Being a Graduate Recruitment Consultant during Covid-19

As a final-year student approaching your penultimate months at university, whilst Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease in the UK, it’s understandable to be experience uncertainty around employment prospects and how it might affect your future career.  

We spoke with some of our graduate recruitment consultants who are coming up to their first year with Globe Locums, to give you the inside scoop into what it’s really like being a graduate recruitment consultant during the Covid crisis, and how it has affected their career so far.  

Ellie Sharp, Biomedical Science Recruitment Consultant 

When did you start with Globe?

I started at Globe 24th August 2020  

Where did you go to university and where did you study? 

I went to the University of Birmingham and studied Biomedical Science. I graduated in July 2020.

Why did you want to become a recruitment consultant? 

I have always been someone who enjoys a challenge and this is something recruitment provides due to it being a fairly competitive industry as well as a dynamic work environment. There is also a lot of room to progress as a recruitment consultant which opens up many different opportunities in the role.

 
What impact did COVID-19 on finding your job? 

During the pandemic, finding a job was 10x more difficult than usual with many companies putting a halt on recruitment due to having many staff already on furlough. For this reason, the number of candidates applying to just one role was larger meaning it was a much more competitive market. As a grad looking for a job, you have to really make yourself stand out from the crowd.  

 
What does your typical day involve? 

The role mainly involves liaising with candidates and clients, with the main aim being to secure a candidate in a suitable role. This comes with a lot of background work in order to set this up; including sourcing vacancies from clients, contacting candidates who fit the criteria or who may be interested, and advertising these roles.

How do you think COVID-19 is affecting your job? 

Working on the Biomedical Science and Mortuary desk at Globe meant that with the pandemic came a large increase in the need for biomedical scientists and anatomical pathology technicians (APTs). For our desk, this meant many more jobs were available and the demand for these candidates was higher, so we were able to help more candidates secure a role.  

How did it feel when you made your first placement? 

Making my first placement felt very rewarding considering I was new to recruitment – especially with the support and encouragement received from the sales team.

Alan Gordon, Physiotherapy Recruitment Consultant 

When did you start with Globe?

30th June 2020. 

Where did you go to university and where did you study? 

I went to the University of Stirling, studied a BA (Hons) in Sport Studies and graduated in June 2019.  

 
Why did you want to become a recruitment consultant? 

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do after uni, but I knew I wanted something social and revolving around interacting with other people. When I looked into different sectors and roles that suited that, recruitment consultant sounded like a great fit with the social nature of the role mixing with the business of sales and being credited for performance.

What impact did COVID-19 have on finding your job? 

I was actually traveling at the time of the start of the pandemic, so COVID-19 accelerated my job search by a few months. There was not an awful lot of roles around, but luckily there were lots of healthcare recruitment roles and I managed to find a great fit in Globe.

What does your typical day involve? 

I like to split my day up into finding jobs and networking with managers in the morning and then trying to source candidates in the afternoon. I like to dedicate the middle portion of my day to sourcing new candidates and finding suitable roles for the candidates I am currently working with. There are plenty of enjoyable chats with clients and candidates alike throughout the day; one of the reasons I joined the sector!  

How do you think COVID-19 is affecting your job? 

I started mid pandemic, so I haven’t really seen the market in full flow. However, the main effect that I experienced was the second lockdown over Christmas making the candidate market dry up as lots went for permanent positions for security. Hopefully now as the restrictions are easing, more people look for new roles!

How did it feel when you made your first placement? 

It was a great feeling! It was great to see the hard work paying off into a placement as it took a couple of weeks to get there. Hopefully, it was the first of many! 

How do you feel about your future career in the healthcare industry? 

I am very optimistic! I think the healthcare industry is always a sturdy one and I think I have the personality traits like determination and being a conversationalist to succeed, all that’s left is the hard work to make sure it doesn’t go to waste!

Not everyone can thrive in recruitment, especially during a global pandemic, but as you can see with Ellie and Alan, it can be done! The role can certainly be challenging, but it equally brings many rewards and satisfaction. To succeed in recruitment, you need to maintain a positive attitude, be a self-starter and hone your communication and influencing skills.  

The job opportunities for grads are available, and as the economy builds as we come out of lockdown, the demand within the healthcare recruitment market will likely continue to increase. 

To learn more about the graduate recruitment opportunities awarding for you at Globe Locums, please look at our latest vacancies, or read more about our graduate academy.