My position in a nutshell… I am in charge of recruiting for a range of different fundraising roles, for organisations that have a social impact. That includes charities, not for profit organisations, membership bodies as well as universities and higher education.

How I got the job… I joined Peridot Partners 7/8 years ago now and was made a partner and shareholder in the company about 5 years ago.

My typical day… Is quite varied. We do a lot of work directly with clients –networking and meeting with charities, individuals and with candidates looking for a job. As part of our senior leadership team, I spend a lot of time working with the other business partners on different aspects of running the company – the finances, the marketing, supporting other colleagues, supporting their professional development and sharing ideas.

My most memorable moment… We did a lot of work with a charity called the International Rescue Committee and, a couple of years ago, the team I helped the charity to recruit won best fundraising team of the year. It was a really special moment to see the impact the team recognised externally for the impact they’d had. We’ve also done a huge amount of work with the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity who are in the process of delivering a fundraiser for a new cancer centre. We recruited a number of key members of the team to deliver that project – and the team has been so successful, they’ve increased the target.

On a personal level, being made a partner at Peridot partners was also a memorable moment.

Worst part of the job… Letting people down when they haven’t secured a role they’ve applied for. It’s always an awful thing to have to do when someone has their heart set on a role and I have to let them know they’ve been unsuccessful.

Best part of the job…Sharing good news with people when they have secured a role. I also really enjoy meeting people and understanding their motivation, understanding the impact they have had with the organisations they have worked for and what they are looking to do next – hearing about their story, their values. It’s fascinating dealing with a huge variety of different stakeholders.

The key skills needed for my job… I would say you have to be very organised, very focused on detail – detail separates good from great. Also, you need tenacity – not everything will play out the way you hoped all the time and it’s important to have a thick skin, and to be persistent, to be able to handle that.

Advice for students wanting to follow a similar path… Be authentic, be yourself – people like a genuine, honest approach and this can often be lacking in the recruitment industry. You can separate yourself quite easily from other businesses by being an honest person, don’t deviate from that. If you are looking to gain experience, some recruitment companies might offer some on-the-job training opportunities. There are also relevant industry magazines that you can read to give you an insight into some of the larger businesses. A larger business is always a good place to start to develop your skills and experiences and really learn the ropes there and then you can take those skills to a smaller company, I took this approach and it served me well.