This month, we’re celebrating a special milestone: Hannah has been with Fourblue for 5 incredible years!
When she joined the company, she had no prior recruitment experience – coming from a retail background with a passion for people and a drive to succeed. Over the past five years, Hannah has built a remarkable career, progressing from her first role in recruitment to Director.
Along the way, she started Fourblue’s Renewable Energy desk, placing hundreds of professionals in life-changing roles and helping the business grow in a rapidly expanding sector.
To mark this anniversary, we sat down with Hannah to talk about her journey, the challenges she’s overcome, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. In this interview, she shares insights about starting a career in recruitment, the in-house training and support that helped her excel, and why she’s stayed at Fourblue for five years.
Here’s the full transcript of our conversation with Hannah:
Can you start by telling us a little about your background and what you were doing before joining Fourblue?
Before joining Fourblue, I worked for Marks and Spencer. I started as a part-time Customer Assistant and worked my way up to Section Manager, where I managed clothing and home departments across three different stores. I really felt like this helped with my confidence and my work ethic, which has definitely helped me in my transition to where I am in recruitment today.
What attracted you to a career in recruitment?
So, I’ve always been a very motivated person. I like being target driven, and I do enjoy a job that can help me earn money and set up my future. I love the fast pace of recruitment; I think that’s one thing that really attracted me. I am a very fast-paced person; I enjoy and thrive in a high-pressure environment.
Also, being able to help people and find them their next job – in my job, I’ve always had someone supporting me to push me onto the next part of my career and being able to assist people in that is really important to me.
When you joined Fourblue, you had no recruitment experience. What was that first few months like?
In the first few months, you do have a lot of information to take on board – how to be a recruiter, how to be good at what you do, but also the industry. So, it is very overwhelming sometimes, with the information you have to take on board, but everyone is so friendly.
Everyone knows you’re learning; everyone knows you have to start from somewhere. So, it’s just being as confident as possible, believing in yourself, and knowing that you’ll get there.
How did the in-house training and support you received help you get up to speed?
Working alongside Nick was really helpful for me. We worked alongside each other; I shadowed him, and he gave me constant, on-the-spot feedback, which I found really helpful. I also find, as well, that you need to make mistakes to learn, and being able to have constructive feedback upon making those mistakes is something that I found really valuable. Also, hearing everybody else on the phone – all the other experienced consultants, all the lingo – being around everybody in the office really helps you to get up to speed a lot quicker.
What was the biggest challenge you faced early on, and how did you overcome it?
I wanted to be perfect overnight, and I wanted to know everything in the first week – that’s never going to happen. You’re learning a new job, you’re learning a new skill, and you’re learning a whole new industry. So, just being kind to myself really, knowing that it was okay to ask questions; it was a case of not knowing the answer and having to go away and research things on my own. I think that was just one thing for me, where I thought I was going to know it all within a week – and really, that’s not going to happen. Success isn’t built overnight; sometimes it takes a longer period.
Did anything about the recruitment industry surprise you?
It really surprised me how friendly and understanding everyone was – that you are new in the industry. People are so passionate about what they do and about their jobs. When you’re asking them questions, they love to answer, they love to teach, and they love to help you. I knew the recruitment industry was going to be really fast-paced, I knew it was going to be brutal, and I knew there were going to be a lot of noes – but also a huge amount of highs.
The bit that surprised me was how nice, lovely, and caring everyone is. They know that you’re there to help them, and they just want to teach you and help guide you in the right direction.
You were promoted to Senior Recruitment Consultant within 11 months – what do you think helped you get there so quickly?
I think it’s a factor of a few things. I think the in-house training at Fourblue definitely helped me. I think the support from Nick was absolutely second to none, and I could never match that anywhere else, in my personal opinion.
I think the fact that I work in an industry where everyone’s so friendly – that helped me as well – but also my personal drive: the fact that I wanted to get there, and I pushed myself and didn’t stop.
Recruitment is not a 9-to-5 job, and I think a lot of people think you can just switch off and walk away, but you can’t. So, the fact that I put in the hours, I knew I wanted to get there, I asked the right questions, and I was really motivated to succeed. I think that really helped me.
Can you tell us about building the renewable energy desk? What was it like starting something new within the company?
I absolutely love going away and researching things. I love learning, I love finding out facts, I love geeking out on a completely new industry. So, to be given the opportunity to go and build a whole new sector at Fourblue, I loved it. I could go away, learn new things, speak to new people, and come back and share it with the team – and to see how much it’s grown, and the amazing clients we are working with globally – for me, that’s a massive achievement, both personally and for the business.
You’ve placed 100’s of professionals during your time here. Are there any placements or client stories that stand out to you?
I think there’s a lot that has stood out to me over the years. I’ve placed people that have gone in as graduates into their dream roles; I’ve placed people that have been in companies for 25 years and gone into a completely different sector.
One thing that really stands out to me is I love putting people into teams and helping them build their own team. I’ve been working with a Vice President of Construction – he’s gone into a global renewable energy company, and I’ve been helping him build out his team in England – that really sticks out to me.
But it’s also when you place someone in a job, and you get a phone call after a month, and they’re absolutely loving it – that’s what really means a lot to me, knowing I’m placing people in jobs that are going to change their life.
How would you describe the culture at Fourblue, and what has motivated you to stay and grow with the company for the past 5 years?
I hate the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but I do feel like Fourblue is very much work hard, play hard. We have such an amazing culture; over the five years, the company has developed in so many brilliant ways. The team are great; everyone gets on so well. We go on days out, we do wine tasting, we do company lunches, we do lovely Christmas events that are organised — and it’s just the best environment.
Everyone’s so supportive; everyone wants to push each other to succeed, and I think it’s the most positive environment to be in when we’re all heading in the same direction. I’ve stayed for as long as I’ve stayed because I love the people I work with, I love my job, and I really do believe that Fourblue are a great agency to work for.
Finally, what advice would you give someone who’s thinking about starting a career in recruitment?
Jump in and do it! You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. You’ve got to be somebody that can cope with the highs and cope with the lows, and know that things can change in an instant. As long as you’re ruthless, know what you want to do, ask the right questions, and you’re aiming forward, it’ll be the best move you ever make.
Hannah’s journey shows what’s possible with drive, support, and the right training. From starting the Renewable Energy desk to becoming Director, she’s helped hundreds of professionals find their ideal roles while contributing to Fourblue’s growth and success.
We’re incredibly grateful to Hannah for all her hard work and dedication, and we can’t wait to see what the next 5 years will bring.
If you’re motivated, ambitious, and ready for a fast-paced career where you can make a real impact, Fourblue could be the perfect place to start your journey – just like it was for Hannah.
Get in touch with the team to find out more: team@fourblue.com