Hey Rich, thanks for joining us today! First of all, could you explain your job to our readers?

“Sure! I’m a Principal Consultant in the Cyber Security division. I am here to support the growth of the sector, which is a difficult market to be in at the moment!”

Is that because it’s so niche?

“You could say that, yeah!”

Jumping right in… how has your career path looked so far?

“I’ve had an interesting career, to say the least… Starting here, actually! When I worked here before, it was for 7 years and we had a different name or two, but we were the same business. When I first worked here, it had a very ‘agency’ feel, which I guess made us stand out from the typical recruitment company.”

So what have you done before returning to ARM?

“I’ve actually done very little time within the UK market over the last 10 years! I’ve worked in the German market, Indian market and the US. Each of them was great, very different to the UK but I was working odd hours which didn’t work for my family.”

Wow! That’s a lot of experience in other countries, how did you find it?

“I was working with an office in San Francisco (remotely) whilst building their Indian office, so that was pretty hard with the time differences! India is 4 hours ahead of the UK, and San Fran is behind, so you can imagine…”

That does sound like hard work! A good experience though?

“Working in the Indian market was very interesting as their interview process is mainly one day, rather than in parts across a few weeks (like it can be over here). The business I worked with in San Francisco was a MedTech company, and after that, I was working at a startup based in Belgium. That made me appreciate working with stakeholders who understand what they’re doing and the market they’re in.”

You definitely had a lot to bring back to ARM!

“Absolutely, in my 4 years away from here, I learned a lot which meant that I brought back a toolbox rather than a spanner.”

We love that saying! How does it feel to be back?

“I like the way it’s evolved and matured since I’ve been away. People are held responsible for their own activity, there’s no micromanagement but there is support there when you need it!”

And we’re so glad you’re back… How did you get into recruitment in the first place?

“We all just ‘fall into it’ don’t we? I wanted to make money, so I started off working with mortgages, then insurance and then came recruitment!

It’s amazing how recruitment can grow with you, you can still enjoy it at 40 the same way you did at 20, just in a different capacity. There are stages of life that recruitment matches, I don’t need the holidays to Ibiza anymore, years ago I would have loved that!”

It really can! That’s why we have so many long-term recruiters here!

“It helps that ARM has the flexibility to bend with people’s lives too. I came back because I wasn’t really feeling fulfilled in the role I was in and it didn’t fit my family life, having to be away from home a lot, etc.

The flexibility is a great benefit of ARM, is that the main thing for you?

“I love the flexibility because of where I live (not close to the office!), how I operate and the way I work. It means I feel trusted to get my work done and do it well. I can find the office a distraction because everyone is so friendly and happy!”

That lends itself nicely to our next question… What makes you feel valued as an employee?

“The way we celebrate success here is cool. It strikes a good balance. I think it’s important to talk about the struggles as well as the successes, to normalise and make sure people feel comfortable with all situations.

Personally, being successful is enough for me, I see value as ‘how can I help others’ and I feel like I do that well here.”

Finally… any tips for someone starting in recruitment?

“Go into an industry you have a genuine interest in! You don’t want to get bored of the job roles/ skills you are recruiting for.

Ask questions, it’s the quickest way to learn an area/sector- whether it’s the sales process, understanding the market or even asking candidates questions! It’s the best and easiest way to create a trusting relationship. If they trust you, you’re more likely to find them a suitable job!”

To find out more about Rich, or to contact him about a Cyber Security role, visit his profile here.