As recruiters, we are always hearing from our clients that industry experience is a must for their new hire. And as recruiters, we are forever consulting with them to tell them that it’s the transferrable skills that will add the true value to their business.
So why when we are looking at our own careers, do we feel we should stick to what we know and the stay in the industry we are in. Is it because we feel comfortable, or fear losing the network we have? Shouldn’t we be as confident in our ability as experienced consultants to utilise our skills and knowledge to be able to recruit in any sector?
I certainly had this dilemma 3 and half years ago, when I felt for my career it was the right time to move on from my previous employer. I had spent just over 8 years in the Engineering sector and was very knowledgeable of my market. However, after so long in the same environment, it did dawn on me whether another agency was the right move. After a few interviews, I was offered two roles; one in the sector I knew and did enjoy and the one here at RedCat Digital. I decided that I would try a change in sector and see if I fell back in love with my job. It was a tough task, especially to go back to basics, to day one of my recruitment career, learning a new industry and building up a network from scratch. However, through applying myself and really motivating myself to be a success, by the end of year two I had built a team and a fantastic client base with a lot of repeat business.
The transition into the digital industry was exciting and the ecommerce desk was a great one to get stuck into. It’s a fast paced industry and I get to work with some of the best brands in the digital world. It also helps I work for a great company, that was hugely supportive in building out my desk and team (and no, they didn’t add that bit in, just because this is going on our website! ?)
Of course, this isn’t a pitch to tell all recruiters to join the digital sector, but I feel we should look at our own careers the way we do our candidates and not silo ourselves if there could be a better option out there. We develop a variety of skills in this job and however successful we are, sometimes we need a new challenge, which could be a new market.
I certainly haven’t looked back and I continue even now learning more about the ecommerce market and providing my clients and candidates with the best recruitment service I can, as after all that is my job!
Written by Sarah Childs, Head of Ecommerce and Web Analytics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahjchilds/
Twitter: @childsey_sj / @RedCat_Digital
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedCatDigital/
Google+: RedCat Digital
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