Andrea joined Scantec in April 2020 as Operations Director with over 20 years’ experience of recruiting across professional service sectors. Now 16 months into her role, we spent 10 minutes finding out about Andrea’s experience of joining the business.
Q: What initially appealed to you about joining Scantec?
A: I had decided to leave the corporate world behind and wanted to work for an owner managed business. I wanted to join a business that was of a good size and Scantec looked like a good fit when I did my research. I approached them and met the MD and ended up joining right at the start of lockdown in 2020!
Q: As Operations Director, what does your role entail?
A: I look after 8 teams, 7 recruitment teams and our recruitment support division, so it is a very varied and rewarding role; albeit challenging! My job involves developing and supporting the teams in many different ways. I am involved in the strategic direction of the business and positively impacting our ongoing growth plans.
Q: Joining the business at the start of a global pandemic must have presented some unique challenges so how did you find the experience?
A: I loved it! I have never worked from home before but I adjusted easily. I was supplied with all the kit I needed from Scantec from day 1 and I had a few people who provided me with some much-needed support in those early days. Although a lot of these people actually reported into me! I think that says a lot about the Scantec team. I was given lots of space to understand what I needed to get to know, and the job is exactly as the MD told me it would be.
Q: What were your key priorities when you first began your role?
A: Understanding the business. I had been in my last company for 16 years and I knew lots of things which I had taken for granted. For example, when does the financial year run? What are our monthly periods that we work to? I had to learn so much and my learning curve was huge, but the biggest priority was getting to know and understand my team and the talents that they all had.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?
A: Developing people would probably be number one. I have the overall aim of supporting people to understand and reach their own potential.
Q: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
A: Our CRM! Getting to know a new system – there has been so much to learn and so much data held on the database. I had to quickly learn and consider; how can I get the information I want? How can I get this info quicker and more easily? How do I engage the teams to come on this journey with me?
Q: What key learns have you taken from your first 16 months in the business?
A: My 3 top learns and tips for anyone else about to start a new job would be:
• Always think about the bigger picture – nothing happens in isolation.
• Use your mentor.
• Don’t think you have to know everything – you never will.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working for Scantec?
A: I want to say the team but I have gushed enough about the people! Aside from the team it is the autonomy I get in my role and the speed of making decisions. Having been in a corporate organisation previously, the wheels can move slowly, and I found this frustrating. At Scantec I can have an idea and get it agreed and embedded quickly, allowing us to gain the benefits instantaneously.
Q: Looking ahead to the next 12 months, what opportunities do you see for the business?
A: We have huge opportunities to grow in our core market sectors. Scantec have the appetite for investment and a very talented team of people, so our growth plan feels achievable. I also see the ongoing improvements in our database resulting in a massive opportunity to provide our clients with the best talent on offer.
Q: And finally, what are your top tips for a successful career in recruitment?
A: Be honest. Treat your candidates and clients respectfully. Do what you say you are going to do! It sounds simple but it works. In my early career, a client of mine wrote me a testimonial and he said I was like Ronseal, you get what it says on the tin. They stuck with me!
If like Andrea, you are ready for your next recruitment challenge and are interested in being part of our growing team, then we currently have opportunities for experienced Recruiters so get in touch with our Talent Acquisition Manager, Clare Lawrence at clarel@scantec.co.uk to find out more about the careers we can offer at Scantec.
