From Sales to IT Recruitment: An Interview with VANRATH's Orla Fitzsimons
Publish Date:Posted over 6 years ago
Author:by Orla Fitzsimons
As VANRATH's IT recruitment team continues to grow, we caught up with Orla Fitzsimons, to find out more about her transition from Sales to Recruitment; read on to find out about how the team works together, how the salary stacks up and how your skills might just transfer to excelling in a similar role.
What interested you in moving from a career in sales to a career in recruitment?
Having been a sales person for many years, initially I thought that the recruitment industry was fairly specialist and a bit impenetrable; honestly, it was just a bit of an unknown! My first interactions with VANRATH were actually as a candidate myself, and it was this exposure to the business which impressed me beyond belief, and ultimately opened my mind to joining the recruitment industry itself.
Once I started to get to know the senior staff in VANRATH, it was suggested that my skills would be highly transferable to a career as a recruiter. Once the day-to-day of the role was demystified, the decision felt like a total no-brainer.
Recruitment is, ultimately, a highly sophisticated sales role. It combines those elements of my career to date that I really loved: dealing with people, working in supportive, collaborative teams, problem solving and the reward of speedy results!
Making the move to recruitment has beem a fantastic development for my career- it’s offers an endlessly dynamic environment, where a regular sales role can be prone to lapse into monotony.
What attracted you to VANRATH in particular, and what do you enjoy about working in the business as time goes on?
Before I joined VANRATH, I’d heard that the best consultants in my market had worked here, and had enjoyed success within the company.
VANRATH is the best in the business locally. Having worked in high pressure environments previously, working for a consultancy which sets its standards and targets high felt like a good fit for me. The businesses’ strong brand is a tangiable commodity: when we call candidates or clients, they always make time for a VANRATH consultant.
The variety of the job is particularly rewarding: working in the IT industry requires our team to continually develop our knowledge, learning from one another as well as from our clients and candidates. It’s a very supportive and collaborative environment, where you are always upskilling.
How transferable have you found your skills to be?
The bones of recruitment and sales are incredibly similar. Success is all about relationship building, knowing how to market yourself and the business, as well as attentive listening and asking the right questions, at the right time.
What are the best parts of the job?
My team are a huge part of what makes the job enjoyable. The environment is the perfect mix of competitive and collaborative!
The remuneration package at VANRATH is also a massive incentive: the majority of the consultants in our team earn 25% on all of their fees. We work hard, but the lifestyle that the role affords is completely worth it.
If anyone is considering making the career change to recruitment, I’d encourage them to take the leap of faith! It’s a dynamic and exciting career path that will allow you to work closely with smart and motivated people every day.
