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Recruitment Agent

At work with Des Atwood, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Smilers Selection, Rondebosch, Cape Town.

Career Planet (CP): How long have you been employed at Smilers?

Des Atwood (DA): 5 years

 

CP: Give a short description of your job

DA: To accurately identify what skills set and personality type would best suit my clients’ requirements.  To advertise, network, screen, interview, ‘skills assess’ and ‘background check’ applicants.  To secure new clients by marketing my company’s services via face to face meetings and presentations.  To always keep my promises and ensure that my clients’ and my candidates receive premium service.

 

CP: Did you have an idea of the type of career you wanted to follow When you were at school

DA: I wanted to be a professional ballet dancer.

 

     CP: Have you ever followed this type of career path?

DA: No.

 

     What other jobs have you had along the way?

DA: I co-managed a shelter for abused women and children for 5 years for Rape Crisis.  I was a PA to the Partner-in-Charge of one of the ‘big 5’ accounting firms for 6 years.  I taught art at the Cape Town School of Fashion Design and ran my own business teaching fabric painting, furniture restoration and paint effects.  I was also part of setting up the Cape Town branch of an international offshore investment company and co-managed all the related admin, national conferences and compliance training of brokers.

 

     CP: What did you study, and what qualifications do you have?

DA: I studied ballet at UCT but I don’t have any formal qualifications.  I have a counselor’s diploma from Rape Crisis and a Hip Hop Funk Dancing Level 6 Diploma.  I also have an IPSC (Institute of Personnel Service Consultants) accreditation.

 

     CP: What made you decide to choose that path of study?

DA: I loved dancing but realized that it was not a viable career option for me.  The IPSC accreditation allowed me to combine my communication and marketing skills and the counselor’s diploma helped me to understand, empathize and pro-actively want to assist people.

 

     CP: Have you ever job shadowed?  If so, what kind, and where?

DA: No, not really.  I once thought that I wanted to work in the advertising field and lasted exactly three weeks!  I found the environment false and the people too egotistical.

 

     CP: Have you ever done any volunteer work to gain experience?

DA: I was a Rape Crisis volunteer before I was offered the opportunity to work for the organization.

 

     CP: Do you work office hours or flexi-time?

DA: I work office hours but depending on how busy I am, I also work after hours and sometimes on weekends.  Being in recruitment means you are never really “off duty”.  You might encounter a fantastic waiter at a restaurant and give him/her your business card which could turn out to be your next placement.  You are constantly networking and meeting new people who in most cases, when they hear what you do for a living, are either wanting to change careers or are looking for skilled staff.

 

     CP: Please describe how a typical working day progresses.

DA: I get to the office just before 8am.  I read through all my emails whilst I eat my Jungle Oats!  I will either have applicants to interview or clients or prospective clients to visit.  I do a lot of telephonic liaison, research and marketing with clients, candidates and industry contacts.  I also counsel candidates and clients - often clients need advice on how they should structure salary packages, identify key performance areas for new staff; restructure their current staffing complement, etc.  Candidates often need career guidance advice and assistance with their CV content and layout, etc.  I’m also an APSO (Association of Personnel Services Organisations) committee member and hold the PR portfolio in the Western Cape.  This involves quite a bit of voluntary time attending meetings, keeping up to date with media coverage of our industry to ensure that APSO achieves maximum brand exposure, attending training courses and networking functions.

 

     CP: Do you work in a relaxed or an informal environment?

DA: I would describe it as a friendly, relaxed yet professional environment.

 

     CP: What is the dress code for your job?

DA: Corporate.  On a Friday I sometimes sneak on jeans!

 

     CP: Are you satisfied with the salary you are earning?

DA: Yes.

 

     CP: Does your job restrict you to a certain geographical area?

DA: No, by utilizing the latest communications technology, we are able to recruit all over the world.

 

     CP: Is your job restricted to a specific gender?

DA: No, definitely not.

 

     CP: Describe the kind of person that you think most suits this type of work.

DA: Driven, self motivated, a sound sense of personal morals and ethics, excellent communication skills, genuine caring and compassionate personality, good time management, well developed admin skills, genuine love of people and an enquiring mind, all helps!  Human beings can be complex and trying so nerves of steel, the patience of a saint and a sense of humour are personal traits all recruiters strive for!

 

     CP: What is the best reward this job has given you?

DA: It has allowed me to develop my “gut instinct” and my spirit of “non compromise” particularly when it comes to sticking to my own set of morals and standards.  

 

     CP: Is there anything you’d like to change about your working conditions?

DA: No, except the stress levels can get a bit hectic at times!

 

     CP: Do you have hobbies?

DA: Plenty!  I love to spend time with my husband, my children, my family and my friends.  I dance for fun, create artworks together with my husband, sew, hike in the mountains, read, entertain and generally try to enjoy each day!  My latest goals are to run a 10km marathon by next year and to start surfing again.

 

     CP:Any advice for those thinking of following a similar professional route?

DA: Don’t ever think the recruitment industry is for sissies – it’s hard work which requires relentlessly high energy levels and a genuine commitment to service excellence!  It’s also very much a sales driven environment, in that EVERYTHING we do is related to selling – selling career opportunities to candidates, selling candidates to clients, selling our services to candidates and clients, etc, etc.  It’s a never ending selling cycle!  We also have a large volume of admin related functions to fulfill, an evil but vital necessity in that without logical systems and accurate record keeping, we would not function efficiently or effectively.

 

 

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