My first job: Mark’s story
Mark Smith is a bit of a CMA treasure. Recruited in 2007 just a few years after graduating university, he started as a trainee and has worked his way through almost every area of the business, now sitting on CMA’s board as Associate Director.
As Mark celebrates his 15-year anniversary with the business this week, we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you more about Mark and his recruitment story, and find out what it is that keeps him here at CMA.
Based in the Portsmouth office, Mark lives just outside Fareham with his young family. He is a keen kitesurfer and paddleboarder and makes the most of living so close to the sea. A local lad, Mark went to school in Fareham before going to university in Reading to study Sociology.
After graduating in 2003, Mark spent a few years working for a Hampshire-based charity that provides homeless services, helping to re-settle young adults. This was a really rewarding job, but after a few years Mark found he was keen for a new challenge; something that offered more progression and personal development.
Recruitment appealed to him as it offered the chance to work with people and to continue to make a difference. Mark says: “I had a friend who worked in recruitment so I learnt more about it from them, and then I found the CMA job in the newspaper!” (Those were the days!).
“I applied to a few recruitment businesses and had several offers, but CMA stood out as it was very values driven and this aligned to the charity work I was doing at the time. Even from the outside I could see that CMA had a culture of doing the right things, and to a really high standard. They really knew the market, understood the candidates, clients – and had a consultative approach.”
Mark says he could tell that for CMA it was not just about profit, it was about helping people. This value is one of the factors that has kept Mark here for such an outstanding tenure: “The people and the culture are so important – I’m working with a group of people who have a passion for their work and who are constantly striving to take themselves forward – whose values align to my own.”
Career progression
His life at CMA started essentially as a trainee working as a Recruitment Consultant on the <£20K permanent desk (which no longer exists) where he recruited for transactional finance roles. Through his role he was given a 360-degree experience of the business; interviewing candidates, undertaking client visits and recruiting across all business sectors. After a few years Mark moved up to the £20-40k permanent desk (recruiting for Part-Qualified and Newly Qualified vacancies): “I did this role for a number of years and it provided excellent exposure as I progressed to become a Senior Consultant.”
Mark took the opportunity to cover a few maternity leaves, and found this a great way of getting experience in different areas of the business. “After that I became Assistant Branch Manager and delivered that role for a year before becoming Branch Manager of the Portsmouth office in 2016.”
Mark took his most recent step up in January 2020 when he was made Associate Director at age 38 – a really proud moment. Mark says: “This role entails more of a group focus, retaining a hands-on recruitment element while also having a strategic input at a group level, which I love.”
“I’m not aggressive in terms of chasing for promotion but CMA are really good at rewarding me and pushing me forward and allowing me to grow, and take CMA as a business forwards.”
What is it about recruitment?
Speak to any recruiter and they’ll tell you it’s a really varied job – no two days are the same. For Mark this is absolutely what he loves about his job: “There’s the element of getting out to visit clients and candidates, developing new business, supporting team members and delivering internal and external strategies, which I find really interesting.”
There are a range of enjoyable challenges that come with the role, for example both clients and candidate have such diverse requirements: “As a recruiter you to have to understand that to get the right match, it’s a challenge to enjoy.”
Along with becoming Associate Director before the age of 40, other memorable moments from his time at CMA have included some amazing reward trips including Jersey, Ibiza, Chamonix and New York.
A key element for Mark though has to be the people contact and the regional aspect of CMA: “Having a regional focus means I really get to know clients and candidates and I have formed fantastic business relationships across the South Coast. I really value these relationships and feel fortunate to be able to support people in developing their careers.”
Mark concludes: “It’s kept me engaged, in 15 years I’ve never clock-watched!”
Advice to your 13-year-old self?
Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people that share the same values, and don’t be scared to step outside of your comfort zone.
Tips to aspiring recruiters
- It’s a diverse sector and so do your research in terms of the different avenues and styles of recruitment available to you.
- Most important thing to do is find a recruitment business – and people in that business – that you really align yourself to, in terms of what the business is looking to achieve.
- If you can find the right mentor and be prepared to work hard then it can be an amazing career!