VANRATH|Why I Left an 18-Year Career for Recruitment

The recruitment market across Northern Ireland is thriving—and at VANRATH, we’re growing to keep pace.

With more employers actively hiring, expanding teams, and competing for top talent, the demand for experienced, consultative recruitment partners has never been higher. For over 25 years, VANRATH has been that trusted partner, and as our client base continues to grow, so does our team.

We’re now hiring Recruitment Consultants to help us support this busy, fast-moving market.

A Market Full of Opportunity

Across sectors like construction, engineering, tech, finance, and beyond, we’re seeing sustained growth. Our clients are scaling, new roles are opening daily, and businesses are increasingly leaning on recruitment specialists to help them secure the right people.

That’s where VANRATH stands out.

With decades of experience and deep market knowledge, we’ve built long-standing relationships with employers not just across Northern Ireland—but further afield. More and more organisations are choosing VANRATH because they trust our ability to deliver, advise, and partner with them long-term.

This growth creates a real opportunity—not just for our clients, but for those looking to build a career in recruitment.

Check out Dan's video on why he made the move from sales to recruitment and how it has benefited his lifestyle so far:

Why We’re Expanding Our Team

To meet this demand, we’re investing in our people.

We’re looking for ambitious individuals—whether experienced recruiters or those with transferable skills—who want to build a successful career in a high-performance, supportive environment.

As Dan from our team explains, recruitment is about much more than just sales:

“Recruitment is very much a consultancy business. We're here to work alongside our clients and candidates with their best interests at heart at all times. It's very much a relationship building environment as well as a sales environment.”

A Career Change That Paid Off

Dan joined VANRATH after an 18-year career in automotive sales—a move that many would find daunting.

“I left an 18-year career to move to Vanrath, chasing the dream of career progression… for me, it was very much about a work-life balance, a new challenge, and a different way to earn some more money, and really maximise learning potential.”

That leap into something new is something we see often—and support fully.

“When you're in a career for that long, you do get very comfortable… it can be very daunting to move into something new… Moving across to VANRATH, the team were incredibly welcoming. The support mechanism was second to none.”

What Makes VANRATH Different?

Our reputation has been built over 25+ years—but it’s our people and culture that truly set us apart.

At VANRATH, you’re joining a team that’s invested in your success.

“The beauty about VANRATH is it gave me all of those options… while still having a really healthy lifestyle balance outside of work as well, in a supportive environment.”

Our consultants benefit from:

A strong, established brand with a trusted client base
A consistently busy market with real earning potential
A collaborative, team-driven culture
Ongoing support, training, and development
Clear pathways for career progression

And importantly—something not always associated with recruitment...

...High Performance and Work-Life Balance

There’s a common perception that high performance comes at the expense of balance. At VANRATH, we challenge that.

“To someone that says high performance and work-life balance can't coexist… in my previous role I would agree with you… In actual fact… within the recruitment consultancy agency, it's incredibly valuable.”

Dan’s experience highlights what’s possible:

“VANRATH has offered me the opportunity that I can have that success, the career progression and the challenges, but also have a really, really valuable lifestyle and work-life balance outside of the company.”

A Role Where Your Skills Transfer

You don’t need to come from recruitment to succeed here.

Sales, relationship management, communication, and commercial awareness are all highly transferable—and incredibly valuable in this industry.

“Sales is a very transferable skill and within the recruitment consultancy agency it's incredibly valuable.”

Why Join Now?

There’s never been a better time to join VANRATH.

The market is busy.
Our clients are growing.
And we’re expanding our team to meet that demand.

If you’re looking for a role where you can build meaningful relationships, earn well, develop professionally, and maintain a strong work-life balance—this is your opportunity.

“Take the chance and go for it. You'd be surprised just what opportunities lie in front of you in terms of getting the salary that you're earning and what you're worth and that work-life balance as well.”