never to be shared with colleagues.
How recruitment differs at Procurement Heads
Now, I’m fortunate to be a Head of Practice within an exceptionally talented business that has ambitious growth plans and is far removed from my first taste of recruitment almost 20 years ago.
Flexible and hybrid working is encouraged – we’re a business that works on trust and understands people are able to manage their own day and time.
We actively support each other – there’s no hiding good candidates away from colleagues, it’s a collaborative environment where we’re all encouraging each other to succeed.
We have an innovative marketing department that helps to automate our marketing channels and help drive sales and we utilise a comprehensive tech stack that helps to streamline admin-heavy tasks.
Procurement Heads’ is the most values-driven recruitment agency I’ve worked at, and that’s just one of the many reasons I’d encourage people to consider the opportunity we are recruiting.
The role of a Trainee Recruitment Consultant
The Trainee Recruitment Consultant role is an opportunity to break into the recruitment industry and work in our Industrial practice with some of the most innovative defence, manufacturing, engineering, and construction companies in the UK.
You don’t need prior recruitment experience as we can train skills and give you experience, but we need the right attitudes and behaviours.
If you’d like to know more about what your career at Procurement Heads might look like, I’d be happy to have an informal conversation – alternatively, you can find out why to join Procurement Heads by clicking here.
You can find out full details about the opportunity and apply for the role via the link below.
