I am reaching that all-important one-year in a new job milestone; so now is as good a time as any to reflect on the past year. In many ways, I feel like I have been part of the team at MM Search for a lot longer than a year, I know I have a lot of great opportunities (and perhaps!) some professional development in front of me too.
There have been many lessons learnt in the past 12 months, the four big takeaways so far this year have been:
1. Teamwork does indeed make the team ‘work’. Cliché but true. Particularly when starting a new position as soon as a national lockdown hits. This meant that the opportunity to meet with the team and get to know my colleagues in person was curtailed at first, but we have made up for it since. I have also relished in the opportunities to get to know MM Search’s varied clients, a recent corporate golf day to the Dunhill in St.Andrews was a standout experience. Also, I was honoured to be invited to network within the industry at a recent awards dinner in London when MM Search was shortlisted in the international head-hunter category. All great experiences and have helped me fully understand and enjoy the MM company culture.
2. Resilience and responsibility: a wise person once said, “a can-do attitude always brings with it opportunity” – it may have been Ken or Derek that said this to me, but it has stuck! Having a naturally positive attitude has stood me in good stead thus far. Particularly when navigating a new career, new industry, and at times a virtual office work life, indeed not what I would have envisaged when I was graduating in 2019. But I like to think I have embraced the challenges, and my career and mindset will be better for it.
3. Saying yes but be ready to ask for help. Faking it till you make it is certainly not something the team here at MM Search advocates; while we are encouraged to say yes to opportunities and ideas, there is never anything to be gained from being out of your depth. In the early days, I have made sure not to be too proud to ask for support, but I am also finding myself in a recently promoted position where others ask me for the advice! Now that is progress indeed?
4. Flexibility: Graduating with a business degree brings wide and varied career options, but it ultimately requires graduates to be flexible to the opportunities in front of them. My knowledge of the headhunting and recruitment market was in so many ways inaccurate; I had no idea that so many key character traits of a good head-hunter are born out of your attitude, attention to detail, a sense of timing and good listening skills. The opportunity to work with a successful team and become immersed in every side of the business at MM Search has been remarkable, and I look forward to my future with the team as it continues to grow.
