Further to my previous blog – “Why Customer care is all about relationships” which provided an insight into my role at Head Resourcing, I just wanted to share with you a typical day for me and the reasons why I am very lucky to have a job that I love and along with it the autonomy to fill my day as I choose. Each day also looks different to the next, but generally speaking it goes a little like this:
08.06 on a Tuesday
I‘m at our office in Edinburgh’s West End, ready to leave any minute as my first meeting is at 09.00 at the South Gyle, I collect my notebook and gifts to give to contractors. I jump on the tram and cram in some last minute preparation for later in the day as I now have 10 meetings confirmed, two of which confirmed just as I left the office.
I arrive at my first meeting, which is with a contractor I have met a couple of times this year, we grab a coffee and pick up where we left off. He is coming towards the end of his contract so we begin to discuss the market, potential opportunities and his expectations.
This meeting is wrapped up after half an hour, and my next meeting begins minutes later. Another coffee! This meeting is completely different, I am joined by a contractor who started their contract this month and is new to working with Head Resourcing. I love these meetings as it gives me a platform to be an ambassador for the company. I’ll always ask how the role is going and we’ll chat about the current market. I’m also keen to find out how Head Resourcing can improve on the service provided. Candidates generally tend to warm up fairly quickly and tend to have no issues in sharing information with me. It’s great to be able to leave a positive impression with someone you have only just met.
Every meeting is different, and this means I need to be very organised, alert and flexible with the format of each appointment. I have another 4 meetings at this client site and then back on the tram. I quickly eat my lunch and before I know it I am chatting away to another contractor, this one has been with us for years, enjoying his role and has just come back from spending a week in Italy. This is somewhere I love, so we spend a fair bit of time talking about the sights and how lovely it is. We do eventually get round to chatting about work!
Not all meetings are quite so positive, on the other end of the scale I will now and again have contractors who don’t like their role, they don’t like their team or task manager, they don’t like the commute, or any combination of the above and more. This was the situation in my last meeting of the day, not always the best way to finish a day, however it is important that I am there to listen and talk through the issues with them. I can help to set expectations on what can or cannot be changed and provide a broader picture of the market if they decide to potentially look for a new role. Again, this is all about helping the contractor as best I can by using my knowledge and experience.
10 meetings along with 10 coffees in one day is higher than average for me, however it sometimes isn’t far off that figure. It can be a really exhausting day but I feel a great sense of achievement and get tremendous job satisfaction. I think the contractors find it of value also.
My day doesn’t stop there as I need to find time to wind down. It’s very tempting to go home straight after work and sit in front of the television but I really enjoy exploring this beautiful city. Edinburgh has been my home now for a year and I can’t get enough of it. I’ve developed a taste for photography and this is my release. I love the scenery in and around the city, particularly Holyrood Park, Dean Village and Stockbridge. I will never tire of seeing the most beautiful castle in the middle of our city. I find taking photos and exploring the city can be a great way to have down time but off the back of it, I am able to share my photos and build my network further through the use of Instagram, such a friendly and encouraging platform where I have met some really great people and made some lovely friends. Coming across a hidden gem in the middle of the city, just as the sun is setting, taking the shot and editing the photograph is the perfect way to end a great day – it makes me really happy.
I think this is key to getting the work life balance just right, no matter how much you enjoy your job, you always need time out for yourself to do what you love.
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