CS Success: Azreen HayathPosted over 1 year ago by Client Server

While completing her Bachelor’s degree in Finance abroad, Azreen Hayath gained some work experience which sparked her interest in the world of recruitment and tech. Now she is part of the Client Server Regional BAPM team and since joining has seen an incredible amount of growth and development. 

 

What drew you to recruitment as a career?

When I came back to the UK, I did a lot of research, career progression wise, on what I could achieve in this sector. I realised it is quite a meritocratic career, where your hard work is directly rewarded in a very tangible way. I could be in complete control of my progression and my own success, depending on how hard I wanted to work.

Also, the fact that there's that social aspect where you're able to change people's lives professionally, helping them to achieve their ideal job. I'm quite an outgoing person in nature so I get to interact with a wide range of people on a daily basis. It's always nice to have that side and it means every day is different.

 

What attracted you to Client Server?

Client Server stood out and seemed more differentiated in the sense that we have a split desk model. So rather than having 360 recruitment, which as a person fresh out of university can be quite overwhelming as a first job, I could really focus on the delivery side, which I really liked.

The fact that Client Server makes you specialise in a particular niche in the tech sector makes your work more interesting as you can specialise in your skillset.

And of course, the trainee program. I was looking for a graduate trainee program to get my feet into the industry.

 

How did you find the onboarding process?

I spent the first three weeks at Client Server fully focused on training with our trainee group and I found that really helpful, especially being completely new to the sector. That first three weeks really provide a solid foundation for trainees. The internal team and senior members of the company had so much to share when it came to their knowledge, experience, and understanding of the job.

Training doesn’t just stop in your first three weeks. I've been here for 15 months now and just a few weeks ago I had a training session to attend. You're always learning, no matter how long you've been in the company.

 

What has progression and success looked like for you?

Honestly, I didn't expect it to be as clear and as tangibly achievable as it has been. I’ve been promoted twice in the space of 10 months at Client Server, which I never imagined I would. Recently I was able to get account management responsibilities, which was exciting. 

In the recruitment sector you can have a high rate of career progression, but I feel like it's even higher than the industry standard within Client Server because employees here are rewarded very frequently and your achievements are recognised by the management team.

It's all about trusting the process, taking in your environment, and learning from your peers.

I can't see myself getting bored in this career and at Client Server in particular.

 

What's next?

Now that I'm at the consultant level, I want to focus on being consistent with my billing and hitting my targets. Although I have already achieved my annual target, I would still like to achieve the monthly targets and stay focused in that sense. And eventually, hopefully moving up to the senior consultant level.

 

How would you explain the culture and the environment working at Client Server?

Honestly, I think it's hard to tell before you join Client Server what our culture is genuinely like. I couldn't have asked for a better working environment because I love how supportive everyone is towards each other, especially in our Esher office. We're ridiculously close-knit and it encourages a culture of personal growth and confidence.

At Client Server, everyone's valued as an employer. Everyone notices that our achievements are always recognised, which motivates us to work even harder and achieve more.

In terms of communicating with senior members, it's been really comfortable. Be it with my mentor or manager, everyone is very approachable and helpful. As well as shared transparency, they are also very transparent about how you can progress and achieve what you want to achieve in your career. It really shows that we have a truly healthy work environment, which I'm sure is quite hard to find perhaps in other recruitment companies.

 

Do you have any advice for anyone who's thinking of jumping into tech recruitment?

The main thing is that you have to be personally driven to do well in this career line. If you're not motivated, you'd find it tough because it's such a target-driven environment. You'll come into the office each day with a target, say having a CV to send out every day or having interviews booked in, making a certain number of calls every day. It's important that you stay driven, keep learning, and never hesitate to ask people around you.