Taking the decision to move to a new recruitment agency is never one that an established recruiter will take lightly…
The decision to change roles is usually motivated by a number of factors but, for recruitment professionals in particular, there are certain benefits, considerations and motivators that will hold higher stock than others when it comes to selecting your next company.
We spoke to our Managing Consultant for Insurance, Marion Errington to find out more about her experience of joining Heat as an experienced recruiter and to find out what her top priorities were when deciding to make the move to a new agency.
Tech suite & Resources
For any consultant looking to make a career move, the tech suite, level of support and resources, available to make your working day easier should be top of the list. Equally, the commission structure and money-making opportunity is high on the list of key factors that influence the decision-making process.
“I’m a massive advocate for Heat as a business because, for me, the infrastructure, autonomy, commission, and what they give consultants to utilise is unlike anything else in the market. The tech suite is fantastic. When you come in in the morning, you open your laptop, and you know that there will be CVs there and people to talk to. All of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, the level of support is unparalleled. Whoever you are within the business, the support is the same for everyone.”
Culture
Whilst culture is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when making any decision around career moves, it is equally the consideration that is most difficult to quantify. Whilst most agencies will claim they have an excellent culture, it’s important to do your research into the agency you are planning to join to ensure their actions speak as loud as their words.
“A lot of companies like to say this, but everyone really does get on with everyone, and you easily build friendships across teams. You feel like people are truly backing you, even when you’re having a tough time of it. Not once have I felt pressured, undervalued, or forgotten about by anyone. At my last agency, it was the opposite: in fact, often in other agencies, you will be gotten rid of as soon as the money stops coming in. Any consultant that is struggling, it’s always hard to watch. But it’s all about getting them back into a good place, and into a place of confidence – Heat are there to do that. There’s someone to guide you and say, ‘okay, you’ve had some bad weeks, but what was going well for you before? Let’s strip things back, go back to that, and put a plan in place.’ You don’t have someone standing over you, hassling you and nagging you. Heat listens when you have a problem or when something’s going wrong. It all gets fixed and resolved. They’re not stuck in their ways, they’re actually embracing change, and you are listened to. There are no closed-door policies – unless there’s a meeting going on, directors’ doors are always open. In my experience, in a lot of recruitment agencies, there’s usually always someone at the top who will go out of their way to make your life a misery, whether that’s the director, or the top biller. It’s not like that here at all, it’s refreshing.”
Remote Culture
As the world and times have changed, remote working has become a major consideration for anyone looking to make a move. Joining a business as a fully-remote recruiter will undoubtedly have its challenges, so it’s important to know you’re making a move to a business that has put time and thought into building a remote culture that is inclusive and involving and feels like an extension of the existing business. As a fully remote worker herself, Marion shared her thoughts on the remote worker experience at Heat:
“The people make it– I’m not in the office often, but when I am, the people are amazing. Everyone makes such an effort to make you feel welcome. On heat days I will be approached by everyone in the whole business to have a conversation. Everyone will come and introduce themselves, and they’re so happy to meet you. For a remote worker, it’s so nice to be regarded within the company and not just be somebody who isn’t in the office. I think that scares experienced consultants away, the fact that people might struggle not being part of the bigger organisation. It’s trying to tell people that it’s not like that at all– I know 100% that I can teams call anyone in the business, and I’ll get as much of a warm welcome as when I’m sat in the office.”
Progression
The path to progression looks different depending on your career aspirations and goals. An important consideration when looking to make a move to a new agency is whether or not this move will involve a change in title, whether that be the opportunity to be promoted or to take your career in a different route. For Marion, management was always a goal, and moving to Heat meant having the opportunity to move into this role. She was able to be promoted to Managing Consultant within 6 months.