Betsy Smith: The story so far

It’s been two years and seven months since the powerhouse that is Betsy Smith joined our team. If you’ve met her, you’ll know what we’re talking about. A dynamic bundle of personality, professionalism and a massive drive to succeed makes Betsy stand out in the busiest of rooms. She was recently promoted to Senior Consultant, and we thought it was high time to get her thoughts on what life is like at Sewell Wallis. Take it away, Bets!

Recruitment sucks sometimes. It really does. Sometimes, it’s all I can do to stop myself screaming. But, and this is going to sound very cliché and I’m not even going to apologise, my team and my colleagues are the ones that get me thorough. All those hard business development calls, no-shows at interviews and dropouts at the last second have me pulling my hair out sometimes, but a reassuring word from Becky, a laugh with Jag and Suli or a pep talk from Chloe in the coffee shop downstairs could fix what was wrong with anyone.

I joined in January of 2022 after a short stint with another recruitment agency and was immediately struck by how different Sewell Wallis was from the outset. They actually care about the guys who work here. It shouldn’t be such a shock to say that in 2024, but sadly, it is. Our benefits are quite intentionally geared up to make our working lives better; we have medical cover for both us and our families, mental health support (and a team of trained mental health first aiders in each office), enough annual leave so you never feel like you’re running out of it in June, nice offices, days out, incentives and competitions, and a market leading bonus scheme. What more could you want?

I’m part of the greatest team in Leeds, if not the world. Yes, I’m kidding, but we’re still an excellent bunch. Chloe is the best manager I’ve worked under, period. She’s supportive, straightforward, and honest with me, and she’s happy to work with how we want to be managed, rather than forcing us to fit her idea of it. She puts us first and does whatever she can to help us, including with our personal lives, if we want it. The rest of the Transactional Finance team in Leeds is incredible; we’ve grown together within the company and working alongside them, supporting Becky and Suli in their transition from Resourcer to Consultant, and now seeing Jag take this one too has been brilliant. The pride is real!

Another point I need to drive home is the fact that Sewell Wallis teach you how to be good at recruitment. I’ve heard stories from other recruiters about how they’ve just been essentially dropped in at the deep end and expected to learn how recruitment works, develop an understanding of their sector and bill within two months of being there. It’s not like that here. The training I’ve received since joining has been exceptional – I didn’t know a thing about recruitment when I started and there was never such a thing as a stupid question. My team are a dream to work alongside and we support each other wholeheartedly.

I got promoted recently. I’d worked bloody hard to get there, and have had Chloe fighting my corner the entire way. We set out targets and goals that we both agreed on, not just in terms of monetary achievement but demonstrating behaviours and actions in line with the Sewell Wallis way of doing things, as well as ensuring I knew the things I had to work on as well as what I needed to achieve. We sat down weekly, and Chloe was always available to discuss anything and everything, what I was struggling with, what was on track, and things I could do better. Management are really good at ensuring you have autonomy over how you do your job, I wasn’t put on a timescale and there was never any pressure to do it a certain way; the whole process was tailored to me and how I worked. It felt absolutely brilliant when I was promoted, I was chuffed and the team made such a big fuss of me – Chloe bought me a beautiful bunch of flowers and she and Sue took me out for lunch to celebrate.

I’ve never been happier in a job than I am now. I’m succeeding on so many fronts, and I feel like since joining Sewell Wallis, I’ve developed further in terms of my resilience and my adaptability; all skills which do you well in the real world as well as at work. I’ve spent more time in this role than anywhere else, and I don’t see me moving on any time soon – this truly (another cliché incoming, sorry!) feels like home, and I wouldn’t want to be doing recruitment anywhere else.

We also asked Chloe to reflect on her time spent managing Betsy, and give us an insight into what she's like to work with. 

It has been such a pleasure to be a part of Betsy’s journey so far with Sewell Wallis! I feel honoured to mentor her; she's not only passionate about what she does (and she’s great at it, too!) but she’s also a ray of sunshine; she is such a huge part of our Leeds team and really does lift everyone’s spirits up every single day. You'd struggle to spend a day in the Leeds office when Betsy's around without laughing through a lot of it.

If you have a conscience, you genuinely care about who you’re working with (both clients and candidates) and you’re driven to do the right thing, then you're likely to fit in well at Sewell Wallis; Betsy couldn’t be a better fit if she tried. She's driven to deliver the best possible service to everyone that she works with, not just because she ‘has’ to, but because she genuinely wants to and I think that makes her different to a lot of other people who work in the recruitment industry.

Rest assured that if Betsy is supporting you, she is giving her all to do so and will make sure that she does it to the best of her ability. We're super lucky to have her in our team and I can’t wait to see all the amazing milestones that she has ahead of her. If you are looking for a permanent transactional role, or you’re a client who needs support on filling a position like this within West or North Yorkshire, then Betsy's your girl!