Paul'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 Senior Consultant Paul Lancaster shares what his life was like before Nigel Wright, why he decided to join us and why someone should consider a career in recruitment. 

How did you first learn about Nigel Wright? Why did you join?

I first heard about Nigel Wright Recruitment as a candidate when they placed me in a great role way back in 2015. I was impressed with the people I met, the way they handled the process and was left with a positive feeling towards the company so when they contacted me about potentially joining them as a Recruitment Consultant in their IT/Tech team I was immediately interested. After discussing the role further with a Director and Manager I could see how it could be a great fit for my skills, experience, knowledge and network, despite not having worked in recruitment before.

What does a typical day look like for you and what are you currently working on?

I’m focused on finding and matching the best software, web & app developers with great businesses and organisations across the North East of England & Teesside. My job is very varied (which I really like) but a typical day involves finding and speaking to potential candidates about roles they might be interested in, speaking to existing and potential clients about roles they need to fill, marketing and promotion of roles through our website, jobs boards, social media channels, emails, phone calls and direct messages plus ongoing account management.

What has been your favourite recruitment project at Nigel Wright?

I get a huge amount of satisfaction from placing great candidates into great roles where everyone is happy but my favourite recruitment projects are the ones where everything goes smoothly because both the clients and candidates are proactive and responsive to the advice and guidance that I give them and recognise our value as a trusted leading recruitment partner.

What did you do before joining Nigel Wright? If you came from an industry background, how has your experience improved the way you serve clients?

Immediately prior to joining Nigel Wright (in November 2021) I ran my own business for almost 6 years offering business development, inbound marketing, community engagement and events consultancy services for start-ups, established small businesses looking to grow and large enterprises too. This included running my annual 5-day Newcastle Start-up Week festival which attracted over 800 people from across the UK and overseas and an event called Founders’ Friday which typically attracted between 50-80 people every month. I’ve spent over 10 years working in the IT / tech / digital sector - primarily in the North East but also across the North of England and over that time, have built large & strong networks both online & offline in Newcastle, Sunderland, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull plus London & Edinburgh too. I even won two ‘Collaborator of the Year Awards’ at Dynamo North East’s ‘Dynamites Awards’ in recognition of my work. Although recruitment isn’t easy, I do believe my experience, knowledge & credibility in the sector has made it easier to find clients & candidates that want to work with me & to create new opportunities for some of my colleagues & the wider business as a whole.

What do you find most challenging about working in the recruitment industry?

The most challenging thing about working in the recruitment industry is that you are never fully in control of the process because you are dealing with human beings who have all kinds of motivations and emotions that can unexpectedly derail things. You can do everything right to understand what the client is looking for, to find good candidates to put forward for a role, to ensure everyone is organised and prepared for the interviews and to secure a good job offer that everyone is happy with only for someone to change their mind and pull out or withdraw their offer. This can obviously be frustrating and sometimes you can turn things around with a bit of diplomacy and reassurance but other times you just have to accept this is just a part of the job. Resilience is a great trait to have.

What have you gained from working at Nigel Wright?

Coming back into full-time employment after being my own boss for almost 6 years has given me the financial stability I was looking for plus a great sense of teamwork and camaraderie from my brilliant colleagues. It has given me job satisfaction and fulfilment from helping bring great candidates and clients together and I enjoy being part of a combined effort to help an already successful recruitment business continue to thrive and prosper across the North of England (and further afield).

What do you like most about working in the city centre?

I love the buzz of the city and although Nigel Wright offers completely flexible working, I enjoy working from the Newcastle office most days. I never get bored of walking to and from our office on Grey Street, going for a little wander at lunchtime and there’s no shortage of great shops, cafes, bars, museums, art galleries and entertainment to make use of after work. I often bump into people I know when I’m out and about and it’s really convenient for meeting clients and candidates.

Interested in joining our team?