It’s time for another instalment of People behind the brand, the series where you get to know the Orbis team.
This time, we’re sitting down with Nick Reilly, Managing consultant in the Financial Services team, to chat about leadership styles, our culture of individuality and the unique challenges of recruitment.
Let’s dive in.
Tell us about your journey to recruitment...
Like a lot of people, I fell into recruitment. I graduated in 2013 without much of an idea about what I wanted to do. So, when a friend’s mum got in touch to ask if I was interested in interviewing, I thought ‘why not?’
It took a few years before I felt ready to commit to recruitment as a long-term career, but now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
What's the best part of the job?
The commission. People definitely don’t (or very rarely) make £100,000 in their first year, but if you work hard and stay determined, then you really can earn a lot of money much more quickly than in many other industries.
What's the biggest challenge?
Selling a product that can think for itself.
It’s a challenge that’s very unique to recruitment and it can be frustrating, but it's just something you have to come to terms with.
You also can’t go for a beer with your product in any other industry (that I can think of), so it's swings and roundabouts.
What’s something you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
I wish I’d known how many ups and downs there would be. I got off to a really good start to life in recruitment, so when things inevitably got harder, it was a much more difficult lesson to learn.
Luckily, I persevered enough to realise that it's just part of the job, and if you take the rough with the smooth then you can have a great career.
In another life... If you weren't a recruiter, what would you be doing?
Probably something outdoorsy. I love to exercise and most sports so I would have liked an active job.
What’s unique about Orbis’s culture?
I think the most unique thing is the freedom that everyone has to work in a way that suits them.
From my experience, a lot of companies have one approach to how things should be done, and successful people are the ones who fit most closely with that approach.
At Orbis, it feels like there really is an understanding that everyone is different and people have the freedom to express that.
What do you enjoy about the financial services market?
I love the social culture in the City. There are so many old and interesting pubs, and clients and candidates are always up for meetings and having some drinks.
Tell us about the process of building out your team, and your journey to management.
My journey to management was slightly accidental.
I never had any great desire to lead a team. However, as I got more experienced and senior, I started to get frustrated with some of the old-fashioned approaches to leadership that I had to deal with from my managers. I felt like the best way to change that was to become a manager myself.
You also need to work in an organisation that gives managers the flexibility to do things in a way that suits them and their team. Luckily, I found that at Orbis.
