My name is Evie Carter and I started in my role in Sparktel in September 2021 as a recruitment consultant. I’ve had a challenging but ultimately very rewarding time. After completing my undergraduate degree in Business Studies and Spanish in May 2021, I found myself in a place of uncertainty and worry about what my future career would look like. Having spent a few months scanning job postings online both in Ireland and in Spain, I came across this opportunity with Sparktel. Through multiple interviews and meeting the Sparktel team, I was delighted when I was offered the position. This past year has been a steep learning curve. I am in a career that I had never really considered prior to joining Sparktel, but it is a career I can envisage myself doing for many years ahead. It would be hard to accumulate everything I have learned into this short blog, but below are some of the most notable things.
Interacting with people lies at the core of a recruiter’s work. People are complex and working with a wide variety of cultures and occupations can be difficult. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to hone my skills in this area, especially when it comes to evaluating peoples’ skills and qualities to suit them to a role. Taking part in face to face and online interviews has really provided a boost to my interpersonal skills. We all know the stress and pressure that comes with having a job interview, and over the past year I’ve learned to help put candidates at ease and put their best foot forward. Its certainly rewarding to see a nervous candidate settle and perform well and I feel it’s one way I can use my role to help people.
Dealing with international applicants has meant I am able to put my language skills to use on a day-to-day basis. Facilitating the move of an international candidate into the country comes with its own challenges and I have seen a great improvement in my management of logistics when organising airport transfers, accommodation and even transport from home to work for the candidates.
I’ve learned that this job requires resilience at times. Sometimes applicants may have a last-minute change of heart or not settle in the workplace. This can be disheartening and sometimes feels like you’ve been pushed back to square one after spending weeks organising their start. It can be a difficult phone call to the employer to let them know the candidate has withdrawn and adds pressure to try and fill the role. It’s times like these where I am thankful to be able rely heavily on the friendly and supportive atmosphere in the Sparktel office.
As much as I like to help people and see a successful candidate through, the role sometimes requires me to deliver bad news. When a candidate is not successful in finding a role, it can be difficult to communicate that. I’ve learned to be honest and direct, especially when providing feedback about their performance at interview. Being honest in this situation can be a real challenge but I’ve learned that it ultimately helps a candidate with future applications. This is also true when informing a client that I have been unable to find them a suitable candidate for the role. These situations have helped me learn to communicate professionally and provide a high standard of customer service.
A year in and I still find myself getting used to salary negotiations. Although deciding on a salary is not the responsibility of the recruiter, I still find it unnerving at times. I’ve learned that it’s important to clearly understand and communicate the desires and expectations of both parties. This requires a high level of organisation and once again relies heavily on interpersonal skills.
Looking back to this time last year, I never would have predicted that I would be working in such an exciting yet challenging role. I hope to develop my skills further over the coming years and to learn more from the dynamic team around me in Sparktel.