Three months ago Searchability launched their first ever Graduate Programme, onboarding a group of recent grads at an exciting period of the company’s growth. In the past Searchability has focused on attracting sales focused individuals who would thrive in the world of recruitment, whereas the Graduate Scheme offered a chance for individuals who have a creative flair and a passion for social media to help us drive our success without a big focus on “sales”. We caught up with a few of the grads to find out about their experience.
When you first started University did you have a plan in mind for what you wanted to do for a career?
HM: “Not at all! I decided to study something I’m interested in and that could open many different career paths, so I could figure it out along the way and be able to have plenty of options. I still didn’t have a career plan until I graduated!”
RB: “When I started out on my course, I wanted to continue studying for a PGCE and become an English teacher. The longer I stayed at Uni, the more I realised the parts of English I loved (and excelled in) weren’t the same parts that would be utilised as a teacher.
The idea of another year in education also became less appealing!”
What was it about the Searchability graduate scheme that interested you and made you apply for the role?
HT: “First of all, the role is in Chester! I love the city of Chester and when researching the company, I believed it was the perfect place for me to kickstart my career. It looked like an interesting company and my interest in social media linked to the digital aspect of the company’s strategy.”
LC: “I liked the element of researching combined with a digital agency as I was looking at jobs in the tech industry and this seemed like a good initial start!”
How did you find the application / interview process?
LC: “I enjoyed the process; the phone conversation was informative and made me understand the role a lot more! At first, I was a bit nervous for the face to face as I was told I would be interviewed by 4 people, but this ended up being a positive as I got to see Searchability from all different points of view and it was more of a conversation about what I would be doing than a formal interview.”
HM: “I hadn’t done many interviews before Searchability, so I was nervous! However, I found the process not daunting at all, my interview was quite relaxed. I got to meet various members of the team who were so friendly -- I almost forgot I was in an interview!”
What about the the onboarding / training period when you first joined?
HT: “The training was intense but super informative, I feel like I have learnt so much about the company and what we do here at Searchability. The training has really helped me to ensure I am making the most out of social media and the rest of the systems we use.”
RB: “The training was intense! On the first day Kate showed me through all the systems, followed by a crash course from Hannah on everything to do and when, all I can say is write everything down. Although the first week was full on, I got to learn almost everything I needed to know. After the first week it was a case of practicing the different elements and asking lots of questions!”
As part of Searchability’s first Graduate Scheme you get together with the other Graduate Researchers to work on Unique projects – can you tell us a bit about that?
HT: “Yes! So, me and the gang meet up daily for an hour or so to work on exciting projects! Our current project is a newsletter/website including exciting tech news and ‘Hollerings’ about what’s going on in the tech world and is due to go out in January.”
HM: “I love working on the projects as it’s great seeing something come to life and getting to hear everyone’s unique inputs, you get a chance to be very creative with it as well!”
The role of the Searchability Graduate Researcher is pretty varied – what is your favourite part of your role?
HM: “I’d say getting to speak to candidates, I speak to so many interesting people daily who are so passionate about technology! I also really enjoy getting to be creative with the recruitment process, whether it’s putting out social media campaigns or building engagement through creating an interactive newsletter.”
RB: “I love the marketing aspect of being a researcher! I enjoy working on our new project ‘Hollerings’ each day and creating new content for the upcoming website. As I’ve come from an English degree I love anything that allows me to be creative.”
When you joined as a Graduate Researcher you received a unique Searchability loyalty card – have you enjoyed using yours?
RB: “Yes definitely! We got 6 lunches and Zigs which I used up pretty quickly (he does cracking Tuna and Cheese toasties) along with 6 free drinks in the Big Hand. The gang and I decided to use one drinks stamp each Friday so we had nearly two months of great Friday lunches!”
HT: “Thoroughly enjoyed all my food from Zigs and a cheeky wine on a Friday with the girls. It’s such a fab idea.”
You also get access to a number of perks here including our social events, resourcer commission, iPhone etc. – what is your favourite perk or is there anything you are looking forward to using in the future?
LC: “I love the social events as I got to go the races which is something I have never been to before!”
RB: “I would have to say it’s a toss up between the social events and the surface pro! Having regular social events has really helped us to integrate into the Searchability team, we have the Christmas do coming up soon which I can’t wait for! I also really enjoy having the surface pro, it’s a great way to catch up on anything that needs to be done in the evening or at the weekend. It’s so light and quick that it easy to take home and get the job done.“
If you were to recommend Searchability to a friend / Graduate looking to apply what would you say is the main reason they should join?
HM: “I’d say the environment and nature of the company and people, Searchability is so much more than a traditional recruitment agency! Everyone is so supportive, and you always get what you need to achieve your goals.”
LC: “The resourcer and recruitment commission is always a perk, along with the great people that work here and the numerous social events!“
And if you were to give one piece of advice to a graduate (something you wished you told yourself when you first applied to graduate roles) what would it be?
HT: “Don’t always focus on the big corporate companies for graduate schemes. I spent so much time completing all kinds of tests to get in to some of the UK’s largest companies and a couple didn’t even bother to get back to me! Since starting at Searchability I have realised that being part of a smaller company is much more rewarding as you feel like you are taking part in their journey to success and your efforts are truly appreciated.“
RB: “Try and figure out what industry you want to start you career in then tailor a plan of how to get there! Equally if you change your mind at the last minute (like I did) don’t panic just get applying for roles that seem interesting.”
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