'A Day in the Life' is back, and this month we spoke all things HR and Recruitment with Samantha - the Talent Acquisition Professional for Early Careers at BT, all the way down in London Town!
Casting our minds back a year or two, Samantha joined us on our Employability Programme as an intern with Renfrewshire Council and since then, has been grabbing various career opportunities with both hands.
Qualifying with an honours degree in Human Resources and International Business from the University of Strathclyde - alongside spending some time studying down under at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia - Samantha completed a number of internships that assisted in developing key knowledge and skills to effectively set her up for a career within the HR industry.
Just like our PA Wendy, no two days are the same for Samantha and that's what she loves most about her job! The dynamic nature of her work means that she can often be found traveling up and down the country for recruitment purposes, whilst days in the office can vary from focusing on learning and development processes to being immersed in diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Just like most students, Samantha began her employment journey working in a variety of different retail and hospitality roles from the age of 16. Holding down a job whilst studying towards further qualifications is no mean feat, however having a part-time job whilst at college or university can stand you in great stead for future employment...
"Although these were just part-time roles mainly to make some extra money, I learned how to work in a fast-paced environment, teamwork and most importantly, how to provide a good customer experience. For me now, I work with both internal and external customers so learning from a young age about the importance of customer experience has really helped me excel in my role."
Working within HR has opened Samantha up to a whole host of opportunities and working with BT allows her to be in the driving seat of her career as she has the freedom to choose the projects that she would like to work on!
Samantha's strong communication skills and her capacity to work in an organised and confidential manner are key to her success, whilst working within HR also requires self-confidence, as well as the ability to empathise with individuals.
From a young age, working within HR wasn't the career path that Samantha thought she would follow, but it just goes to show that great opportunities present themselves through hard work and determination! If you're looking to kick-start a career within Human Resources, Samantha recommends staying persistent within the competitive job market and venturing outwith your comfort zone...
"Something might come up that you think isn't for you, but the great thing about being a young professional is that time is on your hands - try it out and see what you think!"
As part of our Employability Programme, Samantha received mentoring from Donna and the team. The sessions worked to provide key support for a graduate job search, whilst enhancing and developing interview and presentation skills. For more information on the services we provide to support young people in their transition from education into the workplace, head on over to Our Services page, or contact us on info@clearviewminds.com!
Thank you for giving us your time and telling your story, Samantha! What job or industry would you like to hear from next? Let us know on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook!