Sandy Vo, London

My story began at Hays when I joined the Brisbane office in 2017 through the Refer A Friend scheme. The friend who referred me was one of my customers at Boost Juice where I worked during my university studies. I was studying for my Bachelor of Nutrition Dietetics. When I told him what I was studying, he shared his opinion on how he thought I would excel in the recruitment world, while telling me about the amazing opportunities and work life at Hays.

After finding out more about Hays, I decided to change direction into recruitment. I knew Hays was one of the biggest global recruitment companies. More importantly, I wanted to join a business that had a commitment to the learning and development of their people, opportunities for progression, and good earning potential - and Hays ticked all those boxes.

I started working in the Brisbane office as an associate consultant, before being quickly promoted - to recruitment consultant, then senior consultant, and then recruitment manager. I was craving the opportunity to gain experience abroad to develop my career but was also keen to join Hays in the UK where the business originally started.

I relocated to the London office in April 2021 on a youth mobility visa at the end of the UK’s second lockdown. So, upon arrival, I had to isolate for 14 days, and it was strange not meeting the wider team initially. However, my manager was really supportive and kept in contact with me throughout the day while I was settling in. I’ve been working as a senior consultant for life sciences QA/RA medical devices since joining the London office. I’m thriving in this role and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work in the UK.

I believed coming to the UK would give me the chance to fine-tune my soft skills but also improve my ability as a recruiter. I learned a lot from the first business director I worked in the UK; he became a bit of a role model for me because of how amazing he was at his job, and I really admired his work ethic.

The UK is definitely more fast-paced and has a completely different culture to the Brisbane office. However, both offices have been fun, and the people are great to work with. The speed and the way things move in the UK is far greater than I imagined, but it has a very similar business model to Australia in terms of high-quality delivery of service and compliance.

Hays has always been at the forefront of diversity and inclusion; I think changing countries has made me realise how inclusive Hays is on a global scale. Since working for Hays in Australia and the UK, I’ve found the work environment to be very inclusive, where the business encourages different thoughts and conversations. I’ve always felt comfortable sharing my opinions from day one.

I also feel very well educated on people’s different backgrounds through the way the business communicates about the significance of equity, diversity, and inclusion at work. The importance placed on celebrating cultural days at Hays really embraces and helps raise awareness of diversity.

While there have been some challenges in relocating to Hays in the UK, especially as I moved during a pandemic, there have been so many positives gained. Not only have I learned how to adapt to different markets and cultures, but I’ve also been given the opportunity to refine my skills and work in a job I love, while travelling and meeting new people.

The advice I would give to anyone considering relocating to a Hays office in a different country would be to simply do it! You learn so much, you get so much support, and it’s a relatively easy transition with all the systems and processes being similar. The biggest attraction is the people. Hays, regardless of the country, has been the best at recruiting passionate people who work hard and want to have a good time.

Find out more about the job opportunities available and start your Hays story today.