How To Get The Most Out Of Your Annual Appraisal

I was a highly successful sales manager with years of account management, business development and sales experience. So why on earth did I decide to start all over again with a career in recruitment?

As of the end of 2018 I will have 17 years of sales, account management and sales team management under my belt. 10 of those years were spent in telecoms – everything from residential telesales to government tenders and managing large teams in multinational companies. I then moved to Google and spent 5 amazing years there managing some of the largest retail companies in the UK, my career was on an upward trajectory.

So why on earth did I decide to start all over again with a career in recruitment?

Whilst my previous roles were successful and fulfilling, over time the shine dulled and I found that I was fed up of selling products to businesses, generally the same products but in a different way. My clients and team were great but I wasn’t bouncing into work every day and I was constantly on the lookout for something that genuinely gave me joy, I wanted to feel like I made a difference and was valuable to my clients and my employer.

So I decided to contact Brightwater to see could they give me some advice. Why Brightwater? Because I knew they were the best.

To cut a long story short, thanks to the insight of Orla Brennan in the Executive Division and a fairly intense interview process, I joined Brightwater as a Consultant in the Accountancy Division.

That decision changed my life – I know that sounds dramatic – I’m a pretty dramatic person in fairness. But anyway, here’s why:

• I no longer feel like a number, I went from a company of 11,000 employees to a company of 90 employees. The MD and Board of Directors know every single person’s name and they all sit within a 60 second walk of me – with an open plan office – no doors to knock, no meetings to book. Walk in, chat, walk out. I can’t explain how good this feels and how much of an impact you can have when this is available to you.
• I get to do what I do best – account manage & generate revenue – whilst having this amazing added component of actually having a huge impact on a person’s life and a client’s business. Remember the last time you got the job of your dreams? Remember how you felt? I get to be the person who helps another person have that feeling!!! It’s the best!
• It is SUPER challenging! I need that in my life! Who actually wants to go to work and know exactly what every day will bring? Not me! Every single day is different, you manage this huge web of personalities and relationships, anything can (and does!) happen. I love this!
• The team is second to none. There is a myth in recruitment that everyone is a shark and will tread all over each other for a fee. Maybe that happens in other offices but not in Brightwater. We share candidates, advice and support. Testament to this is the number of people who have been here over 10 years. I genuinely like my team.
• I look forward to going into work again – this doesn’t need any further explanation

I had three main objectives for my next role:

1. I wanted to provide value
2. I wanted what I did to matter
3. I wanted the opportunity to ‘write my own paycheck’ via commission (uncapped!!)

Brightwater has given me the opportunity to do all of that and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s never too late to make a fresh start, to embark on something new, there are successful consultants here from so many different backgrounds. The thing I think that connects us all is a desire to be the very best at what we do with that added feel good factor which is hard to find.

Michelle Massey is a consultant on Brightwater’s Accountancy desk where she specialises in placing qualified accountants into roles across industry.