Working as cabin crew for British Airways seems like dream job to anyone who isn’t doing it. Flying around the world, visiting different countries and experiencing new cultures all seems amazing until you realise you are living out of a suitcase, running on no sleep and spending more time in hotel rooms than your actual home. So after two years I decided to hang up my wings and take a risk on a job in recruitment.
My first three months has already taught me huge amounts of new skills, but the scary (or exciting!) thing is, there is still so much to learn. My first day was daunting, on so many levels; not knowing what I was going to be doing or who I was going to be working with, let alone starting a whole new career.
One of the first things I realised is there is so much more to recruitment than I thought; systems, candidates, clients, balancing your work load, time management, people management – the list goes on! My main single concern, moving to a desk job, was the idea that I may get bored, and I can honestly say I haven’t been.
From meeting candidates, handing out drops to prospective clients, client meetings – no two days are the same, and because of this I am learning new skills each day. One the biggest things I needed to overcome was the fear of not being good. You are never going to be “the best” when you first start on a new path, but being in an environment that helps you grow and learn is incredibly refreshing.
There are always new ‘firsts’ in this job; first time meeting a candidate, first client meeting, first placement. These are the exciting ones, though the bad ones are there too! First time a candidate lets you down (or the second, or the third!!), first time you can’t manage to fill a role or first time you fill a role but the candidate declines the offer – all negative moments but ones to learn and grow from.
Being only three months in, I still have so much to learn but each day is an opportunity to learn something new and feel more confident in what needs to be done. People ask me all the time if I miss flying, but I don’t. I think I have found something that I really enjoy and am excited to see where it goes and what the future holds. Here’s to the next three months and many more after that!
Article by Samantha Westwater-Peers