Considering a career in recruitment and want to know more about the people behind #TeamEames?
William Bragg, in our broking, claims and underwriting team shares his recruitment journey with us and how he has achieved success in his career, excelling from an Associate Consultant to a Consultant within 8 months (and now a managing consultant).
How did your recruitment career begin?
After graduating from University with a geology degree I quickly realised that this was not the career route I wanted to take. With no rewards and working outdoors the majority of the time I decided to look at alternative career moves. At school I took the opportunity to carry out work experience with my dad at Lloyd’s of London where I sat on the box with Markel; this was when I discovered my passion for the insurance market. After speaking to family friends who then referred me to a recruitment company, the environment was exactly what I was looking for. I joined the dots and began looking for a recruitment career within the insurance industry.
In December 2016, I attended an Assessment Centre day with Eames and I was offered the role as an associate consultant on the same day.
My journey with Eames and my training programme began in January 2017 and I have never looked back.
What have you achieved in your career and what are your aims for the future at Eames?
As an Associate Consultant, I entered into a full training programme where I was fortunate to spend time with each of my colleagues within the broking, claims and underwriting division. Working within one of the most successful teams in the wider company provided me with a vast range of skills and expertise that I will continue to take with me in my career. Everyone in my division took the time to train me and provide me with the information that would help me on my journey and I believe this is what led me to doing my first deal just 2 months after starting with the company.
After completing my training I was proudly promoted to a consultant 8 months after joining Eames.
Over the next twelve months, I am focussing on building and developing my own network of contacts which will include scheduling and attending face to face meetings with clients and candidates on my own. Getting yourself out into the market is something that Eames proactively encourages and supports you in establishing yourself as a credible recruiter. As a consultant, in order to succeed in the beginning, you need to put the time and effort into making your presence known in the market and gain trust from your clients and candidates.
Being an Associate Consultant allowed me to also gain insight into different classes of business, and find my niche.
What challenges have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges is my organisational skills which I quickly learnt does have an effect on your overall performance if you are not able to keep on top of your work. Working alongside the top perm biller within the company certainly taught me a lot including organisation as he takes a very structured and scientific approach to his work which I try to adopt in my own process. As I was working with more than one person at a time with different roles, I had to become a master at managing my time and our new cloud-based CRM system is certainly a good tool for managing a busy desk and workload.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in recruitment?
It would be the same advice that I received when searching for a career; each company is very different and has different values, you need to be sure that you find a company that works for you and fits your personality and style of work. Eames operated with the values that I was looking for in an employer and I knew this was the company for me.
I’d also say it’s important to remember whatever you put in is what you will get out. If you spend your time well and master everything around the recruitment process you will find success.
I am extremely positive about my future career here at Eames and know that I made the right choice when I attended the assessment centre day in 2016. I have received a phenomenal amount of support from all of my peers and the wider company which has led me to grow as a person and recruitment professional.
I believe in the values that the company holds and I am grateful for the training programme that was provided to me. If you have an interest in the insurance market and want to explore a career in recruitment, I would strongly recommend exploring opportunities at Eames.
We're looking for more success stories like Will. If a career in recruitment interests you, we've got opportunities to join us as associate consultants. Get in touch with our team to find out more: careers@eames-group.com.