In Conversation with Arjun Gillard

​Arjun Gillard joined the Understanding Recruitment team with eight years’ experience working for a London based recruitment consultancy, heading up their engineering and construction divisions. Arjun now heads up our specialist .NET recruitment division.

We caught up with him to see what his experience has been like so far and what advice he would give to consultants looking for a new challenge...

What was your career journey before joining Understanding Recruitment?

I started as a trainee recruitment consultant fresh out of university in a company where I was one of the first hires starting in a brand new market. I was promoted to consultant within four months and then to senior within 13 months where I started to build a team. I then took on a dual role where I was billing and managing and received multiple promotions. I then became a non-billing manager where my focus was growing the team as quickly as possible and had 20 reports. Throughout my tenure there I won multiple awards including leader of the year two years running.

What do you like best about working at Understanding Recruitment?

I love the autonomy and focus on personal development. I am encouraged to think outside the box and innovate. There is more of a focus on quality over quantity which is really impressive to me. The people are also fantastic and like-minded. Everyone gets on with each other and goes above and beyond to make people feel welcome. It was always going to be a bit of a nerve-racking experience for me as I had only worked for one company prior to joining. Everyone was so welcoming and I felt part of the business from day one.  During COVID the company and directors have been so supportive and appreciative. It has further cemented my belief that I moved to the right organisation.

How does working in the tech industry differ from your previous industry?

There is more focus on LinkedIn but also sourcing via other mediums not just via job boards. Devs love talking over email, LinkedIn messenger and WhatsApp which was a slight adjustment to me as my previous roles were primarily focused on the phone.

What would your advice be to recruiters thinking about moving to a different company/different industry?

I wasn’t actively looking but rather wanted to find a company that was the right fit for my career aspirations and personal goals. Do your research and have open/frank conversations throughout the whole process. For me, it had to be the right position so I wanted to know everything about Understanding Recruitment. The directors were happy to share with me what info I needed and it felt a fit from the moment I had a telephone interview. The change in the industry didn’t faze me. I know that tech is an extremely lucrative market and I had confidence in my abilities to hit the ground running in any market. I was keen on joining a company that would invest in me and develop me and I can honestly say I have found this at Understanding Recruitment.

How does the earning potential in the tech market differ to the industry you worked in before?

I think it's fairly similar but what I love about tech is that the majority of organisations we're working with are looking to hire at least four developers at a time. My last industry hired one individual every couple of years.

How would you describe the culture at Understanding Recruitment?

Fun but professional, hardworking and very much a team-orientated environment. You're empowered in your role here even at a trainee level. Everyone is working towards a common goal to offer the best service to both candidates and clients as well as help drive the business forward.

What would your advice be to your younger self? 

Constantly strive to be better! Personal development has been at the forefront of my mind this year and I have really kicked on due to listening to Audible and podcasts. I used to be a lot of pressure on myself and used to get disheartened when things didn’t go my way at work. Trust the process and keep working hard and you will succeed in recruitment.

Also, save money! I pretty much spent every penny I earnt until my fourth year in recruitment. It’s great to treat yourself when you're doing well but I could have owned a house far sooner if I had saved some money from day one.