Vol.6 – Reliable Backbone of the Team – Providing Unwavering Support in the Background
For this Meet the Team session, we met with Mamiko Shishido, a core member of the CPA family since 2018. Starting as a Recruitment Consultant, Mamiko transitioned to our Sales Support team in 2024, following the birth of her child. Here’s what she had to say about her journey so far.
Briefly, how did you get started in recruitment?
“Recruitment was one of my responsibilities I covered in my HR role in Japan, so when I moved to the UK and got the chance at Centre People, I knew I could use my past experience in this role. HR and recruitment have a lot in common, so it was quite a natural move for me.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies you’d like to share?
“I started doing crochet recently, I like making small things like coasters of hats out of yarn, it’s my small hobby. That’s the good thing about crocheting; you can start from small and then eventually connect them all together, so you don’t have to commit yourself too much. It relaxes me, helps me wind down – it’s not too difficult and you get a satisfying outcome in the end!”
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in recruitment over the years?
“I started at CPA in 2018, so of course the obvious answer is the effect of the pandemic. Now we’re doing hybrid working, but before we were all in the office. We’ve had to adapt technology more into our jobs, but before we just talked face to face all the time. We used to rely a lot more on paper and physical data, but everything is online now, that was a big change. It improved our speed and also helped our team collaboration, I think.”
What are the biggest challenges you face in sales support?
“The biggest challenge is making our operation smoother and more efficient. We’re coming up with new ways to do admin, so our data is more accessible, and the consultants have more time to focus on their work.”
What do you think is the main difference in mindset between working as a Consultant and as a Sales Support Coordinator?
“The mindset is not so different, it’s like before my clients were the companies and candidates, but now my clients are my colleagues. So it’s still deeply motivating because I want to provide a good service to everyone, so I work hard to provide this and make everyone happy.”
What’s a surprising fact about the recruitment industry that people outside might not realise?
“At first I was very surprised how many applications we can receive per vacancy. Sometimes there’s 100, or even 300. It’s really hard to stand out from those applicants, so I would advise applying to as many vacancies as possible, I think this is really key after I’ve been working in recruitment. It’s a very competitive job market.”
We’re lucky to have Mamiko on our team, giving us her amazing support every day. Feel free to connect with her or follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
