Recruitment & Job Hunting. London

Hi everybody!

Today I want to talk about job hunting in London. To be honest, I want to talk about my own experience of living and working in London. Just like a small talk, you know. A monologue if you would. Tips for the newcomers provided below.

Well, to begin with, on my exploration of a recruitment job I started at the end of 2018. I came back after a long break from London, spending my summer holidays in mystical and calming Edinburgh. My goal was to find a job within a month in the field that would make sense to me. As I studied selection process within my masters in organisational psychology, it felt like a great idea. Also, I believed I needed to improve my sales skills. In November it all began.

It was fast-paced, rushed, an incredibly busy environment and entirely hands-on with the processes. Imagine, you’ve been thrown out of a helicopter into a stormy ocean. You need to breathe, minimise panicking, act quickly and look for a help. Imagined? Okay, that’s how I felt the first month. But, at the same time, I generated so much energy and excitement through meeting people from different countries and listening to their stories. At the beginning, it’s all about digesting the processes and understanding what makes someone stand out, recognising strengths and what those people are looking for.

When I started, I naively believed that recruitment is about helping candidates. After some time, I realised the focus is on the vacancy closure first and foremost, and on matching the vacancy with the right candidate.

Here are some tips for potential candidates thinking about approaching a recruitment agent:

• Be friendly. Come to the meeting if you have agreed to come.
• Tell stories. If you write in your CV that you are a great team player — have a couple of examples under your belt in case you will be asked to give examples.
• Answer the questions and avoid sharing your personal life story.
• Know what you want. At least from the job. An answer “any job” may lead to a “not placeable” stamp on your CV.
• If you’re not sure about the salary, browse online beforehand to see what’s offered on the market.
• Pretty much all your previous experience won’t matter. In the UK the employers (mostly) only recognise UK experience. There are some exceptions, however.
• If you apply for a particular role — adapt your CV accordingly. Nobody will think what’s between the lines if you just write a title and a couple of responsibilities.
• Two pages are enough for a CV.

If you arrived in London and are seeking a job, do the proper research. Register with agencies, get temp or voluntary work, pay a consultant to guide you, ask people about their journeys, gather some ideas. Information and understanding of the local job market will help you not to fall onto the trap of diminishing your own abilities. People will tell their stories if you ask. We all have started here from something. Step by step create a network and get some experience, anyone can find their own path of building a meaningful career in a city full of opportunities. Allow some time and be kind to yourself.