Rewarding careers at Robert Walters

After joining Robert Walters in 2010, Kayte Short has progressed from consultant in our banking operations team to heading up our financial services division in Birmingham. We caught up with Kayte to discuss her career progression, proudest achievements and the opportunities available at Robert Walters.

How did you get into recruitment?

After completing my degree in geography, I registered with several recruitment agencies to help secure my first graduate role. It was during this process that I was actually offered an internal role at one of the agencies. I joined as a graduate resourcer with the intention of gaining some work experience, but very quickly I realised it was a great fit for me and something I wanted to build a career in. 

Why did you want to work for Robert Walters?

After two years working for a boutique agency, I decided I needed a new challenge. I was keen to join a larger company as I felt there would be a wider scope to develop professionally. The superior training and development opportunities available at Robert Walters really stood out to me, and the global scale was another big pull factor. I felt confident there would be plenty of room for me to grow and really progress in my career.

How has your career progressed at Robert Walters?

During my first two years at the company, I worked as a recruitment consultant in the account management team. In this role, I was focused solely on a relocation project for one of our large banking clients. This was a really exciting opportunity as it meant I got to experience working in a recruitment process outsourcing role, handling the client’s recruitment process end to end. This was very different to my previous role, so it was a fantastic learning experience.

Once this project was complete, I moved into the technology division, where I specialised in recruiting roles for investment banks, financial services and commerce clients. I really enjoyed growing this area of the business and, within 12 months of joining, I was promoted to senior consultant.

In 2015, I decided that I wanted to explore a new market and, with excellent support from the management team, I moved to head up the banking and financial services division. Since then, I’ve moved up to principle consultant and I’m really enjoying growing our financial services division across the Midlands region. Having the support and opportunity to explore new markets has had a huge impact on my professional development and has helped to keep my career varied and interesting.

Can you describe a typical work week?

Typically, I’ll have three candidate meetings and two to three client meetings a week. The rest of my time will be split between candidate sourcing and business development activities, so there’s a great variety. In addition, there’s almost always an event being planned. For example, our office recently hosted a seminar for supporting women in the workplace, which was really interesting and a great opportunity to network and engage with clients.

There’s a strong emphasis on getting away from your desk to build great relationships with candidates and clients. Having the freedom to attend any event that I think will be useful to my role is something I really enjoy about working at Robert Walters – it’s great for professional development and means I never have a dull week. 

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Nothing beats the feeling you get when you tell a candidate that they’ve got the job. It’s wonderful to be able to help improve someone’s situation whether that be professionally, financially, emotionally or a mixture of all three! In some cases, helping someone secure their dream role can be truly life changing and I love that I’m able to make that kind of difference through my work.

What has been your biggest achievement?

Qualifying for the company’s global incentive weekend in Las Vegas has to be one of my top highlights. Each year, top performers are rewarded with a trip to a luxurious location. It was a fantastic experience and an incredibly hard goal to reach, so I’m proud to have achieved it.

What are the people like in your team?

It’s an incredibly friendly team and everyone works hard. I’d also say that we’re all very competitive! However, it’s all good natured and brings a fantastic energy to the office, which drives me to push myself. In recruitment, you face a lot of ups and downs and having a strong sense of camaraderie with your team really helps you to keep motivated and not focus on the negatives for too long.

Similarly, I’ve always felt well-supported by the management team. The company has a very open culture so I always feel able to put my hand up to ask a question or share an idea.

Why would you recommend a career at Robert Walters?

If you’re looking for fast progression and great rewards, Robert Walters is the right choice for you. The company is genuinely committed to offering rewarding, long-term careers to those who work hard and perform well. However, this isn’t just a linear career path – you can take your career in a range of directions, from progressing to managerial roles to developing in a new market and moving internationally.

Another great aspect is the fact that the rewards you earn match the effort that you put in. The company has a strong meritocratic culture so, if you’re willing to work hard, there’s nothing to stop you scaling the career ladder at a rapid pace. Additionally, the company offers a competitive basic salary as well as numerous incentives to keep you driven.

For me, there’s no question that there are plenty of opportunities available at Robert Walters, you just need to be the kind of person that’s prepared to take them.

 

Interested in a career with us? Apply now.