How did you get into recruitment?
In 2016, I went to Australia to travel, and over the course of the next four years, I worked for two recruitment agencies. I quickly realised that I enjoyed working with candidates, the fast-paced environment of recruitment and I particularly loved sourcing roles within the Construction sector. That’s why when I returned home in 2019, I knew I wanted to continue building a career in recruitment. Over the past five years, I’ve continued to refine my skills at Coleman James.
How has your career at Coleman James developed over the past five years? What have you learned?
From day one, I knew Coleman James was the recruitment firm for me. It was still a relatively new business then, and I could picture myself growing alongside it.
Initially, I worked as a Recruitment Consultant in the Civil Engineering Division until an opportunity to transfer to the Construction Division came up, and I’ve never looked back.
While it did take me a while to fully understand and navigate the UK Construction sector - which is markedly different from Australia’s - I had the full backing of Beth Cullen, Director of Construction and Civil Engineering, and Stuart Ashton, Construction Managing Consultant. Their invaluable sector insights and practical support enabled me to quickly build my confidence and sector knowledge.
Now, as a Senior Consultant, I’m proud to be the person the team asks for support and to help drive the growth of the Construction Division. Over the years, I’ve had several professional milestones, but the best one so far has to be achieving my biggest month of placements yet in March of this year.
I’ve been able to achieve my goals thanks to my great support network, colleagues, friends and family. Setting and hitting incremental targets has allowed me to keep on improving and pushing forward.
One key lesson has been reflecting, to understand why things might have happened and what to do next time to improve. I’ve also found building my in-depth sector knowledge boosts my confidence. Last, but not least, the power of networking has been a vital lesson and is a part of the job that I enjoy.
How has Coleman James supported your development?
Both Beth and Stuart have played a huge role in my development at Coleman James. To this day, I still ask Stuart questions to learn from his wealth of experience. Beth inspires me to keep delivering customer excellence day in and day out. Knowing that they have both got my back and best interests at heart gives me the confidence to keep learning, growing, and working towards my next goal.
Everyone across the business is extremely supportive. The team here genuinely wants to see each other develop and succeed. The business has invested in our training and development over the last 5 years. I am a Mental Health First Aider, and i3 profiling has helped increase my self-awareness and how I communicate with others. Also, working with Sophie and Jemma, who both help with our training, has been great for ongoing areas of support.
How did you develop your specialist Construction sector knowledge?
By asking a lot of questions over the years to my colleagues and clients. Working alongside clients and candidates you learn a lot. I have spent numerous days at clients’ premises and on-site, which has bolstered my knowledge. Beth has also invested time in my development, sharing her knowledge of the industry with me, which has proven invaluable.
How has the Construction industry changed over the past five years?
Sustainability and Social Value within Construction are now two key themes. With the industry's commitment to Net Zero and decarbonisation, clients are striving to lower their carbon footprint and are dedicated to ensuring projects benefit both the local and wider community.
Following the pandemic, inflation, interest rates and the new-build housing market slowed down significantly. However, I predict this will change over the next 18 months. In the meantime, the commercial building market is still going strong, and there’s an increasing demand for roles within the data centre and pharmaceutical industries. This opens up more opportunities for those who want to work in Construction.
What do you enjoy most about working at Coleman James?
For me, it is the team. Our trip to Croatia was amazing and it was lovely to get the whole company at Coleman James together. We were set a target, and we came together to smash it, earning ourselves the trip to remember.
We all work hard, laugh (a lot), and support each other to succeed day in and day out. Everyone is lovely and plays their part, from our specialist recruiters to our amazing Operations Team.
There is also so much opportunity at Coleman James. Even when you’ve been here as long as I have, there’s still so much to learn, and thanks to the business’s clear development pathway, I know what I need to do in order to reach that next promotion.
What is your ‘golden’ piece of advice for candidates?
Be open, honest, and transparent. This helps us to fully understand you as an individual - your personal needs, career goals and aspirations - and to find the right role for you. If you have specific needs or questions about an opportunity, you should be able to raise them with your recruitment consultant. That’s why at Coleman James we talk, but most importantly, we listen to our candidates.