Neil Mirtle

What did you read at University?
English Literature BA (Hons)- 2:1- Loughborough University-I graduated in Summer 2005.

What were you looking for in your career?
An exciting, varied role in a structured and professional environment. I was keen to undertake a career in recruitment and after researching many different firms and industry sectors I decided that Digby Morgan and the HR industry was definitely the best option and was most suited to my existing skill set and ambitions.

Why did you choose Digby Morgan?
There are many reasons why I chose to accept the offer at Digby Morgan but I think the deciding factor was attending the assessment afternoon. In addition to meeting the senior management I was able to meet the graduates who had been in my position one, two or even three years ago. There was ample opportunity to speak to the former associates and ask them honestly how they found the training programme and environment. I felt that the firm was obviously proud of its associate programme and development opportunities and the associates served as proof of its success. This added to the positive ‘gut’ feeling I already had that this was the right company for me to join.

Which division do you work in?
I currently work in the contracting team of HR Partners based in Sydney, which at the time of writing is a team of four. I have been with Digby Morgan for nearly two and a half years and have only recently completed this internal move. Prior to this I worked in the London office with HR Interims (the contract side of Digby Morgan). I was the second associate to join the team and have relished the fast paced atmosphere and strong team ethic in the division.

Please describe a typical day
My day in HR Interims is extremely varied and never follows a strict pattern. We have to react to our client and candidate needs on an hourly basis and this ultimately means that no two days are the same. Below I have written an honest account of my first day back after holiday:

‘I arrive slightly earlier on Monday morning after a week-long holiday and find quite a full inbox and list of messages. Whilst I’ve been on holiday my colleagues have kept a close eye on my current open roles and have given me an update of their status. I can then begin responding to queries and screen my applications for each role that I have advertised. There has been a good response from candidates and I arrange four interviews at our offices to assess if they are right for the roles they have applied for.

I then receive a call from a previous candidate who is now a client; he wants to discuss a vacancy that is arising within his team. Part of this role is keeping in close contact with the individuals you meet, both candidates and clients, this assures that when they do have any requirements you will be the first they call. We arrange to meet for lunch as he is based just around the corner in the West End to discuss the role in more depth.

At lunch we talk about his role recruitment needs at the present time. We also talk about his company as a whole and it seems an exciting time to join this large accountancy firm as they are expanding rapidly both in the UK and abroad. I am able to offer reliable and up to date advice as to his options in the interim market and we discuss salary ranges and experience levels required for this current position. I have also brought along the details of two potential candidates. My client is extremely keen on one of the CV’s and has some further questions about the other which I am able to answer as I interviewed the candidate the week before. He decides to interview both candidates, and when I return to the office I brief the candidates in more detail about the role and arrange the interviews.

Later in the day I also catch up with two candidates who have interviewed for a Senior Manager contract at a large broadcasting company. I take their detailed feedback as to how they feel about the role and the hiring managers they met. Both are positive and I am keen to relay this to the client as I know they were looking to make a decision quite quickly as to whom they will hire. I have been working on a restructuring project with this company for six months and have worked on quite a few roles arising over this period, this will be the last vacancy in their team for another six months so I’m keen to make sure they find the right person for this pivotal role. I update my client on the candidates’ feedback and a decision is made to offer one of them. I call the candidate back and relay the good news; she is extremely keen to proceed and accepts the position.

The completion of the process is exhilarating and there is also the aspect that you are helping people shape their careers. There is always the possibility of something going wrong along the way and you need to react to any issues that arise to manage the process effectively. No day is the same and I am constantly busy, which is an aspect of the role that I thoroughly enjoy.

The variation of my day serves as testament to the nature of the Interim side of our business, which moves extremely quickly and you have to constantly update your knowledge of the current market.

What has your role at Digby Morgan given you from a self-development perspective?
It has allowed me to exceed my expectations in regards to the role content, monetary and non-monetary success. I have been given structured training both in-house and externally and always have my colleagues whom I can turn to and ask for help. I have also been able to liase closely with my director on a daily basis and there is always time to ask his advice. This has enabled me to develop my skills and also given me inspiration to set higher targets and achieve these.

In addition I have been able to work with a variety of companies in different industry sectors and this has increased my commercial awareness. I have been able to build rapport with senior HR professionals. It is extremely rewarding when your effort is acknowledged and these clients return to work with you when they have any future vacancies within their teams.

Due to the strong team atmosphere I have been able to meet a lot of new friends here and there is a good social scene which is always fun. This ranges from an annual ski trip, regular drinks after work, quarterly team meals, 5-a-side football events, a Digby Morgan weekly tennis league and the infamous bowling competition!

More recently I have been lucky enough to make an internal move within Digby Morgan to our offices in Sydney. After two years working in London I have been able to continue my development by transferring overseas and have really enjoyed the move so far. This opportunity has given me an insight into a different international market and our offices are literally right in the centre of the City, or the CBD as it is called over here, and we even have a BBQ on the balcony for client functions. The team in Sydney has been extremely supportive and it has been good to share information from my time in London. Going forward I hope to establish myself and the contracting team further into the Sydney HR market while continuing to link in with the UK Digby Morgan team.

What advice would you give to candidates thinking of applying to the Associate Programme?
Don’t expect everything to fall into place in the first few weeks, be patient and always feel free to ask questions at every opportunity. There is a wealth of recruitment and industry knowledge at Digby Morgan and a real ‘open-door policy’ with both your colleagues and directors.

In addition to the company targets, set your own - where you would like to be in 6 months, a year and further. Revisit them regularly to check you are still on track and liaise with your reporting director to ask advice and update your progress.