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My industrial placement with AlphaSights

After nearly eight months into the world of work, I can only describe my feelings towards working life as a pleasant surprise. As expected, my initial dive into the adult world in a busy London office came as quite a shock to the system after sunbathing on a beach in Puerto Banus the week before! The adjustment to structure and early responsibility in a relatively small recruiting team both worried and excited me. I realised quite quickly the importance in utilising support systems - the size of my team means that I rarely experience somebody looking over my shoulder but the onus to support each other is very present. A result of such a structure is the drastic increase in my attention to detail as I am more aware of the mistakes I might make without it.

I’ve found myself making the most out of my weekly catch-up meetings with my Manager. They allow us to review my progress; brainstorming ways for me to further develop professionally as well as on academic and personal levels. My Manager has demonstrated the benefits of me taking on tasks that I would otherwise avoid, for the sole purpose of helping me develop the soft skills needed to thrive in such a complex work environment.

As an already strong communicator, my confidence has also greatly improved in my candidate-facing position. Talking on the phone and engaging with prospective and existing applicants, service providers and other employers at networking events has meant that I’ve learnt to deliver a message both concisely and professionally. The role combines the operational work of recruiting through daily tasks such as candidate management, application screening and managing job board postings with the creative aspect of talent attraction. When producing new marketing material, my interests in photography, digital art and an eye for aesthetics have come of great use.

Working at AlphaSights has highlighted the benefits of an ambitious and driven company ethos. Each employee understands the direct impact that they can make to the company as a whole and this is not just reserved for our Client Service Team. The impact that you can make when working in a structural team is also evident and I've really enjoyed being surrounded by such a young, open-minded group of individuals. My time here has not been limited to the core working hours either, with activities such as weekly netball matches, team events and end of week drinks being something to look forward to! As I approach my eight-month mark at AlphaSights, I can only hope that the final four months will be just as promising as the last...I have also yet to make tea for anyone but myself!

Discover more about AlphaSights and their career opportunities here.