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Quick Fire 10 with Jim Freeman

  • Publish Date: Posted about 3 years ago
  • Author:by Sheridan Muir

"​Work hard, be honest with your customers and learn from your peers."

I had a few questions to ask Jim Freeman, principal consultant on the Technology team in the UK, and he shared the challenges he has faced, how he has overcome them and the secrets to his success.

1. How did you get into recruitment?
I had a couple of mates that worked in recruitment who recommended I should get into the industry, so when I came back to the UK about 5 years ago after travelling around Asia and Australia I gave it a go and haven’t looked back since.


2. What is your advice for someone just getting into recruitment?
Work hard, be honest with your customers and learn from your peers.


3. What is it about recruitment that has kept you in the industry?
The progression is great. There aren’t many other industries where you can achieve multiple promotions in a short space of time as a result of your hard work.


4. What is your proudest moment in your career to date?
Progressing from Associate Consultant to Principal Consultant in a short space of time.


5. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far and how have you overcome that?
It would have to be the multiple lockdowns we’ve faced over the last 12 months. The challenge for me isn’t necessarily that we’re working from home permanently, but it’s that we’re pretty much constantly at home with little to look forward to making it a lot harder to motivate ourselves.

I think everyone will have different ways of overcoming this challenge, but for me, it’s all about getting out of the house regularly (a walk and a run a day) and ensuring I separate work time and personal time clearly, by logging out every evening and not picking my laptop up again until the morning.


6. What is your number 1 secret to success?
Know your market. And by that, I don’t necessarily mean you should know the technical aspect of your market in-depth, but know who the key players are, ensure you stay in touch with the leaders and best candidates in your market regularly.


7. What are you driven by and how do you stay motivated?
Reward and recognition from my employer, and knowing my manager trusts me. Also, recognition from my customers. In recruitment, it’s the good days that motivate you to get through the not so good days.


8. How do you keep a work/life balance?
I run my own football club and spend very little time at home on the weekends to keep my mind away from the office.


9. Why Eames?
I’ve worked with Dan Navazeshbefore so for me it was good to go into an environment where my manager already knows how I work and what I’m capable of. For others that are considering joining, I’d say the reputation of the business and the sheer number of clients it works with means the opportunities for a consultant coming in are pretty much endless.


10. People would be surprised if they knew?
I’m born and bred in Belgium, Dutch is my first language and I didn’t actually move to the UK until I was 14.


#TeamEames #WhatDrivesYou #QuickFire10