Hi everyone!
My internship at Global Talent 2020 recruitment consultancy has sadly now come to a close, and what a 6-months it has been. Embarking on this placement was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. I anticipated that I would learn a lot, but little did I know how invaluable this experience would be and the highs and lows I would face along the way. I have been exposed to every aspect of the recruitment process and have been taught how to handle myself professionally in a myriad of situations. In this blog, I will be sharing my personal journey over the course of my time here and how I have navigated through the challenges that came my way.
Why Global Talent 2020? Trying to find the perfect placement program is the bane of every student’s life; so when I secured a position with Global Talent 2020, I was overjoyed. From my first look at the company website, it was clear that this is a reputable company with upstanding values. This was proven when I met with the GT owners, Matthew Reeves and Andreas Maszczyk, along with the Senior Consultant, Ben Jones, throughout my interview process. They believe in adding a personal touch to recruitment which I thought was rare from what I had heard of the industry before. They place great emphasis on the fact that they are human, making their approach to recruitment more authentic and understanding of candidate’s and client’s needs. As a collective, they value building long-lasting relationships with both candidates and clients alike, which also appealed to me, as I felt this would help me grow my professional network. Within the first week, I was able to see firsthand that they truly live and breathe these values in their everyday work, and it confirmed to me that I had made the right decision, in choosing to carry out my placement with them.
My first month with the team was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. I had never been exposed to the recruitment industry prior to this, so I was starting completely from scratch. The team could not have been more understanding of this, constantly checking to make sure that my training was going at the right pace for me to fully comprehend it. I was taken through structured and detailed training to make sure that I had a sound understanding of the core values of the company and how to implement them into my work. My training was tailored and adapted to what would work best for me in my learning process. As the months went on, the stabilizers were gradually removed until I reached a point where I could carry out the process from start to finish on my own. The learning never ended though; every day uncovered a new obstacle that I could grow, and learn from.
Like everything, whilst there were many highs throughout this experience, this was also accompanied by some lows. As a recruiter, you face daily rejection from both clients and candidates which can be a hard pill to swallow in the beginning. When you feel you have found the perfect candidate, but your client rejects them, it can be deeply frustrating and disheartening. However, the team was there to remind me that this is an inevitable part of the recruitment process, and it taught me resilience. Another obstacle I faced was a candidate not accepting a job offer straight away. This is equally frustrating, but I had the constant guidance of the team at GT 2020, on how to handle a situation like that, and this taught me the importance of perseverance. Every low point was used as a learning curve and was inevitably what shaped my performance with the company. Mistakes and misfortune were not deprecated but rather used to fuel my development in this internship.
On the whole, the highs definitely outweighed the lows that I experienced. Reflecting back on my time with the company, I can confidently say that this has been the highlight and most useful part of my university education thus far. I had the opportunity to be mentored and work alongside recruitment experts who are seasoned professionals in their industry. They very generously shared their knowledge with me and really wanted to see me succeed. This allowed me to observe the best practices and develop my skills in a supportive environment. It is because of this that I was able to successfully place multiple candidates in jobs which is the greatest achievement I will take away from this experience, knowing that I have helped others develop their careers.
Another high for me is the meaningful connections I have made throughout my internship. I had the chance to interact and work with a diverse array of candidates and clients. This taught me how to effectively communicate with different personalities which is a skill I can transfer to all other aspects of my life. I was also able to grow my professional network which I think will prove to be invaluable for me once I complete my degree.
Yet the most meaningful relationships I made during this experience are those with the team at GT 2020. The way we gelled as a team over the past 6 months is one thing that I did not anticipate before starting here. It was never ‘every man for themselves’, but always ‘all for one and one for all’. The environment created at the office every day was uplifting and supportive and this made the experience all that more enjoyable. I cannot thank Matthew, Ben, Astra, and Andreas enough for the time and effort they poured into my development which will aid me not only in my journey towards my degree but also throughout my life in general. I will count myself lucky to ever have relationships like these again in any future workplace.
Kind regards,
Jodi
