My Brilliant Recruitment Career: Hollie Murtagh

Hollie Murtagh is managing director at Simply Education, MCG Group

What was your earliest dream job?

An actress or policewoman. The acting world fascinated me – the thrill of playing different characters. I’m also very inquisitive and my attention to detail is good, so I’d have been great at solving crimes. People thought that was the job I’d go into – I’m an ‘investigatory’ kind of person.

What was your first job in recruitment and how did you come into it?

I used to be in IT sales and loved the sales buzz, but I’m very much a people person and thought I’d be better at selling in candidates to clients. I had a friend whose family business was a successful recruitment agency and I thought I’d be good at it. My first job was in a high street industrial agency.

Who is your role model – in life or in recruitment?

Jeff Weiner, one of the most famous business execs on the planet. He transformed LinkedIn, made it into a massive social media site for businesses and professionals. His business mantra is ‘next play’ – people shouldn’t be so caught up in today’s successes and failures but should keep moving.

What do you love most about your current role?

I love seeing people shine and fulfil their true potential. The key to a successful business is having the right people in the right roles and giving them the tools and autonomy to thrive. As MD, I’m in a position to encourage and develop, create opportunities and let people achieve their very best.

What would you consider to be the most brilliant moment of your career?

Leading Simply Education through the pandemic in my first year as the new MD. I became the youngest female board director within the MCG Group three months before the first lockdown.

Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why?

I got a brilliant job for a sales director and the agency was set to earn a whopping £12k fee. In those days we didn’t have the checks we do now, and he hadn’t told me he had 12 points on his driving licence and so couldn’t take the job. I had to make that call to him. If he’d have been in the office, I think I’d have hit him with the phone!

What would you regard as your signature tune?

I have an obsession with New York, my favourite city, so the tune that can instantly lift my spirits and make me smile is Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind.

What was your sanity go-to during Covid-19 and various lockdowns?

The nightly five-mile walks with my husband, consuming cheeky ice creams and doing daily debriefs. I’m also a qualified personal trainer, so exercise was crucial in keeping myself fit.

What did you learn about yourself during the pandemic?

How resilient I am. I found a new level of strength and determination to keep my staff mentally and physically healthy. I also discovered that ‘imposter syndrome’ can be positive. I was in a new job, in a new group, engineering the business through Covid as schools – our clients – were closed.

Hollie Murtagh spoke with Roisin Woolnough.

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