An Interview with Andy House
What was your dream job growing up?
“I was going to open the batting for England!” Up until age of 14 Andy dreamt of opening the batting for his country. He played for his local cricket club which was affiliated to the county side and continues to play in social games.
What was your first job in recruitment and how did you get into it?
Andy’s first job in recruitment was with Sammons about 18 years ago. Andy was a Pensions Administrator and had been messed about by 3 other recruitment agencies. One of which even sent his CV to his current employer which landed him in some trouble. Therefore, Andy met with the Manager who specialised in the pensions market and outlined what he was looking for in his next role. In a bizarre turn of events, the Manager then asked Andy if he would be interested in joining a leading recruiter on their pension’s recruitment desk. Since then, Andy has continued to specialise in financial services recruitment ever since!
What do you enjoy most about recruitment?
“Still after all this time, it’s the sense of achievement when you build a relationship with a candidate and you help them get their dream role they have been looking for”. Andy enjoys remaining in contact with candidates and seeing them progress after he has placed them. A perfect example is a candidate Andy placed 2 years ago as an IFA Administrator has successfully progressed to Office Manager and is now handling their recruitment.
What would you consider to be the highlight of your career?
Andy’s highlight was seeing the opening of the new Premier Jobs UK head office “That is genuinely the highlight for me to see the company that I am working with has continued to progress and done so well”.
How do you feel candidates benefit from working with Premier Jobs UK?
“We’ve got a team of consultants, rather than a team of salesmen / saleswomen. We all sing off the same hymn sheet and we are all keen to find the right role for the right person. We’ve got a totally different approach to other target driven recruitment companies which I feel candidates appreciate”. Andy feels that our Financial Services industry experience makes us stand out as “most of our Consultants have either worked in the industry as Financial Advisers, Mortgage Advisers or worked in the financial services recruitment industry for a long time”.
If you colleagues were to describe you in 3 words, what would they say?
- Tenacious
- Patience
- Enthusiastic
Proudest moment in recruitment?
Working flexibly from home, Andy feels that he is “still able to maintain focus on a day to day basis to keep achieving, even when it is quite remote at times. Plus, that I am still here with the same level of enthusiasm after seeing all the changes within the industry”. Andy also ranks “being part of the Premier Jobs UK team” as one his proudest moments in Recruitment.
What is your signature dish?
“My vegetable vindaloo is unbelievable”
What is your go to song on the karaoke machine?
“Oasis, Wonderwall”
Do you have any tips to stay focused?
“Avoid distractions. If you’re focused on an individual, give them the time. And give yourself enough time to deal with all eventualities throughout the day. Time management is key”.