Today we shine a spotlight on our new graduate Conor, who joined us in 2022. As we all know how challenging embarking on a career path after graduation can be, we asked Conor to share his experience when entering an entirely new industry, new city, and new country! Read below Conor’s first impressions of the industry and his advice to graduates looking for a job.

What attracted you to recruitment in the first place?

I’ve found that my skills at talking to people have developed naturally from customer-facing jobs, as well as playing sports and being a generally sociable person. Having a degree with a focus on interviews and presentations also hugely helps in a role like this. I felt like all these things worked well together in what recruitment was described as!

How did you find the interview process? Do you have any tips for other graduates looking to get into recruitment?

The interview process felt very welcoming and not intimidating at all. The best thing you can do is be honest and try to get your personality across. The culture is so important here!

Coming from a non-recruitment background, was it easy to pick up on?

I found that the recruitment training at Warman O’Brien is all about practical knowledge. It is very supportive and helpful when one starts a career in a new industry. I felt that the biggest challenge I had was to learn more about life sciences, thankfully this was well covered in the training.

Having the training tailored to my specific learning style was a huge benefit, it ensured I was learning in the most efficient way. I found it to be very intuitive, in that every time I had a conversation with a candidate, it was better than the last and I was constantly improving.

What would you say to other graduates who might not be sure?

Stick at it. Literally, every day I’m learning something that makes the next day easier and more enjoyable. It might seem daunting, but most of the people you speak to on the phone know that you’re here to help.

What were your first impressions of joining the WOB team? Have you done anything fun so far?

Everyone is extremely welcoming and supportive. You’ll be naturally nervous in a new environment, especially when coming from abroad like me. But there’s a diverse group of people here, and everyone has been so welcoming. I already feel like I’ve been here for longer than I have!

How have you found working in an office environment? How’s the commute to the Twickenham office?

I love being in the office. As someone who’s recently moved to London, I find it better than remote working. The commute is very easy; for me, it’s a half-hour on the bus. For most of my colleagues, it’s 10 minutes on the train. Super easy to get in from South London or just outside of London.

How would you describe your personality in three words?

Active, intuitive and sociable.

Tell us one fact about yourself that would surprise us?

I used to be afraid of heights as a child but got over it as I had to be lifted in lineouts for rugby.