I had a few questions to ask Stella He, a specialist technology consultant at Eames Consulting in Singapore, and she shared her advice for someone just getting into recruitment, the best advice she's ever been given and why she chose to work at Eames.
1. How did you get into recruitment?
When I was an internal HR, an ex-colleague of mine connected me to a recruiter who was from one of the top international recruiting companies. The business piqued my interest, so I moved forward to learn more about the recruitment business and looked for the best fit company. Then I landed in my previous company because of how friendly, passionate, and knowledgeable they were.
2. What is your advice for someone just getting into recruitment?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes. Making mistakes is an excellent approach to both learning and unlearning certain things. In fact, you get to learn the best life lessons while making some of the silly mistakes. However, you get to learn from it and improve along the way. Also, meet as many people as possible, whether it is candidates or clients. Learn about their work and the market to make an impression and gain more confidence.
3. What is it about recruitment that has kept you in the industry?
I get a lot of satisfaction from the influence I can have on other people. Whether it's assisting a client in hiring the ideal employee or helping someone discover their dream job. I still get the same buzz of excitement placing someone in a job! Also, I really do enjoy having meaningful conversations with people from all walks of life.
4. What is the proudest moment in your career to date?
Recognition from clients and candidates. One of the few great compliments I got from them is that they are impressed with the level of understanding of what I do and really appreciate my work. That really keeps me going!
5. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far and how have you overcome that?
To really understand the technical aspect of the job that I was trying to fill and the structure of the position in different kinds of organisations. I overcome it by setting aside time to do my research and talk to people in the field.
6. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever been given?
Discover your passion and what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it!
7. What are you driven by, and how do you stay motivated?
I am driven by all sorts of rewards, knowledge, and the positive impact that I can bring to others. But what keeps me motivated is the people I’m constantly surrounded with whom I can learn and aspire to become.
8. What do you think you would have been had you not gone into recruitment?
I came from internal HR background, so I could have been one of Eames’ potential clients!
9. How do you keep a work-life balance?
Finding a balance is challenging, especially in this field. To avoid burnout, you may, on occasion, just need to take a break and recharge. I do take little pauses during my work to occasionally refocus my thoughts. I also make it a point to indulge in delicious food and drinks while spending quality time with my loved ones! Not to be overlooked, exercise is crucial to maintaining your fitness. After the epidemic, I really started to get sluggish. But I'm happy to have a workout partner so we can encourage and support one another to get out more frequently!
10. Why Eames?
The people here are the ones who keep me going and happy. Everyone here is genuinely kind, open, transparent, and supportive. There is a common drive to want to succeed together as well!