Laura Humby - Recruitment Manager

At Faststream Recruitment, we take pride in the success and professional achievements of our employees. We caught up with Laura Humby, Recruitment Manager of our Crewing Division to hear about her successful recruitment career with the business.

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​When did you embark on your career with Faststream and what enticed you to apply for the role?

I joined the business in 2011 after a previous colleague of mine who had joined Faststream referred me to the role. The prospect of joining a business with a great team culture caught my attention and I have been with the business ever since.

You originally joined the business as an administrative team member, why did you decide to take the leap into a recruitment role?

Working in the same office as the recruitment team each day and seeing them build incredibly lucrative and financially fulfilling careers made me want to achieve the same success. Knowing that there was potential to earn great money was a huge driving factor for me. I am someone that is driven by personal achievements, and I knew I could be successful in a recruitment role.

You have worked across different divisions within the business, what have you learnt along the way and what skills do you believe enabled you to be adaptable and learn new sectors so quickly and successfully?

Having good organisational skills has been imperative to my success and my ability to learn new sectors in shipping and maritime. Notoriously, recruitment consultants just want the financial gains and can slack when it comes to organisation. However, being organised throughout the recruitment process will lead to achieving more consistent success.

Having transferable skills is also crucial. For example, knowing how to conduct the perfect candidate call, preparing candidates for interviews, taking detailed job orders, and tracking everyone through the recruitment process are basic skills that you will use throughout your recruitment career. If you can get this right, you will set yourself up for success.

You have been had an impressive career, receiving several promotions, with your latest being a promotion to Manager – what do you attribute to your success?

Going above your job description and working beyond your contracted hours when everyone else clocks off will pay off. Your success inevitably pertains to the work that you are willing to put in. I know that if I want to progress in my career I need to excel in my objectives. To stand out, it isn’t enough to sail through and do the basics. You need to prove to yourself and the business that you are willing to put in the work to reach your goals.

Following on from the above question, what advice would you give to someone wanting to progress in their current role and establish a highly successful recruitment career?

Firstly, you need to understand the details and criteria of the recruitment role that you are trying to reach. To get a promotion, you should be adopting the behaviours and taking on some of the responsibilities that the role requires. How can you be denied promotion if you are already aligning your behaviour with the role that you are going after?

You need to train yourself on how to develop the skills needed in the role, think about what you need to be doing outside of what you are currently doing to reach the next level.

For instance, when the opportunity of Manager was presented, I knew that some of the competencies would involve running wider team incentives. So, I put myself forward to conduct internal training sessions because I knew I needed to upskill myself around this aspect of the role.

You need to be confident enough to step forward and believe in your ideas that could bring value to the role.

How different is the role of a manager from your previous roles?

My role now involves supporting other people, whereas before I could focus on my personal goals and financial earnings. I have had to adapt my thought process to understand how I can support everyone in my team to be successful, and not just myself. I am constantly thinking about how I can upskill them to reach their full potential.

When you are managing people, it is important to appreciate people’s different ways of working and how they achieve success. Not everyone works in the same way and as a manager, it is vital to understand this.

Additionally, as manager I am not just recruiting, I am building key account relationships and developing new business, whilst growing my team.

You have travelled and been on many trips with the business, what has been your most memorable experience and why?

I was personally invited on two complimentary river cruise trips on behalf of two separate clients. These were both as a thank you token for supporting them with their recruitment campaigns.

One was a three-day Six Star Cruise in Europe, which was incredible. It was amazing to be in the environment where the candidates that we had placed were now working; it brought the impact we were making on the industry to life. It was a full 360 moment.

How would you describe the team and wider business culture?

Within my team, we have a friendly, yet professional culture with open communication. We work within a fast-paced sector, placing crewing professionals and it is imperative we work to maximum efficiency.

The LNG industry that we operate in is competitive but exciting to recruit for. It is incredibly competitive, and we all know that focus is important in building our professional brand within the LNG world.

Having worked in the business for 11 years, I have seen the wider team establish a professional culture. Everyone is a brand ambassador for the recruitment desk they run. It is motivating to be around and great to work within an ambitious yet established team.

What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back to your first year in recruitment?

Do not try to do everything at once. Learning the basics is important and you will carry them with you through your career.

Your managers give you objectives for a reason. If you achieve what you are asked for with a passion for what you do, you will be fine. Trying to do everything at once will only overwhelm you. Stay focused and tackle each step at a time.

If you're interested in a career with Faststream, please get in touch by filling out the form below.

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