Interview: Rob Harvey from GPRS Recruitment

Rob Harvey is a Market Sector Specialist at GPRS Recruitment. We talked to Rob to find out a little more about him, why recruitment is his career of choice and what advice he'd give someone just starting out.

How did you get into recruitment?

I got into recruitment by chance really. I was working in Hazardous Waste Management, and it really wasn’t what I wanted to be doing forever, so one night whilst looking through the job boards I noticed a very catchy advert for a ‘Recruitment Rockstar’ and based on the job description I thought it would be a good match for me and my skillset. I went for interview in January 2015, but just fell short of obtaining the role; however the feedback I received was beneficial and helped me understand what I might need to improve if I wanted to get into recruitment. November 2015 came around and I phoned up the MD of the company to see if there were any positions available. I was re-invited into interview, and to cut a long story short I was successful, and the rest is history as they say..... (so far!).

What’s your current role?

I am currently a 360 Market Sector Specialist, meaning that not only do I source suitable candidates via a thorough and robust pre-screening process, but I also develop my own business through the use of my extensive business development skill set. I ensure that I spend time with both parties to ensure all the information I have is relevant and precise, and to give both candidates and clients the best chance of success at the first time of asking, thus reducing time wasting on all parts – mine included.

What areas/sectors of recruitment do you work in?

I work within Work Based Learning and Training solely, recruiting from Assessor level right through to Senior Manager level. I work on roles classed as ‘permanent placement’, and I cover the whole of the UK. It's a market that's getting bigger and more buoyant, and we'll probably find that candidates can demand a bit more. It's an exciting, growing area and there are so many different subjects coming up all the time. It's a lot more interesting that you'd think!

What do you love about your job?

I love the variety of roles I get to see and speak about in terms of the industries that fall under the training umbrella, and I also enjoy being able to speak to people who genuinely require my help and put their trust in me to secure them their perfect next job within the WBL arena. This job throws up something new every day that I never knew before, which only provides additional benefits for me, my clients, and our candidates.

What’s the biggest challenge about working in recruitment?

The constant fast pace. It isn’t an issue for me, as this is what I like, but at the start it was a very big shock and difficult to get my head around as I had previously been in an environment that was very slow paced, where employees didn’t really keep on top of things.

What's one thing you’d say to yourself when you were just starting out?

Go in with an open mind. I didn't know the WBL sector before I started, and it's a lot better than I imagined it would be. Sometimes your perception of what something might be like probably isn't accurate, so just go in with an open mind and take things as they come.

What’s the number one tip you would give someone who was thinking of joining the industry?

For anybody thinking of joining the industry, the number one tip I would give them is to ensure they have a full understanding of what the job will entail, as it isn’t for everyone. Recruitment is fast paced and hectic, and can sometimes be very stressful, but through all of that it is still a lot of fun, I find. If you’re still torn between joining the industry or not, my personal advice would be to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself! Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn!

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