Career Change – Estate Agent to Recruitment Consultant

Article by Jasmin Corbet

I have been with Appoint Group for 8 weeks now and have already learnt so much!

From my first interview I could tell that Appoint Group would be the right fit for me. They knew that although I did not have a background in Recruitment, I had the ambition and motivation to be successful. They asked lots of questions about my goals and what I wanted to achieve from my career – not just what they wanted me to be. I could tell from their approach that they really care about their employees’ personal goals.

Making the decision to leave my job in estate agency was not an easy one as I worked with a great group of people, but with that aside, the potential and opportunity of recruitment was too good to turn down. There would be a more competitive salary, generous holiday, attractive commission and benefits and let’s not forget the fact I would never have to work another Saturday!!

My first day at Appoint Group went by in a flash. Coming from a much smaller office environment I was really nervous to meet so many new people but I was shown around and introduced to each pod individually. The environment in the office is super friendly and I already feel really settled. When I walked over to my desk everything was already set up and ready to go. I had a first day plan and jobs had already been posted in my name. The day was very well-structured, and I was gradually introduced into the world of recruitment and healthcare. Erin did an amazing job of talking me through the basics and making sure I wasn’t overloaded with information.

I was given loads of documents with information including what my targets would be for the year and what training and progression plan was in place for the first 6 months and onward. On top of individual training, Simon has carried out some fantastic group training sessions. These have included, business calls, excel, DISC personality training, motivation and timekeeping. I have found these extremely motivating and they have definitely influenced my performance and confidence.

On day 2 I made my first candidate phone call and by week 3 I had made my first ever placement! I would 100% say my sales experience has benefited me with a lot of transferable skills – i.e. I knew how to be resilient and competitive, I knew how to negotiate between two parties and I already dealt with people making huge life decisions.

Since starting there have been lots of activities and incentives too. There have been two ‘Sales Days’ which create a really fun but competitive atmosphere with prizes to be won for the individuals who make the most out of the hour. I have already won a couple of these which is a great feeling for a newbie! There are great incentives for hitting individual and team targets.

To date, I have made 4 placements and have hit my quarterly target! I am really proud of how much I have learnt and how far I have come in such a small amount of time. I have already received some great candidate reviews which is a great feeling and a real confidence boost!