Case studies: Hire recruiter: Leesa

Leesa works for a professional advisory services company as a hire recruiter. She graduated in law at the University of East Anglia in 2006.

Following graduation I took a job at a recruitment agency as the role seemed varied and very people focused, which suited my personality. After four years' working in two different agencies specialising in different sectors, I was keen to move into an in-house recruitment role. I spent one year as an internal recruiter at the BBC and recently moved into the professional services industry.

I now work for a global organisation and the area I work in is only one part of the business. I split my time between the People Function (encompassing recruitment, and resourcing and HR) and the particular business area I recruit for. This gives me a great balance of operational recruitment and wider recruitment strategy or project work.

My day always starts with checking emails. I have a work Blackberry so I never come into the office to any big surprises. On the recruitment front, I meet with internal clients to take a detailed brief on their specific role and the type of person they are looking for. I then research the best places to advertise the role, directly source candidates from job boards, LinkedIn and any referrals, interview relevant candidates and manage the offer process.

I enjoy looking at sourcing strategies and working with the business to identify their USPs (unique selling points) so the candidates I approach fit the profile. I can then give the candidates a really clear idea of what working within this specific team is like. Other meetings I have might include liaising with recruitment marketing to brainstorm new marketing campaign ideas, or with graduate recruitment to share best practice on our different processes.

What I most enjoy about my role is the end result of placing someone within the business who is not only a great fit for our team but also feels their new employer will offer them a fantastic career. It's not always quick, but it's rewarding to know that I managed the whole process and we didn't need to use a recruitment agency, which helps to save money.

The most challenging part of my role is juggling the demands of the business and I have to allocate and prioritise my time effectively. I really enjoy being part of a central services team as I get the best of both worlds - working within the People Function and really getting to understand a specific area of the business as well.

The advice I would give to anyone who wants a career in recruitment is to research the industry. Understand the difference between agency and in-house recruitment and work out which type best suits your personality. Recruitment is based on relationships and being passionate about your company brand, so think carefully about whether you're going to feel passionately recruiting for the area you are going in to.