Posted August 14 2018
By Martine O'Kane
How long have you been with HRC Recruitment?
Nearly three and a half years.
What made you want to join?
I was with my last employer for a number of years and when I felt it was time to move on, I really did my research into the companies in the local area with a specialism in Engineering Recruitment.
By far, HRC Recruitment was highly rated by my peers and had a really good name in the market.
The values the company have and general work life balance was something that really drove me towards HRC Recruitment, and I have never looked back!
What career path did you follow to get to your current role?
When I graduated from Uni, I started a Management Graduate Program with a car hire company covering two offices in Glasgow. At the end of year long programme, I was approached by my previous manager to join their engineering recruitment company as a key account resource for one of their biggest clients in 2010.
For this role, I was recruiting a variety of different disciplines such as electrical, instrumentation, mechanical, piping, civil, structural and projects. Mainly within the oil and gas industry.
I was promoted from resourcer to consultant in 2011 specialising in recruiting solely for Electrical and Instrument Engineers and Designers.
I was promoted again to a senior consultant 2012 then finally to a principle consultant in 2014.
Since joining HRC Recruitment in 2015, I have helped build relationships with new and existing clients within the Heavy Manufacturing and Engineering side of the Technical Division.
What was your dream job as a child?
I wanted to be a TV presenter – very dramatic!
How do you commute to work?
I get the train or drive into town and park.
What does a typical day look like?
I’m an early riser (my lovely daughter is the biggest reason for this) so I tend to be in the office from about 8am – this lets me get all my emails/voicemails checked and cleared before my real day starts.
My days can be incredibly varied. Although I start with a plan for my day, I do need to be reactive if I have a candidate who needs a more proactive approach to their job hunt or if I have a client who has a very urgent role that needs immediate attention.
I also meet clients and candidates, do market research and salary mapping for clients and candidates and generally try and keep up to date with industry news which helps me get a better understanding of the market trends.
What’s the best part of your job?
I love getting tours of our client’s sites, it’s so interesting. I’m not an engineer so having a small insight to what my candidates do and help to build/design/create is brilliant!
Also, I like helping people that are at a cross roads with the current role/company and getting them into the right position with the right company is such a good feeling.
![Martine O Kane](https://hrcrecruitment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Martine-O-Kane-Pic-1-241x300.jpg)
And after the best part of ten years in recruitment, no day is ever the same. I still get incredibly excited when a candidate I have been working closely with has been offered a brilliant opportunity with one of my clients. The highs and lows of recruitment never stops being exciting.
Describe the company culture here.
The culture in HRC Recruitment is a very positive one.
Everyone is very welcoming and genuinely work together to help clients and candidates.
Having been off for a year on maternity leave, I was worried about coming back in to new faces and the possibility of feeling like the “new person” but it couldn’t have been further from that. It was so nice to see the family culture still thriving!
What’s been your biggest success so far?
My biggest success so far is my little girl Quinn who just turned 1 in May. She’s growing into such a funny (cheeky) wee girl and I’m so proud of her.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love live music, cooking and trying new restaurants, but mainly I love family time with my little girl and husband – she loves anything with animals so Blair Drummond is her favourite place at the moment.
Have you been on holiday this year? If so, where?
I was on a family holiday to Florida end of March time just before I came back from maternity leave. There was 9 of us in total and I loved every second of it! Anything Disney is a winner in my books.
What is most important to you?
My family, there is nothing that makes me happier than spending time with all of my family.
Describe yourself in three words.
Sarcastic, happy, thoughtful (the team said these – not me haha!)