A day in the life of a recruiter – Thomas Noott

Ever been curious about the life of a recruiter? We asked Thomas Noott from Jonathan Lee to let us in on a typical day in his world.

My alarm goes off at…

I have a very reliable alarm. For the past year my lovely daughter Daisy has been waking me up in plenty of time to get to work! Admittedly, at first her timing was off, waking me up a few times per night, but she is now a very reliable 5.30-6.30am wake-up call. Thank you, Daisy!

I’m responsible for…

Driving the growth of our contracts business. We have a strategy to grow by 10% year on year, so my role is to make clients and companies aware of our contracting capability and how we can solve their short and medium-term staffing requirements.

I got the job…

I found out from a someone I know locally that Jonathan Lee was looking for new consultants. I’d heard nothing but positives about the business, its growth, success and its reputation as a premium supplier so I decided to find out more. I went on their website and liked what I saw; the videos of the team showed the values of the business which were really appealing to me. So, I sent in my CV, and after a thorough interview process, I joined the team. The rest is history…

My typical day…

I take a structured approach to my day, making sure I prioritise the vacancies I am working on. I enjoy getting to know my candidates and clients and make an extra effort to ensure they’re up-to-date and happy, so, most of everyday is spent talking to them, arranging interviews, negotiating offers and getting the contracts up and running.

With the Jonathan Lee brand comes a certain expectation of quality service and I want to make sure that all my customers are getting the best possible response to their needs.

My most memorable work moment…

Winning the 10-cheeseburger challenge. I am proud to be the current record holder for being the fastest to eat 10 cheeseburgers from a popular restaurant chain. Challengers beware!

The worst part of my job…

The disappointment of candidates receiving counter offers or rejecting the offers I have worked with them on. This is the reality of the contracting market however, especially when technical skills are in such high demand. You have to learn to roll with the punches.

The best part of my job…

Securing placements and making candidates and clients happy. I’ve never lost the buzz that a successful placement gives me!

I love recruitment because…

I love the sales environment – the people, the wins, the office banter… am I allowed to say the commission too? You can’t beat the feeling of helping someone progress in their career either.

My most challenging placement…

Every placement has its challenges, we deal with people so it is never boring. Perhaps my most challenging project was sourcing an entire IT services team, filling 10 positions for a client who needed people ASAP.

I suggested we speed the process up by organising a full assessment day, inviting all of the shortlisted candidates to the same event. It was blood, sweat and tears in the build up to the assessment day to get enough quality candidates to give the client a good pool to select from, with many a late night and weekend spent on the phone. The efforts were all worth it in the end, as all of the vacancies were filled on the day, and the client and candidates were all extremely happy with the service.

My biggest candidate success story…

One of the most memorable success stories for me was working with a lady who had been out of the job market for an extended period and was really struggling to get a foot back on the career ladder. She had become very dejected after several knock-backs but was really eager to work.

I worked with her to find some suitable opportunities, gave advice on her CV and coached her for the interviews. A few weeks later, I called to let her know that she was being offered her preferred job and I was delighted and touched by her tears of joy at the news. It’s both humbling and rewarding to know you’ve had a positive influence on someone’s life!

After work…

At the end of the day, I get straight home to see my wonderful family. I love family life; relaxing with my wife and daughter, cooking dinner, playing games, doing the bedtime routine and, of course, watching the Great British Bake Off!