What does it take to progress quickly at Stanton House?
I joined Stanton House in May 2017 after working with a competing recruitment agency for five years.
I had been in touch with Lee Costello (Current Managing Director) on and off over the years. Funnily enough, I was considering leaving agency to go inhouse when I planned to meet Lee for the last time - only to tap into his inhouse contacts - which I was honest with him about! However, after a three-hour meeting, he simply asked me whether I had fallen out of love with recruitment or with my current employer - the rest is history!
I joined as a Principal Consultant reporting into Lee, having voiced my interest in management during the recruitment process.
Proving myself and expanding my responsibilities
After gaining a good understanding of the business, I was given clear goals to progress to Manager level. Within six months I was promoted and then managed the permanent Finance team in Reading for two years. My role then expanded further, and I was given the responsibility of building a team to extend our coverage across Surrey and Sussex.
In 2019, I achieved a personal best in terms of billings and my team overachieved their billing target for a second year running. This meant we secured a spot on the high achievers’ trip once again, which was a great accomplishment for us all and made me very proud.
I feel that i have been given the opportunity to really develop into a management role here at Stanton House and I have the autonomy and space to not only to develop myself, but also my team. I love working for Stanton House because I constantly feel challenged, in a positive way.
Seizing the opportunity to learn from a ‘feedback’ culture
I have always been proactive about my own development and I love working for a growing business that does not limit development because of a rigid structure.
In my opinion, the training at Stanton House is second to none. Not only is there a full 26-week training programme for Associate Consultants, who have no or little recruitment experience, but for experienced Consultants and Managers there is also a plethora of training and self-development opportunities available. I personally feel that I have become a better recruiter, negotiator and leader and I put this down to the ingrained feedback culture here.
It is never easy receiving constructive feedback but taking that on and then making changes in my process or approach is a skill that I have learned at Stanton House. I have certainly become more empathetic, self-aware and resilient both in my professional and personal life.
What you put in is what you get out
It’s said a lot about working in recruitment, but in my experience, it is absolutely true - the more you put in - the more you will be rewarded.
One of the things I find most rewarding is training consultants with no experience to become 360 recruiters and celebrating in their many break throughs and successes.
I also love being able to have an impact on our ways of working. The senior management team here are always open to new ideas and suggestions. Recently, I have been involved in training teams on best practice across a multitude of processes which is something I have really enjoyed. I am also proud to have hosted events for our clients including our Women in Business series which brought together groups of senior women to discuss how they can develop confidence to ensure they have a voice at the table.
There’s also a lot of recognition and praise for outstanding performance at Stanton House. We have quarterly lunch clubs that you can win a seat on (if you hit certain criteria) as well as an annual high achievers’ trip. More importantly however, I would say that the leadership team are all very good at calling out individual performance in the moment and sharing feedback with the rest of the company.
My team and I have been on the receiving end of all these initiatives and it makes the hard work all the more worth it. Sometimes praise can mean so much more than a commission cheque at the end of a quarter - although those are good too!
Adapting to the new era of remote working
Personally, I have loved working from home. Although I am very self-motivated and focused when in the office, I have found that having less distraction around me has allowed me to be even more productive. It has also made me realise how much time we waste travelling to meet people when we can be just as productive meeting customers via video.
Also, being pregnant during the global pandemic and not having to commute up to an hour into the office each day has been a great relief!
A final thought on how to accelerate a career in recruitment
You must take responsibility and be accountable for your own development and learning, do not rely on others to do this for you. The three key things you need to be successful in recruitment are self-motivation, organisation and grit. Always strive to be better, do not think you know it all, no matter how much experience you have. Adopt a growth mindset and challenge yourself every day to become a better recruiter!
