I can’t believe I’m already halfway through my Business Administration Apprenticeship here at Handle! I arrived at Handle 6 months ago after completing my A-levels, light on experience but full of excitement about this new opportunity.
Every day is different - I've been involved in various projects and continue to be stretched and encouraged to work collaboratively in many areas of the business.
Starting with some general office duties - answering the phone and assisting the office manager and receptionists with any support they might need - I then progressed onto various database clean-up projects, making sure the data we had was accurate and up to date.
Once my Manager was confident that I was able to represent the Handle brand at the level required, I was trained to speak with Handle clients and candidates. I have assisted the recruitment teams by contacting and screening potential candidates. This has been really motivating as I have managed to rebuild relationships with the lapsed candidates and a couple ended up being placed into new roles, which generated a tangible goal for my hard work!
Now I’m feeling super-confident, I have been given even more business-critical projects. Recently I was tasked with finding the next group of apprentices for the business. My duties included defining the role and creating the job description, advertising the role, managing the advert responses, conducting telephone interviews and shortlisting candidates. Final candidates were then invited to an assessment centre which I had designed – I created a presentation and various competency tests. This was a fantastic experience as all my ideas were considered and I contributed to every stage of the project. And we’ve found two fantastic new apprentices!
The last six months have been the most incredible experience. Handle has been extremely welcoming and has supported me in achieving my goals. The office has become my home away from home (my family lives overseas)! My interpersonal skills have blossomed in an unimaginable way, and so has my confidence. By far the most notable improvement has been my time management. I have learnt to be proactive and juggle multiple tasks – such an important transferable skill for all areas of work and life.
I am so thankful to Handle for giving me a massive head start in my career! I can’t stress enough how much I recommend this opportunity to ANYONE keen to work hard and start a career in recruitment
To find out more about the Handle Academy and apprenticeships click here