"When it comes to career paths, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Here’s what I learned transitioning to PageGroup’s recruitment outsourcing provider, Page Outsourcing".
By Kylie Paddle
I’d had six, happy and successful years at Michael Page when COVID hit and everything changed. With working from home suddenly the norm, managing my team got increasingly stressful, and I started to question where my career was going.
Then, I got head hunted by another company! After much thoughtful discussion with my director, Chris Lyons, we agreed I’d take a sabbatical while keeping the door open to return if that felt right. At the same time Alex Hall, another of PageGroup’s directors, had transitioned into Page Outsourcing, where he planted the seed in my mind that it might be a good fit for me too.
In retrospect, if I’d known a little bit more about what it was at the time, I’d have probably moved internally then. Instead, I tried to find my feet in a much smaller business, but it never quite fit. After about a year, I opened my mind to coming back, but only after a serious discussion about what sort of projects I could expect.
What I learned is that Page Outsourcing is one of the fastest growing outsourcing providers for RPO and MSP in the world. Under the guiding hand of our Managing Director, Olly Harris who grew our competitor, Resource Solutions to what it is today, we are experiencing rapid expansion on a global scale, which brings with it, immense opportunities.
I could also see that Page Outsourcing was uniquely positioned to offer something very different within the recruitment industry. Thanks to a joined-up approach with the PageGroup brand that draws on the knowledge of expert consultants, as well as providing access to high-quality talent, we are able to deliver truly global, tailor-made solutions. Having the chance to get involved in something new and ground-breaking was very attractive as a career path option for me.
It was also clear that making this move could put me on an upward, or sideways, trajectory fast. This resonated with my own career ambitions to become a director within the next 12 months, but it also reinforced the family aspect of working at Page. Holding my hands up and saying ‘yes, I made a mistake leaving’ was daunting, and it was extremely comforting to be welcomed back so genuinely when I did.
Now, six months later, I’ve realised that during my time away I changed my whole outlook. The light went on as to the true value of the Page brand. It really does have the biggest and best database in the country, but it also nurtures an environment where creative ideas thrive. Coming back was the best decision I could ever had made.
The roles at Page Outsourcing are very different to what you more traditionally expect. This is because our remit goes beyond pure recruitment, and into consultancy focused on building a client’s employer brand for the long term. Our talent acquisition partners and managers are dedicated to hiring exclusively for one organisation, often taking control of the entire candidate process. What ensures we can go the extra mile, is that we are supported by other specialist teams within Page Outsourcing from sales enablement, solution design and implementation, through to support functions. And dedicated sourcing hubs in various locations globally work closely with onsite teams to ensure excellence in delivery.
For somebody like me, who's done recruitment on the agency side of things for nearly 10 years, it was the obvious next step. Transitioning into something more project-based and multi-layered is exciting. Combine that with a place where you feel truly valued and part of a global family, and you’re on a career path that’s incredibly fulfilling, no matter the bumps you may encounter along the way.
Click here to hear more about what Page Outsourcing can do for your career.
