Reflections from our most recent placement year

What made you join Mackie Myers?

Having applied to larger and smaller companies for my placement year, the idea of working for a smaller scaling company always felt more appealing. The recruitment experience with many of the larger companies never felt very personal and I was always left with the impression that I would be a small cog in a big wheel.  When I met Mackie Myers I felt confident that in my placement year I would be adding real value to the company as well as gaining experience in a broader role with more responsibility. All of which I can say to be true to this day.

What has been your great achievement?

There are a few that spring to mind but my I probably have a top two. When I initially started at Mackie Myers my role was spread across recruitment, operations and marketing. Whilst this gave me great exposure it quickly became apparent that my real interest lied within recruitment. A couple of months into my placement year I became almost 100% recruitment focused and since then I have made 18 placements, which I feel quite proud of. In addition to this, I also had a situation where a candidate I had placed was made redundant shortly after starting. Whilst this was completely unexpected I spent the next two weeks reaching out to clients to try and get her another job and was successful in doing so. It felt so rewarding to know that I was able to help after such a turbulent situation in her last role.

What has been your best memory?

Whilst there have been so many great memories my best if probably the company trip to Lisbon. Mackie Myers hit their annual target and in return celebrated by spending 2 days in Lisbon. We toured the city, went to some amazing rooftop bars and ate some delicious food. It was great to spend time with everyone outside of work and we honestly had the best time. I won’t say any more than that as some of the stories are probably best kept in Lisbon.

What skills do you believe you have developed in the last year?

My ability to negotiate and influence has probably been the greatest skill I’ve developed. The job requires you to speak to and meet with so many people every month. You really start to get a feel for people’s motivations and understanding what is really important to both candidates and employers. Much of our job is navigating these motivations from both parties and in turn I can really tell that my influencing and negotiating skills has developed so much over the past year. I know this isn’t a skill, but I also feel so much more confident in myself than I did a year ago. This job has pushed me out of my comfort zone and in turn I can feel how much I have grown in confidence.

What is your advice to the  next generation of placement students joining Mackie Myers?

This probably sounds a bit cheesy but, just do it. It will all feel really scary and intimidating initially but if you just follow the advice and training that you are given you will be successful. It is an amazing learning experience and the more you throw yourself into it, the more you will gain from it. Plus… Enjoy the year as much as you can – it goes really quickly!