AN INTERVIEW WITH…

GEOFFREY BRIDGER, RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT

Geoff joined us in 2016 following an early career in the Royal Navy and quickly became a popular and trusted member of the team. Since starting his career at Plus One, he has enjoyed a couple of promotions and now works in our Accountancy & Finance team.

Q: Tell us about what you do at Plus One Personnel?

GB: I recruit Accountancy and Finance vacancies across the whole region. I cover entry level all the way through to senior & qualified positions. I enjoy doing this by getting to know my candidates and what makes them tick, quite often just by chatting to them and building trust.

Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

GB: Building the relationships that matter. Be it with a candidate or a client. I am pleased that I have built up a significant network of clients who see me as an extension of their team when it comes to hiring. I enjoy offering advice as well as helping to guide my clients into hiring the best possible candidates, in the best possible way.

Q: What has been your biggest success in the job so far?

GB: Difficult to say as each individual is special and you never get tired of making job offers, but if pressed I would probably have to say that winning business from a particular multi-national client, through a candidate that I had built a relationship with, was incredibly satisfying. We are now this client’s sole supplier and have managed to deliver on numerous recruitment projects since then.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to anyone looking to choose recruitment as a career, what would it be?

GB: You must be resilient, be prepared to have difficult conversations with people, be curious and probably most importantly to have thick skin. The job brings great rewards and quite often can feel like you’re riding the crest of a wave, but it can equally knock you sideways. The key thing is to pick yourself back up and go again having learned your lessons. This is a job which you can improve in on a day-to-day basis, so it is important that potential recruiters are prepared for that.

Q: What do you think makes Plus One Personnel unique from other recruitment agencies?

GB: Our culture is very special. Everyone gets on very well and I think that’s down to the unique way in which we are targeted. Everyone here is competitive, but we genuinely enjoy each others success. We are constantly giving each other a leg-up where needed and sometimes this will be helping to introduce a colleague to a client or candidate.

Q: Why do you enjoy working for this company?

GB: You are expected to work hard here and I feel as if we are well rewarded. We are human beings and naturally mistakes can be made and they become rarer as you go along, but I think the important thing is that each error is seen as a learning opportunity and not a chance to shout and scream. The Directors work with you and tailor the day to day training and management to get the best out of you.

Q: What was your previous employment experience before joining Plus One?

GB: Before joining Plus One Personnel, I had some sails experience, no seriously I was a sailor! I was in the Royal Navy for four and a half years, where among other things I learned the value of team work and accountability. It was great fun and could be very interesting at times, but after a couple of middle eastern deployments in quick succession I realised that I didn’t fancy that for 20 more years. I also had some sales experience having worked in Health Clubs and I think this gave me a good foundation when it came to offering a high level of service and engagement with people.

Q: When you hang up your recruitment boots, what would you like to be remembered for?

GB: As a man of integrity who always tried to do the right thing. This job presents you with many opportunities to take short cuts and unfortunately some recruiters out there do seize those chances, often to the detriment of their clients and candidates. I like to think that I am different and I hope that when I “hang up my boots” I will be remembered as a recruiter with integrity.

Q: The UK is the largest consumer of biscuits in the world (random fact!), so if you were a type of biscuit, what would you be?

GB: Garibaldi because it’s a bit different, you know what you’re getting and it won’t crumble under pressure!

If you are working in Accountancy & Finance and looking for a new job, or you are looking to hire in this job sector, Geoff would be delighted to hear from you. For details of your nearest Plus One Personnel office, please click here to be redirected to our contact page.