Moving from an in-house position back to an agency environment - Sean Farrell

Moving from an in-house position back to an agency environment, and from rural Berkshire to the HILLS of San Francisco. It’s fair to say the last few months have been quite the transition period, but what has it been like going from “Client” to “Consultant”?

For me, the most notable difference between in-house and agency is your product. Working internally, you become a specialist on that organization and within an agency you become a specialist within the market.

I spent four fantastic years working internally for a mid-sized CRO, and there was very much an “open-door policy” throughout the organisation that gave exposure all the way up to C-Suite Management. It was this type of environment where you naturally built relationships with internal stakeholders and learnt about certain projects and longer terms plans of the organization. These interactions were invaluable when recruiting internally and this is where you became a specialist in an organization - you were always in the know and able to sell the opportunity to candidates. However, there is nowhere to hide internally - every position is urgent and prioritizing becomes one of your biggest challenges, as well as the diversity of the positions that you will work. One minute you are working on positions in Clinical Operations, then you are asked to find an Accountant in Eastern Europe!

Move over to the agency side and this is where you can become a specialist within your field, creating long term professional relationships and becoming a name in the industry. This is an area that I missed whilst working internally, and one of my reasons for wanting to move back to an agency environment. Another reason I wanted to move back was for the client interaction, and for the opportunity to work with organizations of varying size and background - something the Bay Area offers in abundance! When working internally you can become somewhat regimented with the same cycle of recruitment processes and filling the same exact position multiple times. Who doesn’t like some variety in their life?

There is no hiding from the fact that this is a competitive market, but the success and reward are all within your control. The more you put in, the more you WILL get out! If you are thinking of making a change where you can have more freedom to manage your time and your desk, or you are seeking more variety by getting out the office to attend a conference, host a networking event or taking clients out for lunch, then you need to consider an agency recruitment position.

I’ve been working in recruitment for 6 years and it was a no brainer for me to join Meet to become a part of our launch team in San Francisco - something else I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do internally! The team have been working hard laying the foundations in Q4 of 2016 and we are all very excited about the future plans, not just in SF, but on a global scale, and I for sure cannot wait to see what 2017 brings.