I remember my first day in Toronto like it was yesterday. Minus 30 degrees Celsius greeted me roughly when I stepped out of the airport, but I was incredibly excited to start my new role leading the Canadian recruiting team while its regular manager was out on maternity leave. The past nine months have flown by, and I am grateful for all the memories and friends I’ve made along the way.
This international experience – coming from London to Canada – wouldn’t have been possible without Brian, Ekaterina and Kerry believing in me and helping me make it happen. I’d like to give a special shout out to Graham, as well. Graham was in this role before me. He’s an engagement manager in Toronto who had stepped into cover the first half of the maternity leave while I wrapped up my role in the London office. As he returned to serving clients, and I transitioned into management, he was always available to guide me, share best practices about working with the recruiting partners, etc. He even took time to help me pull together a performance review of the recruiting season, collaborating with me on the storyline and presentation to office leaders. This is just one example of how supportive the people in the Toronto office were.
Now, that I have returned home to London, I have joined a new team – our Emerging Markets recruiting team – I’ll remember what I’ve learned and look forward to keeping in touch with everyone, including Graham. My goal now is to pay the mentorship I received forward to other recruiters on my team.