Organisation: Pertemps, Birmingham
Placement Student Name: Kirsty Whitehead
Placement Title: Branch intern
Dates of Placement: Summer 2014

We’ve been helping people find the right jobs and helping employers find the right people since 1961. The reason we’ve been so successful is simple: we make sure we know our business inside out. Permanent, temporary, or contract positions, private or public sector, we do our utmost to find the right people for the right jobs. Our commitment has allowed us to build an impressive client list, from major organisations to small businesses, that trust us to find them the very best people.

The role within a branch is very diverse but the ability to offer a positive 1st class customer service is absolutely key. As part of the team you will work closely with the Manager, Consultants and Administrators to gain a full understanding of the recruitment business and the processes involved. Duties include:

  • Researching local markets, companies in the area, generating sales leads by using every available tool, especially the internet, to pass leads to the consultants.
  • Researching local unemployment stats – preparing a report to include findings above.
  • Organising the interview process, from initial introduction to finding a suitable job.
  • Communicating with applicants to update their skill, experience and CVs as necessary.
  • Undertaking customer service surveys to measure the Pertemps service by telephone and e-mail.

I was interested in working for a well established company to give me a taste of work within the recruitment industry.

My day-to-day duties involved things such as answering the phones, responding to emails, interviewing temps when they came into register, filling bookings from clients, loading bookings onto the Pertemps system, loading temps onto the Pertemps system and dealing with any queries any temps may have such as pay or holiday questions.

I feel like I am more resilient at handling stressful situations within the work place, as well as general skills such as how to phrase emails and deal with challenging individuals, which I felt I could do before but not with as much confidence.

It has undoubtedly made me consider the possibility of a job in recruitment when I finish my degree!

Yes, I feel more confident in myself and in my abilities and definitely feel like I am more employable as a result.

The satisfaction of putting someone into a job!

To definitely go for it! I didn’t do the internship through Pertemps because I knew I wanted to be a recruitment consultant when I left university, because if I am being honest I didn’t know much about the recruitment industry at all! I did it because I knew it would be a worthwhile experience regardless as to how it made me feel about my future career!

Thank you to Pertemps and the team at Northampton Industrial for the opportunity!