Katie's Recruitment Journey

Since joining SW6 Associates in May 2016, Katie Alder has gone from strength to strength. Our resident rugby pro is one of our top billers, regularly hitting targets and inspiring others to hit theirs! She’s captain of Wasps Rugby 1st team; a natural leader inside and outside of the office! Here’s her Recruitment Journey so far...

Before recruitment, I was a student at Exeter Uni and studied Psychology & Sport and Exercise science. As the guys in the office will tell you, I play A LOT of rugby. I may be a little biased as I think rugby is the best sport invented, but generally being competitive will see you excel in recruitment.

I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do after university. I just knew that whatever career I chose, I wanted to make lots of money and work closely with people. When I found out about the earning potential in recruitment, how you earn that amount of money, and the environment I’d be a part of 5 days a week – it was a no brainer.

I was in a lecture at university when my friend received an email from SW6 that simply read “Do you want to move to London? Do you play sport to a high level? Do you want to earn lots of money?” As soon as she sent it to me, I called Michelle Ryan (one of the Directors here at SW6) and explained how I wanted to get into recruitment immediately! For me the biggest attraction to SW6 was the freedom you have to run your own ‘micro-business’ within the firm.

At first I interviewed with Michelle, and it was a really personal interview. I remember her asking me what my Dad did for work and what I was like as a toddler – not what I was prepared for!! But she was great and I knew she was the kind of boss I wanted to work for. I then met the rest of the guys, and was hoping for good news. It wasn’t long before that good news came!

The management team are amazing; they allow us to work the way we want to work, as long as it’s successful! I work in a lively office environment, with great people, and finish at 4pm on a Friday. I also get to fit rugby in around my job, what more could you ask for?!

It’s been an incredibly successful start to my recruitment career! Over the past year and a half I’ve achieved 2 promotions (including one with a broken arm!), 1 hire (who has now been promoted), hit my Ibiza targets, been to the best live jazz bar in London (Piano Works – make sure you go there), lost in a sports day sprint to Ben Cawthorne, and had some great pay cheques!

SW6 are constantly looking after us, treating the team to lunch clubs, holidays and other fun events. The annual sports day is one of the big highlights of the year for me! Having said that, our recent trip to Ibiza has to be up there as well!

I have already managed my own team and played a more proactive role in candidate generation. As of November 2018 I am now Head of Client Services. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and the perfect next step in my career. I now focus on client relationships and helping SW6 to continue to progress and become a better prospect for clients and candidates alike. It’s been a great experience so far, but I’m just getting started!