Duncan McIlroy

How would you describe Eventus Recruitment in 3 words?

Fun, professional, harmonious

What do you enjoy most about your role at Eventus?

The team – whilst I have only just joined everyone has been extremely welcoming.

How do you unwind after work?

I go the gym several times a week and play sports. Exercise is the best way to unwind for me.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I play cricket and captain two teams, one is a social Sunday team at my club Prestwich CC, and the other plays in a competitive indoor six-a-side Masters league during the winter.

My son plays for the same cricket club, though he’s passed me by level wise, and he’s a talented footballer too which makes for some busy weekend schedules! With my daughter at university locally my time outside of work is generally spent with kids on their various activities and social lives.

Top tip that you would give to a professional who is looking for a new career opportunity?

My top tip for any career orientated professional would be to take stock of where you are now and where you want to get to. In football terms the phrases put your foot on the ball and stop ball chasing come to mind. I speak to a lot of candidates who come onto the market without having a clear objective in mind as to what they want to achieve out of their job search. Just saying you want progression without knowing what that looks like will unravel in an interview pretty quickly, for example.

Take time to reflect on your career to date. Analyse what do you do enjoy and what you don’t, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and map out where you want to get to in the next 3-5 years and beyond and what you need in a role and firm to help get you there. If you know this inside out it will help you navigate your search towards firms that can support your next move, and you can pass on exploring those that do not.

Of course, there are situations where time is of the essence and out of your control. However, if you can take some time to make a job search plan that you can discuss with a recruiter and potential hiring manager, it will show that you have a clear understanding of what value you bring to the employer today as well in the future.

Top tip that you would give to a business to ensure a robust recruitment strategy?

My key piece of advice for any business who wants to improve their recruitment strategy is to invest time into their recruitment process upfront as it will pay dividends down the line.

Examples include:

• Is there an up-to-date job spec that is accurate you can share with prospective candidates and agencies? Too often this is missed and can demonstrate a lack of organisation.
• What are the key positives and challenges about the role? Do not be scared to share some elements that may put some candidates off. Better to do this early than after they start.
• What is the availability of the hiring manager to spend time with HR and agencies to discuss the brief as well as to interview candidates? Processes slow down too often due to lack of hiring manager availability and paused periods in the hiring process only lose candidate’s interest.
• Obtain sign off before going to market and understand what the company’s objective is with the hire. Brand in the market can be damaged easily if the process falls down, or changes substantially due to differing viewpoints internally.

What quote do you live by?

‘You never fail until you stop trying’ – Einstein