Employee case study:
Natalie Delaney

I was about to graduate from university, and I was looking for somewhere to start my career, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. The Internal Recruitment Team at Sellick Partnership, contacted me about a position in the Compliance Team. They explained what Sellick Partnership did and what the role entailed, and I thought it sounded interesting. With it being my first role out of university I was looking to gain some new skills and to join a company where I could progress, so I thought it would be the perfect place to start my career.  

After my initial call, I was invited for a second stage interview with Hannah Cottam (former Group Director within the Legal Public Sector team, now CEO). Hannah sold the role to me, explaining how important a role in compliance is, and how it feeds into supporting the sales team and I really liked the sound of it. 

I then met the team, and the rest was history! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and I knew I could grow my career within the business. 

The Compliance Team was a fairly new team when I joined, so there was a lot of opportunities for me to grow and develop. I used to meet with Hannah monthly which was good for my development, and she was really open to me suggesting new ideas of how we can tweak processes to make things more efficient for the sales teams. I really liked how collaborative the role was, and I think this is what has kept me at Sellick Partnership for 10 years. The Senior Management Team (SMT) are so supportive, ensuring you are listened to and heard, and always encouraging you to progress further. 

You joined Sellick Partnership in 2014 within the Compliance team, how was that and when did you realise you wanted to move? 

I had been in Compliance for three years, and we had finessed quite a lot of the processes, however it was still a fairly small team – especially in comparison to what the team is today! Hannah recognised that I was ready for a new challenge so we started having conversations about what the next step in my career could be.  

I was then out at a team event after work one Friday and Laura Hayward (former Legal Manager now Group Director) asked me if I had ever thought about sales. My initial reaction was absolutely not but she encouraged me to think about it and to go for it as she thought it would be something I would be good at. I had a little bit of sales experience from a previous role in a call centre, but nothing similar to what a sales role in recruitment is like.  

I spoke to Hannah about it and it went from there. It was completely unexpected but was definitely the right move for me and I’m grateful for the encouragement and support from Laura and Hannah, who believed in me from the beginning. 

When you transitioned to the Public Sector Legal Team, how did that feel? When did you know you were there to stay? 

It was really daunting because I already knew the team – I had worked with them for three years already at Sellick Partnership, but it was a very different role and there were elements of it that I understood but there were also elements of it that I have no idea about, so it was scary. Laura was assigned as my Manager, and I had lots of encouragement from her and the wider team.  

When I started making placements, I knew I had made the right move. When you make your first placement it is so exciting, the buzz of finding someone their dream job and also knowing you are doing a good job for your client, I will never get over that feeling and I still get it to this day, knowing you’re helping people is the best thing ever.  

 How did Sellick Partnership support you in this change? 

Laura took so much time to explain to me how things work from a sales perspective, and encouraged me to make candidate calls – a lot of these candidates I had already spoken to from a Compliance perspective so I had already built those relationships. We spent a lot of time focusing just on the candidate side of things, and there was informal and formal training.  

We had internal training sessions, similar to what Ray Wareing does now, and that really helped me to understand how sales work within recruitment. I also had informal training by shadowing Laura and the team, and that real-life experience was invaluable. I was sitting within a really experienced team, so was learning from the best.  

Not long after I started on the sales team, I injured my foot. It was a really bad break and I was in hospital for a few weeks and then on crutches for months. I couldn’t come into work, especially when I was in hospital. I took around three months off work completely, and then Laura suggested I start to ease myself back in by working from home. Sellick Partnership were really supportive, Laura came to my home and brought a laptop for me to work from and a whiteboard, so I had my own jobs board at home. I worked from home for about three more months, and then when I felt comfortable, I came back to the office. 

The break did knock my confidence as I had been out of the office for quite a while – these were the days before the pandemic and no one ever worked from home, let alone knew what a Zoom or Teams meeting was, so it was unusual to be working away from the team for so long. However I had so much support from Laura and the wider team, we had lots of conference calls to ensure I was still included in everything and that really did help. 

How would you describe the professional growth opportunities available at Sellick Partnership? 

