In September we welcomed two new Recruitment apprentices to the Solos team . Both Luke and Joe attended The Kimberley School where they achieved excellent GCSE results but decided that the best route for them into the world of work was through an apprenticeship. Giving them the opportunity to learn useful skills within an fast paced industry was particularly appealing as they are both keen sportsmen and naturally competitive.

We shortlisted a number of candidates who were then interviewed and set some evaluation tasks on the day. Both young men did exceptionally well and were delighted to be offered a position which will give them a professional qualification at the end of the training period.

I asked them to write a short piece on their thoughts after a month’s employment and this is what they wrote:

Joe 

“I very much wanted an Apprenticeship after completing my first year at college due to the fact I wanted a new challenge and a foot on the career ladder. Valuable work experience whilst also earning was really appealing to me.

After some research I felt recruitment would suit me due to my character as a sociable and competitive person. This industry would help me reach my goals and be successful in fulfilling them. In my first month I have been talking to candidates on the phone and asking them about their job searches and also using the database extensively to record the details. My confidence has increased a lot in this first month and I feel comfortable talking to people over the phones now with ease. I am beginning to identify the right type of candidates already and working closely with the experienced Consultants to further increase my skills.

I’ve received excellent support from my Training Provider and SOLOS and am excited about moving forward and getting my qualification.”

Luke

“I chose to take on an apprenticeship for multiple reasons after deciding that continuing to learn in a classroom environment was not for me. My main reasoning for the change was my ambition to get into the world of work and get some experience under my belt. I felt an apprenticeship would be the right path for me to do this and I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge.

I looked through various opportunities online in order to try and find the right role for me. I came across recruitment on various job boards, and having done some research into it, it seemed like a perfect fit. Recruitment is a demanding, competitive industry so seemed a great first experience of full time work.

The first month has seen me go from knowing the bare minimum to gaining the confidence to pick up the phone and speak to candidates regarding their CVs and expectations. My new skills during this first month include answering phone calls, making phone calls, scanning information from files and logging it onto our CRM system, logging candidates and their CVs onto the CRM. I have exceeded my own expectations in terms of how far I have come and how far I expected to come in such a short period of time.

My communication skills have progressed massively. Although I have always been confident speaking to people, actually picking the phone up and speaking to strangers about skills that they have specialised in for years has been a huge learning curve. I have also noticed an increase in my ICT skills as is expected when you spend a good portion of your day online in some way shape or form.”