Ryan Grant joined La Fosse in August 2016 as an associate consultant on the architecture desk. In December 2017 he broke the La Fosse record for a contingent permanent deal. We caught up with him for a chat.
There’s a reason that you have two ears and one mouth
When you’re excited by being in a new job there can be a temptation to talk about it - and it’s great to be chatty in certain situations. But you are surrounded by people who know a lot - a lot more than you do. It's an brilliant opportunity, which you have the potential to gain a lot from. So sit tight, open your ears, and listen. You’ll improve exponentially if you do.
In La Fosse, you’re surrounded by the top 1%
When you work in other companies it’s easy to think you are in the premier league. I know I did… Then I came here and my whole perception of what "good" is shifted. The quality and number of outstanding people here is eye-watering.
Proactively ask for help
From everyone. However high, or low. It doesn’t matter if someone is your peer, or a director, even the CEO - ask them. We're lucky at La Fosse to have the kind of culture where people are always willing to give you their time and advice, something which isn't apparent in every company, so you're missing out if you don't make good use of it. It's a combination of our brilliant L&D practice and having these role models around you which I think fast-tracks everyone's development.
Stick to the basics
When things are tough the best thing to do - and what I did then - is to keep things simple. Keep plugging away, regardless of the knockbacks. Keep building relationships and adding value for your clients. And lean on those around you: people here are always ready to listen.
Chance Favours the Prepared Mind
There is an element of luck to the role - you might happen to connect with someone right as they're preparing to hire.
But luck isn’t the whole story. It’s what you do next that matters. It’s whether you follow up on that call - or whether you forget to. Remembering to do the basics is what sets a successful recruiter apart. The more prepared, focussed and organised you are the more likely it is that luck will fall in your favour.
Take care of your emotional side
This job can be stressful, so find something that lets you chill out. It can be anything - getting out of the office for an hour, reading a book – at La Fosse, we get a free gym membership, massages, hypnotherapy and Sanctus counselling, so it's finding what works for you. For me it’s meditation - it’s great at giving you headspace.
You'll only breakthrough if you keep going
Recruitment is a funny game - the wind can change very quickly. The way I was promoted in the end was through a fairly laissez-faire email I had sent during that tricky four-month period. That email resulted in a deal that ended up breaking a La Fosse permanent record. So my biggest success came from my period of hardest struggle.
Breaking a La Fosse record was pretty satisfying
I also felt slightly shocked. I never thought I’d be able to say I’d broken a La Fosse record that early on (I’d been here for 15 months). The cherry on the cake was that it had all originated from a time that had been tough. It was a lesson to me: even when you’re struggling you can be creating things for the future without knowing it.
My success proves that anyone can succeed if they have the right mindset
I don’t think I’m any better than anyone else is - I just kept at it. If you work hard, do the basics and continually want to learn then you can succeed.
If you're interested in joining a high growth business with an award-winning team, view La Fosse Associates' opportunities here.