Earlier this year Cpl opened our first Sandyford office to offer a more strategic and local approach to our clients there. The current team is made up of 6 recruiters largely focusing on technology-related roles, including recruitment consultant Jack Thorne.
Jack has been with Cpl for over 2 years and was recently nominated for the rising star award at the 2019 Sandyford Business District Awards. We recently caught up with Jack about how he’s grown his recruitment career and the lessons he’s picked up along the way.
What is your background? Can you tell us how you started working with Cpl technology?
I began studying Human Resource Management in Dublin Business School back in 2017 while working full time in AIB bank. After completing the Diploma, I spent time looking at different areas within HR, and Recruitment was one that stood out to me as being very interesting and challenging.
Jennifer Roche, one of Cpl’s internal recruiters, was kind enough to meet with me to discuss my options and where I wanted to go in my career. She then recommended me to interview for two roles, one with Cpl Healthcare and the other with Cpl Technology.
I met Stephen Tighe in my first-round interview for the position on the Technology team. After meeting with Stephen, I knew the role was for me!
After a couple of more interviews meeting with Libby Kelly, Lisa Holt and Daire Meehan (a recent member to join the team) I was offered the position as Recruitment Consultant working on the Major Accounts team. I was thrilled and accepted the offer right away.
Can you describe your current role – what’s your typical day to day?
I am working as a recruitment consultant on the Major Accounts team where we look after some of Cpl’s key accounts e.g. Microsoft & IBM. My role is very much a 360 position, I work with candidates and clients as well as admin work and account management.
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt since you joined the recruitment industry?
Being able to bounce back is the biggest lesson I have learned.
In this industry, the goalposts are constantly changing, whether it is the client changing their mind on the type of candidate they are looking for or the candidate changing their mind on what type of position they want.
You must be able to roll with the punches. Recruitment has plenty of ups and downs, so it is imperative that no matter how bad things are you’re going to have to keep pushing through.
What trends are you noticing in the tech recruitment industry now?
Semantic search technology is essentially about analysing what the user’s looking for and not what they type. That means analysing synonyms to discern meaning, so a two-word search effectively becomes a 20-word search.
It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the vaguely cryptographic process of guessing which combination of terms and phrases will give you a suitable candidate. Overall, the effect is to make recruiters source more suitable candidates in less time.
You’ve been nominated for the Sandyford Awards in the rising star category, what would you say has helped you most in terms of your career success?
My colleagues have helped me the most. I am lucky enough to work with a great bunch of people who are extremely caring and find job satisfaction in not just their own success but in their colleagues as well.
Always being able to turn around and ask someone for advice when you are unsure makes my job a lot easier and gives me a much better opportunity to grow and succeed.
Challenges overcome is one of the award criteria’s, what would you say is the biggest challenge in your role?
Finding the right people for niche roles is one of my main challenges. Recently I was tasked with a high-volume recruitment drive for one of Cpl’s major accounts. This project had very rigid timelines and required 30 highly skilled IT technical contractors for a leading financial in Dublin.
The skillsets required were very niche and required me to reach out to candidates throughout Europe. I used Cpl’s extensive network of candidates and a database of over 1.2 million to successfully source and screen the right people for the job. The challenge was completed on time and within budget.
CSR & workplace ethos are also linked – how would you describe the culture in the Sandyford office?
We are currently a small tightknit team of 6 in the Cpl Sandyford office, but we are looking to grow those numbers out over the coming months. I am lucky enough to work with very likeminded people who care not just about themselves but care about the team they work with.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Few things have a more significant impact on a person’s life than finding a dream job. We spend a large proportion of our week at work, so finding a career and company that are enjoyable is something we all seek out.
As a recruiter, I play an essential role in this process as my job is to source the perfect candidate for each job. Assisting people with finding the right job for them can sometimes be a part of fundamentally changing their life for the better. For me, this is the most rewarding part of my job.
Any advice you’d give to someone looking to join the recruitment industry or propel their career?
Recruitment is by no means easy and you need to work extremely hard to succeed. If you are a committed individual who is willing to give 110% every time you walk through the door into work, then you should give recruitment a try.
The Sandyford Business District Awards recognises the efforts and achievements of companies, organisations and individuals in the Sandyford Business District. The 2019 awards will be held on Thursday 14th November.