My recruitment journey so far...

Beginning a new career can be daunting to say the least, but there comes a time when you get the ‘itch’ to move on, whether it be for more opportunity, a simple change of career or just to challenge yourself in a new role.

This was no different for myself when beginning the search to become a recruitment consultant. Having previous experience in a professional setting with sales and client relations, I felt my skills where fairly transparent to the new role I wanted to take on. The main goal I gave myself was to learn about the numerous recruitment companies within the Dublin region and find the one that would give me the best kick-start in my new career, but also a company that would represent me well. One company that consistently showed up on my search was Morgan McKinley, a well-established global consultant company that looks beyond the CV and into the potential of their candidates and future employees.

While going through the interview process, a general sense of professionalism always came to the forefront when dealing with the staff at Morgan McKinley. Having been a referral into the business it was a great way to get the ball rolling on my new start but also a great way to find out about the real culture of the company. My first point of contact was a short and friendly phone call with the Talent Acquisition Specialist within Morgan McKinley, giving me the opportunity to find out more about the role. This was a great opportunity for me to ask questions but also to make sure the role and company was a good fit me. My first face-to-face interview was a couple of days later, which gave me a great insight into the different departments within the company such as IT, Finance, Accounting and La Crème. Following a successful first round, I received a very quick response for my second interview where I met with the manager of the team I was ultimately going to be placed on. Having been made very aware of the job spec and the industry I was going to be working in I was happy that this was going to be the right fit for me.

When joining the team in Morgan McKinley, I had a very warm welcome into the office, meeting most of the staff within my first two days. My overall impression of the company, their staff and how everyone communicated with each other was just an overall sense of friendliness amongst one another. Everyone who noticed me being a new face in the office was only more than happy to offer me a handshake and welcome me in. Being able to come in and make my breakfast in the morning and grab a cup of coffee before heading to my desk at 9am is such a nice start to the day, certainly not what I’ve been used to. Within the ‘big team’ I work with a sub team of 8 people who have been consistently helpful with my training and always giving me a ‘heads up’ on the norm of day-to-day processes. On my first day I was treated to lunch and numerous coffee meetings along with a ‘buddy’ to help me settle in which was more than I could have expected. My first few days have been great, I have a training log which I work through with my team mates on a daily basis but mainly shadowing into interviews, calls, asking questions and taking notes. Overall I have been given a great insight into how Morgan McKinley operate their business and what’s important to them on a daily basis.

I think when looking for a new career it is very important to understand the company’s culture you are going to be going into and that you fully understand the role which you will be doing. Other important factors I found important about Morgan McKinley’s culture is a work/life balance and how the staff integrate with each other, whether it is very individual or more team orientated. Hopefully I can now take my own advice on board and pass onto my own future candidates who ultimately get the ‘itch’ to make a move.

Donal O'Sullivan | Consultant, Financial Services, Dublin