Iconic Resourcing’s HR Specialist Emma Pringle gives her thoughts on why choosing to work for a start up recruitment consultancy is a good idea…
Having recently returned from a holiday in Dubai where I was staying with a couple of friends and ex work colleagues, I have been thinking back over the last year of my journey with Iconic and the many conversations we had on holiday about our careers since we all worked together in Glasgow. With them having moved their lives and careers overseas working for a major global recruitment firm and me taking the leap into a start up within its first year of trading! I joined Iconic Resourcing just over a year ago at which point they had been trading for 9 short but already successful months and I left a profitable temporary desk and decided to take the risk in not only moving to a start up business, but also changing markets!
Why would I do this?
I realised this was my opportunity to grow professionally. Start-ups are dynamic and fast evolving. You need to show initiative, be tenacious and self-motivated. I had been watching what Iconic were doing and what they were putting out into the market, I believed in their mission, liked their approach and it made sense to join a fast growing business as one of their early key appointments.
Another deciding factor for me was Lauren Jow. Having worked together previously, I know she is passionate about not only the business but building strong relationships in the HR world – I knew I could learn a lot from her. Lauren had previously overseen me build my business from zero up, so in terms of a start-up, she knew that I would be dedicated in doing all that I can to assist in making the business a success.
1. You’ll be given more opportunities
You are literally starting from scratch, particularly when I was working in a new market! There was very little in terms of an existing database of clients or candidates and I no longer had the branding or reputation of a large corporation behind me which I had been used to. I was given full autonomy to develop my sales strategy as a new brand and Consultant to the market, establishing strong relationships with the HR market.
2. You’ll have more responsibility
Looking at the past year, I’ve lost track of all the different tasks I’ve been able to take part in. I get to wear a number of different hats and need to adapt and move quickly from one thing to the next as the business grows. As well as recruitment, I have worked on implementing processes, database management, IT issues (not my favourite) and marketing campaigns to name a few. I have also had the chance to be part of projects I would never normally have been involved in so again, adding to my skillset, taking me out of my comfort zone and gaining valuable skills.
3. Your work will be recognised
I have always experienced the ‘recruitment pressure’ of meeting targets/ KPIs etc, however I have experienced my output measured quite differently with Iconic Resourcing – and somewhat more rewarding. Working within a small team, all striving towards the same organisational goals can magnify the focus on each individual performance – every single person factors into business success. That being said, I haven’t experienced motivation like this before, being autonomously responsible for success without boundaries and parameters has really made me feel like the sky is the limit!
4. You’ll be instilled with the value of hard work, ownership and creative thinking
The reality is that working for a start up won’t be for everyone but then again neither is recruitment! It’s not your typical 9-5 job and since joining it hasn’t been without its challenges (thanks Covid!). However, the culture of focussing on success and growth and being part of a business in it’s infancy to help build something meaningful from the ground up outweighs everything else. I have learned so much more in such a short space of time, having been encouraged to be creative and focus on being successful in my respective field.
Thank you Iconic Resourcing and looking forward to our future together!