Blog » Barbara McKiernan

Barbara McKiernan

8th September 2017

Role: MD and Head of Accountancy Recruitment

Company: VANRATH

Track Record:

What does your job entail?

Working with VANRATH guarantees there’s never a dull moment in my working week. 

We have a brief team meeting every day, but otherwise each member of my team is totally responsible for the management of their clients, candidates and workload. 

My role involves managing my team of consultants, whilst also actively recruiting myself. An average day can involve a client meeting to discuss their upcoming recruitment opportunities, lunch with a candidate I have successfully placed, as well interviewing new candidates and sourcing individuals for exciting new opportunities.

It’s a fast paced working environment, but I make sure that exceptional performances from my team are rewarded; we delivered fantastic results for our clients in August and celebrated with some treatments and relaxation at The Merchant Spa.

What qualities are required for your job – personal and professional?

Recruiting is a competitive industry, so enthusiasm and determination are essential to success; however, the key skill that sets a good recruiter apart is the ability to build strong, long-lasting relationships. 

Changing jobs is a big decision, and will only happen a handful of times within an individual’s career. VANRATH aim to set ourselves apart by becoming long term, trusted advisors: always there for our candidates should they need us. We achieve this by earning their trust, by being well informed on their industry, and always taking the time to understand their personal requirements. At heart, all successful recruiters are people-people!

What are the biggest challenges and rewards of your work?

A career as a recruitment consultant offers the opportunity to gain insider knowledge across a diverse range of local businesses and industries; working with such different clients, each with their own needs, means I am always learning more about the local economy and being challenged in my role. It’s rewarding to help grow these local businesses, as well as facilitating exciting inward investments into Northern Ireland.

One of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing the results of the long term relationships I mentioned before. I have been lucky enough to work with individuals throughout their career, helping them to make a series of career steps until, eventually, that candidate becomes a VANRATH client.  

VANRATH is a particularly exciting company to work for, as it is always evolving- we recently launched our Healthcare division and we are in the process of recruiting new consultants to help our business grow.

On a personal note, the satisfaction shown by candidates when we secure them the perfect next career step is one of the best bits of the job; particularly when they express their satisfaction with bottle of Prosecco!

In terms of challenges, there’s no room to rest on your laurels in this industry. You always need to be pushing ahead and building your candidate and client networks. Our results are very visible, so the pressure is always on to be performing well; fortunately, it’s also a very profitable career path, and hard work is always rewarded.

What do you look for on a CV?

In the Accountancy sector, good qualifications are paramount. Otherwise, I will be interested in looking at the individual’s experience to date, so it’s important to always make this clearly and comprehensively laid out.

When you interview someone, what qualities are you looking for?

I will have already reviewed a CV before I meet a candidate, so in the first interview, I will be interested to see how the individual presents themselves. Strong eye contact, a firm handshake and tidy personal appearance all add up to a great first impression.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I really enjoy travelling, and try to go running with my sisters as often as I can (we recently ran the NI Children’s Hospice’s Sparkle Dash). On an average weekend, I love nothing more than just relaxing with family and friends. 

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