Are you a people person who likes working in a fast-paced environment? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in recruitment? Take a sneak peek into a typical day in the life of Jessica Currey - a Recruiter at Kennedy Reid.
6.10am – Alarm goes off. Snooze it.
6.15am – Alarm goes off. Snooze it.
6.25am – Alarm goes off. Get out of bed. I put on music before I hop into the shower. I play Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. (Listen if you haven’t!). I almost never pack lunch and this morning my partner’s brought me oats for breakfast. My muesli recipe is oats, nuts, seeds, banana, milk and yoghurt. Smash that and make some tea. Never finish drinking it. Leave the cup in room. Deal with it later. Put my KeepCup in my bag.
7.15am – Leave home. It takes me a half hour to walk to work. There’s this one street we walk where the trees overarch us. It feels like you’re in Narnia. On Oxford Street, there are lots going on – very busy. Make my usual stop at Simon Says Juice – get a banana cinnamon smoothie. Yum. On this stroll, I’m thinking of the things I need to do today. There’s something about walking through Hyde Park and seeing the ANZAC monuments that give me goosebumps.
8.00am – Arrive at the office early. Feeling excited because I met a candidate the night before who I think could be an excellent placement for a client. Going into work this morning with good vibes. First things to do: sit down, check emails, make tea.
8.30am – Business Support Meeting with the team. Sometimes meeting begins as a structured discussion about the current crop of candidates. Other times the team will debrief me on the recent episode of Married at First Sight. Don’t even watch the show but I know everything that goes on.
9.00am – Time to check in on candidates. Got 4 calls to make. 3 calls to candidates who got interviews (yay!), 1 call to a candidate who has been rejected by the client (not so yay).
10.00am – Interview with a candidate. Already phone screened the candidate so will be interesting to see if first impressions formed over phone match in-person interview. Part of the job requires strong analytical skills. You need to be able to judge character. There are questions you need to ask, but it’s up to you to hone in from there.
10.45am – Interview end. Candidate is great, presents well. But the role isn’t a good fit. Agree to explore broader options with candidate and where they could be placed in future. Debrief Bronte, the Account Manager. Great thing about working at KR is I can collaborate, not just with my manager, but with my colleagues.
11.00am – A client wants an interview! Send another candidate off to a client.
11.30am – 1.40pm – Sourcing time. This is when I find candidates to fill new jobs and lock in interviews. Working at my stand-up desk. Headset on and I’m in the zone. Really enjoy speaking to candidates. Love the small talk and gives me the opportunity to stay informed on the marketplace as it is now. Between calls I have lunch. Today I dig into my stash of oats and granola mix. #livingfrugally
1.45pm – Candidate coming in soon. Print off their resume, make some last-minute notes and check meeting room is empty. Hope they turn up.
2.00pm – Candidate shows up. They’re really great for the role and keen to start. I put forward their resume to the client.
3.50pm – Another candidate interview. Candidate interrupts a lot. Doesn’t have the right attitude.
5.00pm – Follow up with my 2 candidates from earlier today, and update clients. Before leaving, I have final bits of admin to do: update our database, edit interview notes, tidy desk, snack on nuts. Much prefer resourcing as not admin inclined.
5.30pm –Leaving time! Walk home with my partner. Tonight I’m tired and can’t be bothered cooking. We get falafel kebabs (amazing) from a place on Oxford Street. At home and we catch up with our flatmates.
7.00pm – Evening run. I usually make time for a run after work.
9.00pm – Forget being a party animal. I go to bed. Deal with leftover tea.
Many thanks to Jess for giving us a peek into her working day.
If you’re interested in a career in recruitment, you can find more information on our website, or follow us on LinkedIn.