We caught up with Nya Patel and Jack Griffiths to find out more about their first couple of months at Mackie Myers and joining a start-up recruitment consultancy in such unprecedented times…

How did the pandemic affect your search for a sandwich placement?

Jack: There was a lot of uncertainty which made me question whether I even wanted to do a placement. Many companies were not clear whether they wanted to hire placement students this year and many took far longer than usual to reply and make decisions. However, I soon realised that due to the pandemic, a placement year would be even more invaluable, if you could get one! I was particular keen to find something that wasn’t 100% remote and glad that after a tough recruitment process was really excited to be joining Mackie Myers as their first recruit.

Nya: I found that a lot of companies and schemes withdrew a lot of their placements so generally options were limited. It meant it was difficult to find something that actually interested you. Even so, I was determined to find something so had to stay resilient through a difficult applications.  My placement with Mackie Myers only came together in the last month of my term at university, just when I was ready to throw in the towel. The process can always be tough and Covid certainly made it more so. In hindsight, it was completely worth it!

How have you found your first couple of months at Mackie Myers?
Good and very busy. It has certainly gone very quickly! We’ve learnt a considerable amount and getting thrown in the deep end has only accelerated this. We would say that the responsibility we’ve been given has been exciting and challenging which is exactly what we wanted from a placement year, and I think something you can’t necessarily get from larger firms.  We have to thank Jenna and Owen for taking the risk, and giving us the support we have needed to get started. It has been a great combination of training and self-taught stuff.

What are your initial thoughts on the recruitment industry?
It is highly competitive and very fast-paced industry so we have learnt that you have to work quickly. To thrive in the industry you have to have confidence, strong communication skills and a good degree of proactivity. The job is different every week and you deal with a lot of different people and companies. You get good exposure to the broader market which is really interesting and you also have a big impact on people’s lives.

What are your goals for the 10 months at Mackie Myers?
Jack: From the year I would like to progress my skill set and get insight into future career paths. I would like to expand my connections and network by continuing to speak to and learn from interesting people. I want to develop my softer skills and be able to use my skills not only in the workplace but to complete my degree next year.

Nya: Professionally, I’d like to continue to develop my interpersonal skills. Work on building my own network and gain a better insight into what I want to do post-graduation. Personally, I want to build my confidence and be able to use what I learn in the workplace in my everyday life.

For those thinking of joining us what would you say the benefits of doing a placement year are?

We both think it is a great break from your studies, giving you an insight into what it is going to be like in the working world. A placement gives you an edge against your peers when you graduate as experience is always beneficial for future jobs. Finally, you are building a career network before even finishing education and who knows, you might even be lining yourself up for a role with where you are doing your placement.
Finally… what would you do if another lockdown was announced beginning tomorrow, but you were allowed one final night out?

Jack: As soon as I have heard this news I’ll be down to the pub. Then with as big a group of people as possible I’d head out for a large curry ordering as much different food as we could manage. Then we’d be back to the pub and then maybe later head to a bar with some live music and more drinks to end the night on a high!
Nya: Without hesitation I’d hit the bar to squeeze in one final night out! I’d try round up the troops and head on a pub/bar crawl around the city getting in as many happy hours as we can. We’d end up in a bar or club that’s got some good tunes on to have a little dance and when the nights over we’d probably all pile home, either takeaway being delivered or something we find on route in hand to finish off!

We are actively recruiting for our 2022 graduate and sandwich placement intake. To find out more, please reach out to us on hello@mackiemyers.co.uk.