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Diary of a Recruitment Consultant – Helen Burnham
August 4th, 2010 by Simon Haddock
Helen Burnham, HSQE Recruitment Consultant recounts recent events in the world of Resourcing Solutions.
Week One
The week gets off to a flying start with some new vacancies released to us by one of our biggest clients. They have finally received the go-ahead from the government for a £multi-billion transport contract in London, and that means that they need help with resourcing the project. The team are going to be extremely busy sourcing Health and Safety professionals with a solid background and experience in civil engineering.
My new married name is causing some confusion among candidates and clients, who are calling the office to ask where Helen Gotts has gone! Rest assured I am still at Resourcing Solutions, (albeit with a new name) and am about to celebrate my eighth year in safety recruitment.
Week Two
This week we hear that Resourcing Solutions has successfully passed a recertification of one of our critical standards. This recertification is something to celebrate at Resourcing Solutions, as this has provided us with a wider scope due to new and interesting protocols. This means that we are still one of the leading recruitment businesses in the UK to be authorised to sponsor and supply safety critical staff to the UK rail industry. Rail engineering is a core part of our business, and one that is always going to require safety experts due to the highly regulated and hazardous nature of the work.
Week Three
An exciting start to the week as some of our major UK clients announce that they are winning tenders for work elsewhere in the world. This means having to assist with the mobilisation of degree-educated SQE professionals who are interested in moving out of their comfort zone and join projects in places like Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. I wonder if this means that the rest of the world is starting to take occupational health and welfare as seriously as the UK does?
Week Four
It’s been a challenging week so far. The level of excellent candidates available is still outweighing the demand. Many of our clients tell us that they would happily recruit more safety professionals, but that they are restricted by budgetary complaints or a lack of new project awards. Also challenging is the number of candidates trying to reinvent themselves as safety practitioners (often when their skill sets lie elsewhere), or people with the NGC seeking their first role in safety. Currently, whilst clients are insistent on the highest possible qualifications with extensive experience, many entry-level candidates are finding it tough. We offer advice on CV presentation and interview technique, and advise these candidates to continue their CPD, whilst being alert to every possible opportunity to gain some work experience.
Week Five
Despite having worked in recruitment for quite some time, human behaviour never fails to surprise me. Although we coach candidates on interview performance and what to expect in this kind of situation, one gentleman uses his interview slot as the opportunity to offload all his gripes and grievances about his current employer, and even gave detailed explanations of some more sensitive issues in his personal life. Needless to say, the interviewer did not add this candidate to the shortlist for a second interview.
On a happier note, we receive an email with the details of the 2010 SHP Awards. I have attended every SHP award ceremony since the launch of this event, and always enjoy getting dressed up and meeting the people I deal with every day.
Week Six
The rewards of our efforts over the past few weeks are starting to come to fruition. We are booking interviews and receiving offers for a variety of roles both in the UK and internationally. Whilst a client will never feed back at the speed at which a candidate would like them to, we are certainly moving in the right direction.
There is something very satisfying about their next career move, and at the same time using our network to introduce our clients to new talent. Now, if only I could land a client visit to the Caribbean, rather than a portakabin in Croydon.
If you are a Health and Safety Professional looking for that next career move, then you can contact Helen on 0118 932 0100 or email hb@resourcing-solutions.com
Tags: health and safety jobs, Health and safety recruitment, HSE recruitment, international safety jobs, rail safety, rail safety jobs, Resourcing Solutions, RSL, safety jobs, safety recruitment, SHP. HSQE recruitment, SQE jobs