A day in the life of a… HR & Recruitment Officer

There’s a huge breadth of roles within technology – designers, developers, project managers, BDMs, and the list goes on.

No one has a greater insight into that area than our human resources team – without them, we wouldn’t be able to develop as a company.

Whether you’re interested in starting a career in HR, or you just want to understand more about how this key role fits into Apadmi’s growth, our HR and Recruitment Officer Diane will give you an insight…

Diane McConochie, HR and Recruitment Officer for Apadmi

Diane has been a member of our team for 3 and a half years. She joined us as a temp before being offered a permanent contract in just 2 weeks!

She plays a critical role in our external and internal recruitment strategies, and we sat down to discuss what Apadmi life is like for her…

How do you start your day?

I’m an early bird, I get to the office when it’s quiet and begin my working day with a very large cup of tea.

That’s actually turned out to be a really important part of the HR routine, as staff who need to speak to me, whatever the reason, seem to do that first thing when the office is quiet.

I like to spend the first half hour going through emails, looking at what the day entails and planning for the week ahead.

How do you prioritise tasks, stay productive and remain focused?

I rely heavily on my trusty notebook.

I write down the things that need to be complete before the end of the day along with the things that can have a little more time. That way I can factor in work on the larger projects I have on – time management and learning to prioritise are key skills.

Talk us through an average working day?

There are three sides to what I do on an average day. First, general jobs including things like responding to emails, communicating issues to different teams, and helping people to deal with problems and challenges in the workplace.

Second, there’s recruitment – looking at inquiries, dealing with applications and CV’s, organising interviews and so on.

Third, my more administrative duties, which cover comms, paperwork, letters etc along with tending to phone calls and welcoming visitors and guests, organising meeting space and other more ‘ad-hoc requests’. I also get to organise social events – which is an ongoing task because we always seem to have something coming up!

What are the top three skills you use within your role?

Empathy, patience and tenacity.

HR can be challenging – I deal with the most unpredictable commodity in the world: people! But, people are what make a company tick, so I’ve got to see all sides of the coin and understand their perspectives.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Despite having my to-do lists, I never know what each day is going to bring.

I believe that happier people are more productive, and by talking, advising and giving people options I can make a difference to how they feel. This gives me immense satisfaction.

Do you think work should be left at work at the end of the day?

Anyone who generally cares about their job and is passionate about what they do, will still think about how to solve problems when they’re away from it.

But, having time away is always important. I often find myself disseminating my work day by throwing imaginary post-it notes out of the window whilst I’m driving home. It helps me to get ready to be at home and relax after the day.

How do you unwind at the end of the day?

I often go for a run after work, but I enjoy baking, watching anything that involves motorbikes and spending time with my other half and family.

What did you do before Apadmi?

I always wanted to work abroad so I worked in France for 3 years before taking a job up north where I worked for 16 years.

After a while, I felt like I wasn’t achieving anything new or evolving as a person, so I joined a start-up company where I worked for 3 years, it was after this I moved to Apadmi.

What has your internal progression been at Apadmi?

I originally joined Apadmi as a temp admin & accounts assistant, before I was offered a permanent role. I was given the choice of two progressions routes: accounts or HR, and naturally I chose HR.

I’m currently studying my CIPD in HR – I’m loving every minute of it, and looking forward to completing my apprenticeship so I can continue to use and evolve all those skills within my role as a HR and Recruitment Officer.

How has your experience impacted working as a HR and Recruitment Officer at Apadmi?

One thing I like to do is to treat every candidate with a personal, hands-on approach.

I believe building a positive experience off the back of anything is important, so I always write a response personal to them and work with our relevant teams to get genuine, useful feedback on applications to help them improve.

What is your favourite part of Apadmi life?

It’s like coming to a place where your friends are – we can be serious when we want to be, but we always have fun.

When I walk through the office everyone is talking to each other and sharing insights. I feel like we all care for each other as much as they care for us – which is a lot!

As soon as I got to Apadmi, I knew it was somewhere I needed to be. The transformation I’ve seen since I joined has been awesome, and we’re not stopping yet.