Why I left my communications job for a career in recruitment

A few weeks ago, I left my job in communications to start a career in recruitment. Since then, I have had many people asking me why I made the move. Let me explain… After just over a month working as a Senior Consultant at Hanson Search I believe that I have found my calling! It all started with me looking at my twenty four years of experience in marketing and communications in the corporate world, in-house and agency-side. I was ready to do something different, but wanted to use the skills that I spent all those years honing. I came across an ad from Hanson Search, or rather the catchline ‘Are you a marketing or communications professional? Ever thought about recruitment?’ I remember thinking, ‘why not? I have the market knowledge, I’ve recruited my own teams and I have a great network.’ It was an obvious move for me. It’s been a more natural shift than I would have thought. It is easy for me to approach and visit with clients. When they start speaking about the industry, we are on the same page, we speak the same ‘language.’ I can relate to them and we tend to know a lot of the same people. They don’t have to go into too much detail regarding the profile of the candidate they’re seeking, as I have a tendency to jump in, offering examples, through my experience, to illustrate the profile. I am also able to tap into my own network, and the more specialized the role is, the easier it is for me to identify the right person. For example, the other day, I was sitting with a client, discussing the role he needed. It was a very specific one. I mentioned a similar role we had when I was heading up the Reckitt Benckiser account for RUMEA region at Havas ME and my experience on the client side at Yellow Pages in Paris. He was immediately reassured and confident in my ability to find what, or who, he was looking for. I placed my first candidate after three weeks in my new role, through my own network. Recruiting in the sector that I have always worked in has opened up many doors and opportunities for me, more than I expected, more quickly than I could have imagined. The challenge for me is perhaps the mind-set: going from a monthly salary to a commission-based salary. Therefore I need to have my sales hat on! But the ability to recruit worldwide and not be restricted to the UAE is why Hanson Search, being a global consultancy, was the obvious choice for me. I believe the key to success in recruitment is a combination of expertise, adaptability and flexibility. If you have the expertise and the ability to adapt, adjust your goals and quickly change course or focus, then you can thrive. As the MENA market is hugely contingency driven, Hanson Search has great potential in this part of the world and particularly in the marketing and communications markets where it already has fourteen years of success in Europe. The Middle East Job Index survey reveals that 72% of Dubai’s employers are planning to hire within the next twelve months. Further, the survey indicates that three-quarters of employers in Dubai will be hiring within the next several months, looking to fill many positions within their organizations. Get in touch If you’re looking to grow your business or transform your career in marketing or communications, I would love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for a confidential chat via LinkedIn below or email on NikkiS@hansonsearch.com.