Sarah-Jane McStay

What led you to recruitment from your background in Law?

I completed my Law degree in 2013 and followed that with 2 years of articles at a boutique firm in Sandton specialising in commercial and insurance litigation. I finished my articles and got admitted in the High Court of South Africa. I knew I did not want to continue in a Law firm but considered going in-house to a bank. This was the first time I encountered recruitment agencies, as a prospective candidate. If I am honest the agency did not inspire me to join recruitment and I gave up on agencies in general. Just goes to show how bad some agencies can be. A few months later I was interviewing at various banks and I ran into a friend of mine at a pub, and she introduced me to the Managing Director heading the South Africa business. Between the two of them, they convinced me to come into the Michael Page offices to interview and the rest is history.

Why did you join PageGroup?  

Although recruitment was never something I considered, my biggest reason for joining was the people I met. After interviewing with 8 different people, and their description of the work and environment, I was sold. I am a person who gets bored very easily and the idea of an environment that is loud, energetic and where every day is different was exactly what I wanted. 

What is most rewarding about your job? 

I completely love my job, the adrenaline of closing a deal and getting my candidate a new job that they desperately need is amazing. I also love the environment, the fast pace and exciting atmosphere. I enjoy meeting different people every day from difference backgrounds and environments. 

What skills from your background helped with your transition into recruitment?

I think the professionalism that I was taught in law, for instance how to talk to people and how to treat people in a work environment. I also think the ability to extract necessary information out of people, reading people and making sure you are getting the full story. These are skills that are pivotal to legal cases as well as to being succesful in recruitment.

What advice would you give someone with a Law background who wanted a job in recruitment?

Recruitment provides the exact same fast paced environment that law does but with the biggest difference - instead of always working alone and in isolation, you will work in a team.