Since joining Thompson & Terry Recruitment in 2019, straight after Graduation, my experience, skillset and knowledge has soared. Between graduate schemes, a promotion, COVID and furlough, recruitment itself has been a very interesting time. I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given, the career I am building and my manager, Ben, for always supporting me.

Graduate Scheme

The graduate programme at Thompson & Terry Recruitment is designed to teach young people exactly how to run a business and the good, bad and ugly of doing so from a very early stage in their career. With the support of the team, I began managing the administration, marketing and client support side of the business. Click here to find out more about how my career began and those crucial first few months.

Furlough and a Promotion?

Recruitment was an industry hit hard by the pandemic; it was a very uncertain time for many companies across the world. This included our own clients putting a freeze on their recruitment processes. We found ourselves very quiet and I was furloughed.

Since joining T&T, Ben always highlighted his passion and dedication for inspiring and developing young people and a global pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. After my short time on furlough, Ben and I began working towards my next goal and in January 2021 (after just 10 months of working) I was promoted to Junior Recruitment and Marketing Manager!

Following my promotion, I was to take on more responsibilities, which leads very nicely to the next part of my career.

Networking

I started networking as soon as I joined T&T, but following my promotion, I began regularly networking at OBCN where I have now developed some great connections and relationships with some fantastic business owners across Oxfordshire. My confidence is continuing to grow in networking and I genuinely look forward to networking meetings now (I never thought I’d say that!!)

What have I learned about recruitment?

Over the past 2 years of working within the recruitment industry, I have seen some real changes. Candidates historically used to base their next job purely on salary, but are now completely motivated by company culture. Lots of candidates are also now looking to work from home or at least have a hybrid working model. It is very much a candidate-driven market now. With companies struggling to recruit, there has never been an easier time for candidates to demand flexibility.

For more of an update on the employment market, my recent blog goes into more detail.

My advice

I am now working towards my next goal and promotion, continuing to gain more and more experience along the way and excited for what the future holds for me at Thompson & Terry Recruitment.

To any graduates reading this, my biggest advice to you is to make sure your first job after graduating is the right one. I see many CV’s every day of candidates who have rushed into a job, becoming ‘job-hoppy’ trying to find what suits them and not sure which direction they want their career to go.

Gaining solid experience after graduating is incredibly beneficial and will play a vital role in your development. After just 2 years in my role, I have had a promotion and working towards my next. I also have experience in recruitment, sales, marketing, administration, finance etc and now have the knowledge to run my own business (don’t worry Ben, I won’t be leaving anytime soon!). I also know which direction my career is heading and I have clear goals set out for me to achieve this.

If you want a confidential chat to help you understand which direction you want your career to head, then please message me!

E: aoife@thompsonandterry.co.uk
T: 01235 797 177