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​Recruitment often carries a lot of stigma, most people will have their perceptions about what recruiters do however if you take a closer look, and you’ll find a role that demands resilience, empathy, and an extraordinary ability to juggle competing priorities all while keeping people at the centre. We sat down with Maria McNally to chat through her role as Recruitment Consultant at Speller and lift the lid on a typical week.

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The simple and straight forward perception of recruitment goes like this;

• Post a job online

• Screen CVs and sent suitable CV’s to the client

• Celebrate when someone is placed and move on to the next role

Seems simple? But the reality is much more demanding and far more human.

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The Reality: Maria’s Week in Numbers

Maria McNally, one of Speller top performing recruitment consultants, knows this better than anyone. SAP is a niche skillset to find the right people requires a significant amount of out bound calling and outreach;

• Makes 180+ calls to candidates during the week.

• Sends 250+ emails, not including LinkedIn msg InMails or Seek Talent messages where similar volumes are required.

• Reviews hundreds of CVs, sometimes screening up to700 in a week

• Manages 40+ contractors, checking in regularly to ensure they feel supported

• Juggles three to four live roles at any one time, each with unique requirements and deadlines

This activity sits alongside detailed interviews prep, reference checks, chasing contract extensions, confirming start dates, and troubleshooting issues for contractors already on assignment.

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Beyond the Numbers: Consulting and Learning

Recruitment is not just about process it’s about consulting. Changing jobs is a huge decision and people do not make that decision lightly.

• Engages deeply with candidates – understanding motivations, career goals, and personal circumstances to ensure the right fit

• Upskills constantly – when faced with a new SAP technology, she calls trusted experts in her network to explain the detail, ensuring she can ask the right questions and assess candidates properly

• Prepares candidates thoroughly – from interview coaching to honest advice (“If money is your only driver, have you spoken with your current manager first?”), Maria ensures candidates make informed decisions

• Balances priorities – every contractor matters, but so do new roles coming in, meaning every day is a juggling act between delivery, relationships, and admin

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The Human Element: Shared Highs and Lows

Behind the process is a strong emotional layer. Recruiters celebrate with candidates when they secure a role that changes their career but they also share in the disappointments:

• When weeks of preparation end with a “no” and no feedback

• When a candidate withdraws at the last moment, damaging hard-won client trust

• When contractors change course, leaving projects and relationships at risk

As Maria explains: “We want to get it right for candidates. The reason we go into so much detail is because we genuinely care about the outcome.”

Recruiters aren’t immune to frustration - the silence when client feedback doesn’t come through, the inability to update candidates who’ve invested time in the process, and the disappointment when hard work doesn’t convert into outcomes. Yet these lows make the highs even more rewarding: successful placements, long-term partnerships, and the thank you calls from contractors that remind our recruiters why we do what we do.

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Why It Matters

The reality of recruitment is that it’s not about shifting CVs; it’s about consulting. It’s about taking the time to listen, to educate, to advise, and to get the match right for both sides. Recruiters succeed when candidates succeed and that’s why professionals like Maria pour so much energy into the detail.

Recruitment isn’t a transactional process; it’s a people business. Behind every CV, every call, and every placement is a recruiter, hopefully exactly like Maria, balancing client needs with candidate ambitions while navigating the emotional highs and lows along the way. As Maria reminded me, “we are all human and can drop the ball at times, not because we don’t care, but because there are so many things to juggle inside of work and our family life outside of work. That being said, every day we try, and for as long as I’ve been in recruitment, I’ve done my best to improve with every opportunity.”

Yes, recruitment is rewarding, but it also demands resilience, patience, and a genuine passion for people. There are weeks when all the effort leads to no results, yet good recruiters show up again and again, ready to do it all over.

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