Rob Stack

I joined Page because of the clear progression opportunities. The ladder is clearly defined and I felt I could realise my career aspirations here. This was made clear from the very outset and I immediately felt I would be well looked after; I felt at home.

I joined Page Personnel Finance in Guildford five and a half years ago as a consultant. I was promoted twice in 2011 and am now senior business manager with the same department. I have had four promotions within five years and have made over one million in fees for the business. That puts me in the elusive ‘millionaire’s club’ as one of the company’s top billers. 

Certain agencies, especially boutiques and smaller firms, have limits on how far you can go. That’s not the case at Page, you can go as far as you set your mind to. Should you want to move to a different discipline and repeat your success, that option is available. A goal might be to bill over a million and progress up the ladder in another part of the business. I feel that will make me well rounded and better at what I do. 

Of course the promotions and good money is an obvious one but it goes far beyond that. It’s the constant interaction with people and the fast paced and fresh work that comes to me every day. I honestly have never woken up thinking ‘god, I've got to go to work.’ It’s up to you what kind of day you have and how rewarding it can be. You are in charge of your own operation and success or failure is down to you. It’s almost like running your own business within a business; you are the only person in your sector doing your job.  Seeing colleagues succeed and being part of a strong and successful team is a great feeling.

My retail career was sales and customer service focused; I don’t think people realise how good a foundation this experience is for working in recruitment. If I had known how transferrable the skills were, I would have made the jump sooner. The hardest aspect was that you have to become much more proactive. It is still a customer service role and reactive sales experience is valuable but in order to drum up the business you need to learn to be proactive. 

I’ve actually regularly gone back into retail to get people who I think have what it takes and recommended that they make the move into recruitment. I couldn’t recommend recruitment enough. In retail you become so attached to your store that you think about it all the time and your work/life balance can be affected. I would tell those who work in retail to let it go.

The first six months are the hardest, use this time to learn your trade and develop yourself. Listen to your client, listen to those who know this industry and learn from your mistakes. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, always be resilient and bounce-back from the inevitable setbacks. Those who make it through, work hard and apply themselves can do great things here. Throw yourself into it completely