I really like that there is a clear career path at Sellick Partnership and there are options – so once you get past Principal Consultant there is an option to people-manage or if that isn’t for you then you can become a Business Manager. It is still the same level and the same opportunity, but without having to manage a team. Just because you don’t want your own team, it doesn’t mean your career just stops, there are still plenty of opportunities to progress and grow which is something I really like about working at Sellick Partnership. 

Sellick Partnership is also really good at listening to ideas and is not afraid to move people around if that’s what you want. If you want to move teams or have a really great idea or new way of doing something then speak up and talk to your Manager about it because if they think it is a good idea too, then they will implement new things or make a change and encourage you to work towards it. For example, me moving from Compliance to Sales.  

How do you think Sellick Partnership's focus on employee development sets it apart as an employer? 

I think when people first come into the business in an entry-level role like a Resourcing Consultant, there is always a plan to get them to progress to a Recruitment Consultant – which I think is really good because it shows the company is invested in you from the get-go. Sellick Partnership invest the training and the time in you, to help you progress. 

There are a lot of people who have been with Sellick Partnership for a really long time, which shows how much the business puts into developing employees. The Manchester Legal team is also such a close-knit team, if one person is recruiting into their team it is not just their responsibility to train that person, the whole team chips in and helps to train and mentor, which I think is such a good opportunity for anyone coming into recruitment with no previous experience.  

I think this is very rare and doesn’t happen in a lot of other businesses but at Sellick Partnership we have a big team ethos and it is everyone’s responsibility, we all help each other. The Senior Leadership Team is not only focused on individual growth but also team growth so everyone helps each other, which is really nice and makes it such a great place to work. 

What skills have you developed over the past decade, and how has Sellick Partnership contributed to that growth? 

Definitely confidence! Going from speaking about application forms to the technicalities of law and having to speak to someone about that confidently can be daunting, you need to be able to understand what you are talking about and be confident in yourself. Also going from speaking to candidates and then speaking with clients is different again. You have to have confidence, which has been a journey for me. 

I have also developed emotional resilience. The world of recruitment is very up and down and especially within temp recruitment, things change so quickly sometimes even on an hourly basis, so riding the highs as well as the lows is really important. Things can change so frequently so being resilient is important within recruitment.  

Teamwork is one of the best things about working at Sellick Partnership and what has kept me here for so long. The team work so closely together, so if I am unwell or take some annual leave or am not in the office for whatever reason, I am confident that my desk is looked after in the way I would look after it. Everyone treats each other’s work as their own – we all just want each other to succeed. 

What has been the most significant achievement or proudest moment in your career so far? 

Reaching Business Manager! I know I have worked so hard to get here and seeing all the hard work I have put in over the years pay off and be recognised by the business for it. Part of the criteria for becoming Business Manager is to get testimonials from clients and candidates. It was really nice to hear from clients and for them to say that I really do make an impact on their businesses and teams, and that the work that I do impacts them for the better day-to-day was a really proud moment for me, and it has been such a journey for me to get to this point. 

What advice would you give to someone considering a career at Sellick Partnership? 

Take note of your peers, the people that sit around you, everyone is there to help and everyone has so much experience - you really are learning from the best! If you need help in a particular area, there is always someone who will take the time to go through something with you. Also, if you have an idea for how to grow your desk, or a different way of doing something, speak to your Manager because Sellick Partnership will always want to hear new, fresh ideas and encourage you to be the best. 

What motivates you to stay at Sellick Partnership and continue to progress in your career? 

I love that no two days are the same. I love my clients and candidates, there is always something to get stuck into. For example, last year Natalie Ferguson and I delivered a break-out session for the junior lawyers at LLG (Lawyers in Local Government). It was the first time I had done anything like that and it was brilliant. The feedback that we received was amazing, and we had such a fun time delivering it. So even after all these years, there was still something new I hadn’t done before and I’m still being encouraged to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. 

Also, the financial rewards that come with working in recruitment. If you put the work in, you can be really successful in your role and earn some great money. It helped to pay for my wedding!