Research and Recruitment: Thoughts from the inside – By Emily Cheung

Prior to my placement at Livingston James, I only had a vague idea of the operations that take place in the recruitment industry. My understanding was when a business identifies they have a space within their workforce, they contact a third party to help them source an appropriate employee to fill that position. And in a nutshell, that is the work the Livingston James Group does. However I have now realised that it is merely the tip of the ‘recruitment iceberg’. My two-week placement at Livingston James has provided me the opportunity to learn more about the incredibly thorough process that they run as well as gather an extensive amount of knowledge about the recruitment industry as a whole and the different areas of recruitment the Livingston James Group operate in.

During my two week placement, I have been working with the Executive Search team, mainly shadowing Kirsty Sim and assisting her with her work in Executive Research. This has involved mapping potential candidates for new assignments, evaluating CVs and attending client/candidate interviews. The interviews and meetings were a great opportunity for me to see the importance of building relationships with both candidates and clients, as well as using these interactions to gain an in-depth knowledge of the needs and wants of both parties to ensure the Livingston James team delivers the best service possible.

Now that I have a better understanding of a research role in recruitment, it has allowed me to appreciate the extensive amount of work involved in placing every candidate. Furthermore, working as a researcher for Livingston James in particular is rewarding due to the variety of work on offer, whether it be desk-based research or face to face briefings with senior members of large companies. The diversity of work in this role has also been of great surprise to me. In the past two weeks I have been involved in projects covering a range of industries from sport to energy. The diversity has kept me on my toes and demonstrated the fast paced, dynamic nature of this job.

A final aspect of the recruitment industry that impressed me is seeing the immense responsibility and loyalty the Livingston James team feel towards both the clients and candidates. Whilst it is imperative that the clients receive the strongest candidate who will add value to their company, ensuring the candidate is making a correct move is equally critical for their own career trajectory.

Overall I have had a great two weeks working in Edinburgh with Livingston James. I will be leaving with a great amount of new knowledge surrounding a niche industry that I hadn’t looked into before, as well as having had many opportunities to interact and understand more about the soft skills involved when dealing with people in a professional manner. Notably, I’d like to say thank you to the team at Livingston James, they have been very friendly and welcoming and have made my time here a valuable experience.

Emily is in her 2nd year at Edinburgh University Business School studying International Business with Chinese. She was awarded the placement as the winner of Best Presentation at the #makeyourmarkcampaign which Livingston James supported through the judging panel.