Matt Brooks - Frazer Jones, London

Matt Brooks – Manager
Frazer Jones Reward, London


Academic background
PG Dip Human Resource Management (CIPD) - UMIST
BSc Hons French and European Studies with Spanish - University of Surrey

Previous Work Experience
Expatriate Tax Consultant within the International Assignment Services department at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1998 to October 2004

Why did you move into recruitment?
I was looking for a new role as I felt I needed a change from the tax and technical side of my previous position, which was no longer fulfilling my career aspirations. I had recently completed my Post Graduate Diploma in HRM and was looking for a chance to put my new knowledge into practice.

The idea came from talking to an old friend of mine who had made the move from qualified solicitor to recruitment consultant, also within the SR Group, and was also clearly earning well and enjoying his new job. I was attracted to the fact that you get rewarded quickly for putting in the effort, and that the fundamentals of recruitment – building relationships quickly and effectively – was the part of my previous role that I'd enjoyed and felt I was good at.

Why did you join Frazer Jones?
It was the people and the environment. Frazer Jones practices what I refer to as grown-up recruitment in a trust-based environment, and that was very appealing to me. I'd heard horror stories of heavily regulated environments where consultants had to make a certain number of phone calls a day and send a certain number of CVs out to clients a week, and I knew that would not be for me. People here seemed to be treated like professionals, trusted to do the work required and seemingly enjoyed themselves.

What is a typical day?
There's no such thing! I spend my time in different proportions, depending on the time of year and the market, visiting clients to talk about new roles, interviewing new candidates either in person or over the phone, responding to emails from candidates and clients, writing adverts for print and on-line media and articles for various publications. On a more ad-hoc basis we attend events organised by our suppliers, and also those we organise ourselves for our clients and candidates. There's a myriad of different activities involved in building, maintaining and developing relationships within our networks.

Any downsides?
This is a pressurised and fast moving environment and it isn't for everybody. Moving jobs and employing new staff are major events, and often quite daunting, for both employees and employers. As such, this process can lead to some very unpredictable behaviour, which can sometimes really ruin your day! That said, such unpredictability can of course work in your favour at times, so you learn to take the rough with the smooth.

What do you think makes a good recruiter?
The fundamental quality of a good recruiter is an ability to understand people quickly; to have that level of emotional intelligence that means you can adapt your behaviour to match the person you're talking to. You also need to be able to control your emotions; the ups and downs of recruitment are extreme and things move very quickly, as such it's just as important not to get overly excited when things are going your way as it is to stay positive when they're not. Time management and prioritisation skills are things you develop with experience, which go towards making you a more effective and successful recruiter.