I’ve just celebrated my first anniversary with Kin, and what a year it has been! Joining Kin was a return to work for me from being a student/lady of leisure in the USA. I couldn’t have hoped for a better place to return to the workforce and am so pleased to be part of a supportive team that is disrupting the market and doing a darn good job for both candidates and clients at the same time!  

So what has this past year been like?  To sum it up I’d say challenging, rewarding, full of growth, and also super-fast! Let me explain: 

Challenging 

Returning to work having not worked full time for three years was challenging for me, as it is for many people (see here for Samara’s blog on returning to work after parental leave). As well as that, the job market was a completely different place from what I used to know.  

Unemployment was down, skilled candidates were in super-hot demand and were able to take their pick of the organisations they wanted to work for, and technologies had evolved. But that was only the start. Kin is a disrupter in the recruitment space and this means that I not only needed to use all of my previous experience as a foundation for my role here, I also had to forget some of my old habits that were more ‘sales’ focused, and less about ‘doing what is right’. This was a welcome change for me! 

Rewarding 

This past year has seen me working with a variety of clients from small Not for Profit organisations to fintech start up’s to large established businesses. Each brings their unique offering for job seekers and I love getting to sit with Business Owners, CEOs and Managers to understand what it’s like to work in their team – what it ‘feels’ like to be in their business.  

Someone fabulous once told me that recruitment is an art, not a science, and this absolutely rings true with me. Working with Kin for the past year has allowed me to get to know some truly amazing organisations and once you get a feel for what they are like, recruiting for their team becomes second nature. Sometimes I meet a candidate and instantly from talking to them know that they will be wonderful for the role, just from what it feels like to be around them, along with the skills and experience they have. Finding a home for those great people with wonderful organisations is the biggest reward for me and I’ve never had that more than I have in the past year with Kin! 

Full of growth 

While it's uncomfortable for me, understanding that I don’t always have the answer is the new normal. Knowing that there is room to learn about new industries, technologies, organisations and people is actually pretty great. Also knowing that difficult situations lead to lessons learnt and thoughts of “I know how to handle that differently next time!”. But with Kin, I’ve been allowed to not always know the answer, and to make mistakes. The way that we approach our work is always from an authentic, transparent, and truly human way, and this means at times being vulnerable, or making a mistake – we are human too and that’s ok!

Super-fast! 

We all say it, all the time, “where has the year gone?!” and this year has been the biggest example of that for me. Each week flies by for me as I work with new clients, new roles, and face new challenges. I can honestly say that I never have a dull day at work, and am truly lucky to have landed with such an amazing company and team.  

Here’s to the next year!