This week we had a conversation with our favourite lady from the USA, Grace! Grace is Principal Consultant of Tech, Sales, & Product at Annapurna and has proved herself to be a massive success in the business within one year of starting her recruitment journey.
Grace moved to London to do her Masters in Global Studies and European Politics and quickly found herself a job at Annapurna in September 2021.
“I found Annapurna through Linkedin because I was just searching for the word consultant. Sure enough, after a couple of rounds of interviews, assessing my skills and attributes, they wanted me on board”.
What does the training look like in the 1st year?
“The team leads are always there for you, especially my team lead Jake, and there are always people that I would never be afraid to ask if I have a question.”
When employees first start, they have their own custom training depending on their role on a learning platform called Eloomi.
It took Grace 2 weeks to get into the basics and then after that, she said she was much more ‘hands-on’. Within the first few weeks, Grace was already picking up the phone, calling clients jumping straight into the deep end and not wasting any time.
“In a way, I had to get used to things really quickly as it’s like managing your own businesses in terms of how many jobs we get and being responsible for all of your own clients.”
Grace discussed the different targets that recruiters have to achieve every month. She said that, especially for the first six months of the training programme, it is crucial to hit these targets and stay on track. Then, once you pass those six months, you earn your promotion to associate consultant.
“Having monthly targets really help me to be honest, in order to map out what I have to do. It seems daunting, but I didn’t feel alone, everyone was supporting me.”
“I’m always told that it’s better to ask too many questions in comparison to someone who doesn’t ask any questions at all. I also know that I can go to anybody, whether it’s my own manager, Jake, or if I need to go to literally anyone in the business”. Grace has been at Annapurna for over a year, but she still considers herself as pretty new to the business.
So why is Grace so successful? Are there traits she has in particular that make her a good recruiter?
“I do like talking to new people in the office, on the phone and connecting with clients on a personal level. At university, I had a job for three years that was actually cold-calling for a research study.”
Grace came to Annapurna with no experience as a recruiter but said that it really does help you out if you’re not afraid to pick up the phone.
“I just think it’s about being honest with yourself and setting targets because I know recruitment is very competitive.”
“When I first started, I remember I didn’t have my first deal until three months in. I knew it would take time to see results.”
Grace knuckled down and realised that she had to stick at it for a while to see her hard work pay off. She said she started to overthink and wondered whether she was doing poorly.
However, she quickly realised that not everyone is on the same timeline. People compare themselves to each other but if you prove yourself, and be honest with yourself about what you can manage week by week, then it works out.
“If you overpromise to your client or even to your manager, then things don’t always work out. It’s about just really putting in the effort and not being afraid to work a little bit extra if you need to. Just be honest with what you are able to do.”
For Grace, it’s a mix of processes, being honest, having open communication, not being afraid to ask questions, showing your personality, experiencing cold calling, connecting with people and being passionate about speaking.
How does Grace find being so far away from home?
Everyone has an option to work from anywhere. For Grace, this is perfect as it allows her able to go home and work in the US over the holidays.
“When I go home (back to the US), it’s only five hours difference. But I do think it also comes to the element of trust. It is so nice to feel like Annapurna trust me and I have that flexibility. I can go home and have those days off between Christmas and New Year, which means that I can still see all my other family and friends but still be able to work, which makes it a smooth transition”.
What gives Grace that drive? Where is that motivation coming from?
“I’ve kind of always been this way in school and university. I’ve never been the one to want the perfect grade, but it is more about just doing my best.”
Grace likes having pressure on her in order to be successful and make deals, get a promotion and ultimately make money. The clear targets help her to achieve this, as from day 1 she knew what she had to do to reach them. “However, sometimes the market is tough and there are some negative periods which you must work hard to get out of and know that it all works out in the long run.”
“You can look back easily and see the targets you have achieved and know that Annapurna will celebrate them with you.”
“It’s such a comfortable environment, and for me personally with my team and manager if I have a problem or need help, I’m not afraid to ask, and you shouldn’t be afraid either”.
Please click here to check out the roles that we have on offer at Annapurna.
Feel free to connect with Grace on LinkedIn.
