Reed Graduate Profiles
- Year of Graduation: 2001
- Degree: BSc (Hons) International Management and French,
University of Bath. 2.1
I was really pleased to be accepted on to the Reed Graduate Training scheme because when I left university I knew I wanted a career working with people in some way. Joining Reed meant that I was able to work in three completely different areas of the company, giving me the opportunity to gain an insight into all aspects of a recruitment business, and the chance to decide where I wanted to specialise.
When I first joined Reed in September 2001, I worked as a recruitment consultant in the Education division. I was given masses of responsibility within the first month, when I was asked to open a new branch of Reed Education with one other person. This was certainly a challenge, but one that I really enjoyed.
After 9 months I changed placements and became PA to our Chief Executive, James Reed. This gave me the opportunity to meet people from all over the company and gain an understanding of the business at board level. I also managed several projects, including organising a company party for 2,500 people.
In October 2003 I made my final change and I now work at Reed Consulting as Associates Manager. This is a specialist HR division in which we provide recruitment services to many different clients. This involves managing a base of 250 freelance assessors who undertake interviews, role-plays and all sorts of other selection processes on behalf of our clients. The role is extremely hectic but gives me the opportunity to build solid relationships with our clients, and gain lots of experience in recruitment best practice.
Whilst working for Reed I have made some great friends and learnt a lot but most of all, I’ve had fun!
- Year of Graduation: 2000
- Degree: BSc (Hons) Geography and Maths,
University of Leeds, 2.1
After leaving university, I really wasn’t sure which career path to choose. I took a couple of different temporary jobs for a while, never really deciding in which direction to go. After a year I decided it was time to take action and find myself a real job. I chose the Reed Graduate Training Scheme because it involved a variety of different roles whilst giving you an insight into how the company worked and you studied for a recognised qualification at the same time.
My first role was with Reed Graduates working on internal recruitment; actually recruiting other graduates such as myself into the company. It was steep learning curve at first but it was the challenge I was looking for.
After a year I moved to Reed Learning Managed Services to work as a Supplier Manager, where I was responsible for organising outsourced training provision for a large client. This involved researching providers, managing relationships and resourcing training suppliers. It was during this role that I realised that it was the accounts side of my job that I enjoyed the most, and decided that I wanted to specialise in Finance.
I now work as a Finance and Research Analyst in our head office and am also studying for the CIMA qualification. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Gradate Training Scheme am glad that Reed gave me the opportunity to find out what I really wanted to do.
