"Resilience. Regardless of your career choice, you are bound to face adversities every now and then. In fact, to take it positively, it is in those moments that you learn and grow."
I had a few questions to ask Fairuz Abu, senior insurance consultant in Singapore and he shared his advice for someone just getting into recruitment, the best career advice he has been given and why he chose to work at Eames.
1. How did you get into recruitment?
I had a colleague early on in my career who came from the industry. She told me about the job. It seemed far more interesting than what I was doing back then. Years passed and I fell into recruitment like most others. I remember being offered my first recruitment job after a pretty long interview. Accepted it there and then, and never looked back since.
2. What is your advice for someone just getting into recruitment?
Keep learning. Keep challenging yourself. Never give up.
3. What is it about recruitment that has kept you in the industry?
As a specialist consultant, I get to embed myself in the industry I operate in. I have always worked on being someone who knows more than just how to fill jobs. That means constant learning of what is going on in the industry. It is nice when someone tells me they are surprised at how much I know about the market.
4. What is the proudest moment in your career to date?
I feel proud (and blessed) of the journey and opportunities that I've got whilst in recruitment. Starting out my recruitment career in local setups to plying my trade with bigger brands. I’ve earned myself the opportunities to engage with more senior people within the industry I operate in, manage people, take on regional work, etc.
5. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far and how have you overcome that?
Recruitment is unique in a way you have to be able to emotionally deal with the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. I have 2 kids at home as well who are growing up and need constant care and attention. I think being in the right state of mind to constantly deal with all that has to be the most challenging thing for me. It is kind of like being that tree that stays rooted in the ground through a storm.
This year especially, I’ve learnt to deal with the stress by eating well and exercising. I can feel the difference now in my ability to manage my emotions better since I started doing that.
6. What is your number one secret to success?
Resilience. Regardless of your career choice, you are bound to face adversities every now and then. In fact, to take it positively, it is in those moments that you learn and grow.
7. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever been given?
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
8. What are you driven by, and how do you stay motivated?
I challenge myself to be a better me every single year whilst in recruitment. Be it delivering more billings, working on more senior appointments, bringing in more clients, learning new markets, etc. While it means that I constantly put myself through uncomfortable situations and the possibilities of failure, I have learnt so much from the experiences and I believe it will be of benefit at some point.
9. How do you keep a work-life balance?
Work-life balance is a tough topic these days. Working from home means you are always tempted to work endlessly through the evenings and weekends. I am glad that, at Eames, we have the flexibility of managing our priorities as long we are accountable for the outcomes that we want. That has allowed me to take time off “regular work hours” to get some sun or spend some time with the kids when it’s necessary.
10.Why Eames?
I had been with my last firm for close to 3 years and felt the need to have a change of scenery. Eames offered the best proposition for me to advance my career. I was given the opportunity to build a desk for a familiar brand within the industry I operate in. 11 months in, it was all that and more. I have come to experience the truly mature and professional environment that we have here in Eames. To add, we have some awesome consultants in the office. People whose work inspire me to want to achieve more for myself.
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