CVM People – Helen Reflections

Last September, Helen Foster joined the CVM People team as a Resourcing Partner, moving into recruitment as a complete switch from a previous career in insurance and account management. Here, she shares what she’s learnt as she’s transitioned into the world of talent…

Helen Foster – Resourcing Partner:

Changing careers was a big decision, but one I am pleased to say I am glad I made. It has been a learning curve moving into a new industry, understanding new terms, human behaviour and adapting to different processes, but it’s made me happier and given me a fresh perspective.

So what does it look like when you’re starting anew?

The first few months were spent learning the industries we work in: Marketing, CRM, Digital, Analytics, Data, IT, Cyber. It was content intensive, working closely with practitioners from the consulting practice to deep dive into this world and map out different capabilities. It was clear from the start that building genuine subject matter expertise was going to be vital, and, something I now appreciate does really make us different.

Coming from an Account Management background has supported me when it came to learning the recruitment skill itself. I already had a strong understanding of stakeholder communication, confidence in talking to others, and managing expectations, all of which have thankfully proved transferable when working with candidates and clients. However, there’s also been a lot of self-learning: the importance of building rapport with clients and candidates, how best to capture and position detailed candidate summaries after interviews, and the art of presenting job offers (and rejections) effectively. Recruitment is more human led than I initially appreciated. The job search process can be an emotional rollercoaster for candidates, with every application, interview, and conversation carrying a lot of hope and anticipation. We are very transparent and consultative in our approach, and I’m really enjoying this part of my role.

So, as each step so far has taught me something new, I thought I would share a summary of what I have learnt after making the career change.

What have I learned?

Candidate relationships: Building strong candidate relationships is critical. It establishes trust and genuine rapport, which allows candidates to be honest and open about their personality, motivations, and values. When a candidate feels listened to and respected, they’re more engaged and transparent. That also helps us match candidates to roles more accurately, knowing their leadership style, preferred working environment, and whether their values align with the client’s. Matched correctly, this clearly leads to retention, job satisfaction, and a pleased end client.

Preparing candidates: Ensuring candidates are well-prepared benefits the process in a number of ways. When candidates understand the role, responsibilities, and what’s required to succeed, they arrive at interview feeling confident, which helps reduce nerves. Preparation also improves efficiency: candidates progress more smoothly, drop-off rates decrease, and the overall experience strengthens the employer brand. We work hard to ensure our clients work with us to help us with this part of the process.

Benefits of working for a subject matter led business: Briefings ahead of starting a search are more in depth than I imagined, both internally and with the client. There is a huge focus on identifying what good really looks like. The more I work on certain roles, the quicker I build strong networks I can reconnect with for future searches. By speaking the same language as the candidate, I can have a deeper conversation and understand what they’re capable of. Candidates gain trust in us, ask questions about industry and market insights, and know they can rely on us for an educated response. Clients rely on us for smaller, more accurate shortlists with detailed candidate positioning notes.

Importance of organisation and structure in recruitment: Organisation is vital to successful hiring. When it isn’t done properly, deadlines get missed, candidates are left in the dark, and clients are let down. Without regular updates, realistic timeframes, and clear communication, candidates and hiring managers lose faith. They choose another recruiter, responses get delayed, and people end up ghosted. I always ensure that I’m planning ahead and structuring how I am managing each process to support performance.

As a final reflection, for anyone considering a move into talent or a career change, don’t be afraid as it was the right move for me. I would recommend the industry for those looking for roles centred around relationship development, continuous learning and hard work. It’s not an easy profession and you need good resilience but is very rewarding and I’m excited for what’s ahead.