My Experience Working In-House
Moving from running an Agency to working In-House was a transformative experience. It’s something I recommend every Recruiter should do at some point in their career.
In my experience, the transition from Agency to In-House comes with a steeper learning curve than expected, and overcoming it is a wonderful accomplishment. It feels like genuine growth and development.
After nearly a decade of running my own Agency, I realised with a baby on the way, I needed a more stable life with predictable hours. After much sifting, applying, and finally landing a job with an insurance company, I took the plunge into the world of internal Recruitment.
The first few months were exhilarating—taking on new challenges, meeting new people, and adapting to having a boss in another country. Over time, I learned a lot, grew personally, and faced some frustrations. Below, I highlight what I loved about working In-House and what I didn't enjoy as much.
What I Loved About Working In-House:
The People
Working with colleagues who are not Recruiters, clients, or candidates was refreshing and challenging. It allowed me to learn new things and engage in conversations beyond the usual Recruitment small talk. People make the workplace, and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect, even if it was a remote setting.
No Sales Pressure
One of the most significant benefits of working in the house is the absence of sales pressure. Not having to constantly sell or worry about making sales to earn a living made the job far more enjoyable.
It also allows you to focus on the right candidates, not the most placeable candidates.
Diversity of Recruitment Tasks
The variety of roles I worked on was both challenging and interesting. From legal roles one day to technology roles the next, and even finding candidates with specific language skills, this diversity strengthened my Recruitment skills and made the job more fun.
I got to learn about new roles and interact with some incredible people.
What I Hated About Working In-House
Pointless Meetings
Pointless meetings seem to be the way organisations torture their staff. They often take too long, lack focus, and generate few actionable outcomes. While I had many useful meetings, the pointless ones drove me nuts.
People Management magazine reported that 59% of employees believe they spend too long in meetings each week. Clearly, many people share my pain.
Unrealistically Expectations
Unrealistic expectations about candidate calibre or salaries were frustrating. It's not just agencies that get these crazy requests. While most people understood the need for compromise, some had expectations that were simply unattainable.
As Recruiters know, the perfect candidate is often the one available to start on Monday. Unlike in agencies, where you can choose your clients, In-House you cannot.
Attitudes of (Some) Hiring Managers
Some Hiring Managers treated me like a PA. This was particularly common among older male managers who might have called me ‘love’ or ‘darling’ if a woman held the role.
While you'll always encounter people you don't get along with or who treat you condescendingly, it’s an annoying aspect of In-House Recruitment.
Conclusion: A Positive Experience
In-house recruitment has its ups and downs, much like any other job. As Ronan Keating once sang, "Life is a rollercoaster." For me, the positives far outweighed the negatives.
Overall, I found working In-House to be a positive and exciting experience. I learned a lot about myself and Recruitment, and I dispelled some assumptions along the way.
In the next chapter, I’ll discuss the 33 ways I gained new insights, perspectives, and learning points from my time working in the In-House.
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I have also published two recruitment books, Recruitment Hacks and The InHouse Roadmap, both available on Amazon.