I Didn’t Plan a Career in Recruitment — Here’s What It Taught Me (so far)

From a chance conversation to a career in recruitment

I didn’t plan to work in recruitment.

I got into it through a conversation with a lad I played football with. I knew he owned a recruitment business and, almost off-hand, I said: “I fancy a change — do you have anything?”

At the time, I wanted to move into a more people-focused role. I had HR in mind and saw recruitment as a good transition.

Before that, I worked in the finance department at Estée Lauder — my first job.

A multi-billion-dollar global corporate.

Moving from that environment into an SME recruitment business was a genuine culture shock. At a young age, it’s easy to think the corporate bubble represents how most UK businesses operate. It doesn’t.

Recruitment introduced me very quickly to the real economy.

My first lesson: people don’t always turn up

I started in high-volume manufacturing temp recruitment — to say I was baffled and my brain got fried was an understatement.

The number of people who went through the full process of getting a job… and then just didn’t show up for work genuinely surprised me.

But I never came close to packing it in.

I actually welcomed the pressure and rejection. My mindset was simple:

- We only need a few “yeses” a day to be successful — keep driving for those.

What I didn’t understand at the start was how critical temporary workers are to businesses — especially on production lines during seasonal spikes. When flexibility matters, temps are the business.

I remember being hammered by a client, in front of other suppliers, over a couple of no-shows in key areas.

That moment humbled me very early on — and taught me fast.

Urgency changes everything

I later moved into commercial office-based recruitment, covering a colleague’s maternity leave.

That experience changed my trajectory.

I trebled the temp desk and started to build permanent placements properly. The urgency I learned in manufacturing stayed with me — and it shaped how I worked.

Recruitment fundamentals haven’t changed:

· urgency

· accountability

· relationships

· trust

But the industry has evolved massively.

Technology now impacts recruitment more than ever — yet I often feel the urgency to hire isn’t what it used to be.

Maybe businesses are being more careful.

Maybe there are more layers in decision-making.

Maybe processes have slowed, even though we have more tools to speed them up.

That’s something I still think about a lot.

One thing hasn’t changed though: Relationships matter as much as they ever did.

Learning from people, not just processes

I was lucky to work alongside some very different consultants and leaders, all with their own approaches. I took pieces from each of them and built my own way of working.

Since then, I’ve progressed from:

· Trainee

· Consultant

· Division manager

· Director / Owner

And every stage taught me something different — about people, pressure, expectations and decision-making.

Why I’m sharing this now

I recently posted about a colleague celebrating their first year in recruitment, and it got me reflecting on my own journey.

This post — and this newsletter — is for:

· Hiring managers and HR leaders navigating change and pressure

· TA teams balancing pace, process and quality

· Recruiters building sustainable, relationship-led careers

· Anyone wanting a clearer view of how recruitment really works in practice

If you’re hiring, advising on hiring, or simply want a more honest conversation about recruitment — my DMs are open.

And finally — credit where it’s due — this was my wife’s idea, so thank you Sophie for the nudge.

If you’ve had a similar journey, or see recruitment differently today than when you started, I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

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