Profiles of our people

Darvesh

Name : 

Darvesh

Job Title : 

Principal Consultant

Location : 

Hong Kong

Joined company : 

Oct - 2008

Studied : 

Global Business & Marketing

Introduction

I was fresh out of university in Hong Kong when I joined Huxley. While I was studying, I did an internship at a recruitment firm. So, although I didn’t quite know what the day-to-day duties of a Consultant were, I had a general understanding of what the job entailed.

The first thing that attracted me to the job was the “benefits” section of the advertisement I read. I’d never seen anything like it! A company giving you free trips, Lunch Clubs, car targets and loads more! It sounded like a dream. Especially when you’re a poor student like I was!

My role

I started in October 2008. It was a month after the Lehman Brothers crash. I couldn’t have picked a more difficult time! The first six months were tough. We were just starting up in a market where people were getting fired. None of my clients were hiring. After about six months, the markets began picking up and things started getting easier. Deals finally began coming in.

Putting up a deal and knowing I’ve accomplished something is a great feeling. Nothing beats it. Apart from that, I like dealing with the client side of the business. Some of them have even become friends!

My biggest achievement so far has to be getting to Vegas. I’ve also won trips to Thailand and Macau. But come on, there isn’t too much in life that can match up to the glamour of Las Vegas. Especially with a company like SThree where everyone is out to have a great time! Hitting the targets for Vegas takes a lot of work but it’s definitely worth it!

There are low points; like when a candidate either doesn’t take a job offer or drops. It feels like all your hard work and effort was a waste of time. It doesn’t happen as often now, but it's still the worst feeling ever!

I normally get over it by going through the process either by myself or with someone on the desk. Just figuring out what else I could have done. Either that or a few rounds of drinks on the Friday night!

This time next year I want to be building a team. I’ve been a consultant going through the ranks for three years now. It’s time to focus on developing some other skills, like managing and dealing with the strategy of growing the business further in Asia.

Training

I’ve had all sorts of training to further my career. It starts with simply going through the basics of recruitment. Then there’s training on the phone, management training through CMEP and of course, on-the-job coaching from my managers.

The on-the-job training has to be my favourite. It’s all well and good being in a classroom learning how to sell – but there’s no substitute for doing it yourself! Not in my opinion anyway. Of course, working with some of the best salespeople in the business certainly helps!

Working at SThree

The culture at SThree is like none other. It’s a real meritocracy. Everyone on the desk shares the culture of “work hard, play hard”. The firm will give anyone who does well a chance, regardless of age. And they’re always willing to back you. Everyone has a common goal: being the best. This translates into healthy competition.

The office has a relaxed environment though. We’ve got a good mix of locals and foreigners. There’s a lot of banter and team competition. Of course, we save getting truly wild for Lunch Clubs and achiever’s holidays.

I’ve been on a number of team nights out and achiever’s events with Huxley. Some of the best memories include an eight person simulation Formula 1 race and a trip out to an island to have dinner by the sea.

The unique thing about SThree is how everyone seems to care about one another as more than just a colleague. You tend to build strong relationships across these desks. It must be something about the nature of the job.

To flourish here you need thick skin, a good sense of humour, ambition and a lot of hard work. If you have all these attributes, SThree is a great place to build a career, enjoy life and make a lot of money! You need to get over the initial speed bumps though. It’s strange: it’s a sales job, but many new starters don’t understand that rejection is all part of the process of becoming better.