Luke B's Story

Starting his career before the global pandemic in 2020, Luke has navigated recruitment challenges and tough markets. Luke has a winning mindset, and since joining has been promoted to Lead Consultant, joined our Leadership Development Programme and the Big Billers Club.

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What initially attracted you to Carrington West?

I started looking at recruitment agencies around Portsmouth in 2019. I had a brief stint in recruitment before and saw that Carrington West had won nationally recognised and individual awards. I knew that I wanted to learn from and work with the best in the industry. When I interviewed, I loved the enthusiasm and passion from the people I met. I had an instant feel for the culture when I walked into the office and that really stood out to me.

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How have you progressed in the 5 years since you joined the business?

Since joining at the beginning of 2020, I’ve had two promotions and I’m now a Lead Consultant. I’m a coach to three people in the business, and part of the Leadership Development Programme (LDP), which allows me to develop key skills and share these with the team and wider business.

My confidence has grown massively inside and outside of work. The job pushes me out of my comfort zone and I’m consistently working to better myself each day.

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What makes recruiting in the highways sector unique compared to other areas?

I recruit for specialist roles requiring specific degrees, qualifications and tickets, but there’s a skill shortage and fewer people entering the industry, so that’s definitely a unique challenge. Highways public sector recruitment can be challenging due to procurement and funding issues which we have especially seen since the pandemic.

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What are some of the challenges you have faced working in recruitment?

Joining at the start of 2020 and going straight into a global pandemic was a big challenge! It was difficult at the time being three months into a new career and then being sent to work from home, just taking each week as it came with the world in a state of uncertainty. Working in contract recruitment can be difficult at times as it’s a high pressure, fast paced environment. You definitely have to be on the ball every minute of the day, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

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What are you most proud of in your career so far at Carrington West?

I’m proud of the way that I navigated the challenges at the start of my career in the pandemic. It’s allowed me to have resilience and drive, and to be able to change a negative situation into a positive. From that I’ve been able to grow my plan and billings, be promoted twice and now coach and give back to junior members of the company. I’m also proud to have joined the Big Billers Club in 2024!

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What helps you perform at your best each day?

For me, the most important thing is to always have a plan. I pride myself on being the proactive recruiter and being up to date on what’s going on in the industry. It works for me to have a clear plan with goals and objectives which I can work towards every day. It’s really important to have the resilience, perspective and optimism that the next call will be the one to turn things around!

I’m always looking for ways to develop myself, whether through reading, listening to podcasts, or completing learning modules on our LMS. These activities keep me motivated and continually improving.

Being surrounded by expert recruiters daily also has a big impact on my performance as I can learn something every day and we push each other to be the best we can be.

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How do you measure success?

I measure success by focusing on my own progress towards my personal and professional goals. If I’m learning, growing and contributing then that’s a success for me! I can only compare myself to myself and focus on what I can do to be better.

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How have you benefited from the learning and development?

The LDP sessions teaches things that aren’t just specific to recruitment. They’re essentially life and leadership skills which you wouldn’t learn on a day-to-day basis but have changed the way I operate daily. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to be able to learn from world class speakers and they’re always really entertaining sessions! The best takeaway I came away with from a session was, “always asks what’s possible.” That really opened my eyes and has changed the way I work through situations.

The internal training sessions are great as well to brush up on skills and to learn new skills which is key to staying on top of the ever-changing recruitment market.

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What advice would you give to someone looking to build a career in recruitment?

The best advice that I was ever given was that no question is a stupid question when you're first starting! Don't be afraid to ask, whether that's to colleagues, candidates or clients. You’ve got to be as nosy as possible and absorb as much information as you can from all relevant people. I’d recommend attending all training opportunities and learn from the people who have years of experience. It’s not always going to be straightforward, but you definitely get out what you put in.

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What are your plans for the future?

Carrington West has some really exciting growth plans over the coming years, and I’m really looking forward to being part of that and help with that growth. I’d like to become part of the management team and develop the next wave of world class recruiters!