The Careers at Charterhouse series takes you directly into the career journeys of our talented recruitment consultants at Charterhouse Australia. In their own words, find out what Charterhouse means to them, the lessons they've learned along the way and invaluable insights into the recruitment profession.
Jessica Hallawell
Senior Principal Consultant – IT Infrastructure
Charterhouse Partnership - Melbourne, Australia
I joined Charterhouse with just under 12 months of experience in recruitment after starting my career in a large firm in Leeds, UK on a working holiday visa. After plenty of good memories were made, my time overseas was coming to an end, and I was ready to move back home to Melbourne – I knew I wanted to stay in recruitment but didn’t know which agency would be the best fit for me. I got in touch with a Rec to Rec, who really understood what I was looking for in a recruitment firm. They organised for me to speak with Kerry Saes, GM of Charterhouse Melbourne… and the rest is history.
I am coming up to my fifth year at Charterhouse and it has got me thinking about my journey. I joined as an Associate Consultant, as still relativity new to the recruitment industry, I had a lot to learn. During my career at Charterhouse, I have grown enormously and achieved so much, from making numerous overseas incentive trips and being promoted three times to become a Senior Principal Consultant. I have worked hard to meet these milestones and achieve the growth that I have, but more than that, I love coming to work. So, why have I stayed with Charterhouse for all these years?
My Top 3 Reflections
Clear & Flexible Career Path
It is great to be part of an organisation that has a clear career path for progression. I knew exactly what I had to do to achieve each milestone and each achievement has been recognised and celebrated by the business. There are a lot of people in the business who bill well, but who are like me may not want to take the traditional management route just yet. In appreciation of this, there has been an additional milestone added to the “Senior Principal Consultant” career path and it gives us flexibility to really drive your own career as billing consultants. We have financial milestones with new targets associated and additional benefits that come along with the achievement, which we are all striving towards.
Our leadership team see the importance in keeping their consultants challenged and offer opportunities for us to get involved in the wider business with projects which operate outside of the day to day of recruitment. This makes it easy to keep engaged and invested into the business. One area of my role which I love, is working on the charity initiatives for our Melbourne office. We plan a yearly calendar of events and commit to at least 2 days a year out of the office for volunteering.
The Support from Management
Throughout my journey, one of the key things that has stood out is the support I receive to grow and make the desk my own. Initially, when I joined Charterhouse, I was started on a desk in the Development sector for an initial 6 months. With the support from my manager we determined that this space was not quite the fit for me. We had an open conversation about where my interests lie, together we looked at a new opening within the team and I made a move to the IT Infrastructure desk where I have found my specialism within the Local Government and NFP space. This showed me that business wanted to invest in me, and for me to meet my full potential, rather than just find someone else to take on that desk.
The focus on learning and development has been important for me. When I have needed extra training or development, I have been provided either internal training, or encouraged to attend a course through the Australian Institute of Management. Further more encouraged me to operate out of my comfort zone to host webinars/events for our customers. Even something as little as a one to one catch up with my manager to keep me on track; there has never been a single time when I have not received what I needed. Everything I have required for my career growth, my manager or GM at Charterhouse have always been able to listen, advise, and guide me in the right direction.
The People. Our Team
Our team is a massive support system. They always have been, but especially important throughout these Covid times in lockdowns. We are always there for each other to celebrate the wins, and to lift each other up in the hard times. We collaborate to come up with new ways to approach challenges and I feel that our ideas are always taken onboard. I have worked with the same leadership team since I have started back in 2017 – their tenure shows the commitment they have to our business. Our wellbeing and team culture is always at the forefront of every decision that is made, and I am lucky enough to know everyone in my office on a personal level. We genuinely care for each other and want to make sure we are as connected as we can be.
For anyone that is looking at a lasting career within agency recruitment, I personally feel that agencies like Charterhouse have built an environment where you can strive for success and be acknowledged and recognised no matter what your position is within the business. The environment I work in has had a massive impact on my journey and holds such importance on why I stay at Charterhouse and continue to grow and evolve my career.
More About Charterhouse Partnership
Charterhouse is a forward-thinking, award-winning recruitment agency on a mission to expand the talent pool by creating remarkable candidate experiences. With offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Charterhouse Partnership supplies professionals across IT, Accounting, Strategy & Policy, Legal, and Professional Support. We do so on both a permanent and interim basis. Our depth of relationships spans across Government, Commercial and Financial Services sectors. We place professionals at the outset of their career right the way through to the pinnacle of their career. Charterhouse’s primary focus is to help bring together amazing prospective employees with amazing employers and workplaces with the goal being to find them fulfilling employment that brings job satisfaction.
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