A Week in the World of Work – My Experience at Westlakes Recruit

Hi, I'm Jesse Wilcock, and I’ve just completed a week of work experience at Westlakes Recruit, a business owned by my parents. I'm currently in Year 10 at Cockermouth School, and this was my first proper introduction to the world of work!

Walking into the office on Monday morning, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’d heard about recruitment from my parents over the years, but being part of it even just for a few days opened my eyes to how much really goes on behind the scenes.

From helping with admin tasks and sitting in on meetings to learning how candidates are matched with jobs, working with my mum to understand the accounting and finance, to my dad getting me to do research on all the nuclear reactor operating companies across Europe, every day was different. I also worked with Beth in marketing and social media. It was fast-paced, varied and more people-focused.

What I learned

One of the biggest things I learned was how important communication is in recruitment. Watching how the team spoke with clients and candidates—professionally, clearly, and respectfully, showed me how important good communication skills are in the job.

I also got to see how organised you need to be. Recruitment involves handling lots of different roles, people, and deadlines all at once. So good time management and being able to stay calm when things get busy seems important.

Stepping out of the classroom

Being at Westlakes Recruit felt completely different from school, it gave me independence and a higher level of maturity. I wasn’t just a student, but I was part of the team which made me feel involved and comfortable in the office.

How It Could Benefit My Future

This week made me think more seriously about what I might want to do after school. Whether I go down the route of recruitment, business, or something completely different, I now have some experience that I can talk about in future job or college applications. I’ve developed my confidence and learned more about what working life is really like.

During my time at Westlakes recruit it has also helped me better understand the kind of environment I’d enjoy working in, which is somewhere busy and people focused.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Westlakes Recruit team this week. It’s given me a something to build on in the future, I know feel much more confident going into the world of work next year.

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