Jacob's Blog - Life as a Recruitment Consultant at Nigel Wright

In order to portray a real representation of the culture here at Nigel Wright, we asked some of our Recruitment Consultants to answer a series of questions about their careers and about working at Nigel Wright. Our Norway Country Manager and Nordic Client Manager Jacob Rønne shares how he balances his career with life away from work, the skills and traits that have helped him in his role at Nigel Wright as well as what advice he would give to someone considering a career in recruitment.

How do you balance your career at Nigel Wright with life away from work? What tips do you have for working parents in the recruitment industry?

My wife and I have three small children – we both have careers, so we’re constantly juggling work, family, friends and other activities from week to week. Although that may sound hectic to some, trust, flexibility and acceptance ensure that both work and time with family are prioritised. Working at Nigel Wright allows my wife and I to have careers that we value and our children to have both parents present – the thing we value most in our lives.

What skills/traits have helped you in your role as a Recruitment Consultant?

Purpose, ambition, flexibility, a positive outlook and being results-driven.

What advice would you give someone with an industry background who wanted a job in recruitment?

Assume that all of your competitors are just as bright and hardworking as you. Use that benchmark to go the extra mile by getting better day by day and by treating others the way you’d like them to treat you.

What advice would you give around how you can become a strategic recruitment partner?

You need to balance three pillars of competencies – all of which take time to develop and determine the impact you will have as a strategic recruitment partner.

• Technical skills; recruitment project management, executive search, people assessment.
• Business acumen; industry knowledge, strategic awareness and commercial skills.
• Counselling; coaching, leadership, advisory and lifecycle appreciation.

Why should someone consider switching to a career in recruitment?

My experience from working in a large corporate was that, other than colleagues and partners, the end customer is so far away in the value chain that the impact I had was intangible to me. In recruitment, both candidates and clients are your customers and you have plenty of facetime and feedback. I feel that the purpose of my career is to make people’s work life better and the feeling that I get by seeing this happen is extremely fulfilling. If making a difference in people’s lives matters to you, recruitment might be the career you didn’t know you were looking for.

Useful resources

• 8 common Recruitment Consultant interview questions and answers