My Brilliant Recruitment Career: Carlos Pinto
27 August 2015
My Brilliant Recruitment Career: Carlos Pinto
Thu, 27 Aug 2015
What was your first job in recruitment, and how did you come into it? I was a temp working for a police station as a driver, taking mail evidence from station to station, which I loved. After that finished — because it was only to cover for a policeman who was ill — the man at the recruitment agency said ‘Would you like to help me? I’ve just had a big contract’. It was called Horizon Recruitment and they offered me a job as a consultant.
What do you love most about your current role? I enjoy helping people find work — especially people who need help more than others. I have a soft spot for people who are a challenge to get back into work.
What has been the most brilliant moment of your career? Horizon Recruitment made me contract manager with client [catalogue business] Gratton. Gratton used five agencies because there were more than 300 to 400 temps working there. Within a year I had won the whole contract for Horizon.
Your ‘can’t do without’ office tool? Mobile phone. I’m always on it 24-7.
Stay-cation or a holiday abroad? Either is great but I like to go abroad to let my head rest for a bit.
Outside the office, where would you like to interview a candidate or be interviewed? We have opportunities to go to the actual client and do interviews at the factories or where the client is based but we have also done interviews for perm positions at restaurants and hotels.
What is your top job to fill at the moment? I’ve got two high-quality positions to fill — electrical maintenance engineers and they’re on £25 an hour. They’re really hard to find but they really are top jobs to source.
Laugh or cry — which did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why? There’s a young man who was going through a bad time, kicked out of his house, no contact with his wife because he didn’t have money. He had a drug problem and was living on the streets. We got him a job. He’s earned some money. The other day he told me he’s gone back to his family. He sees the children. He buys them
ice cream.
What’s the best or worst interview question you’ve ever heard? When they ask you ‘if you could be an appliance what would you be?’.
Make us an offer we can’t refuse. One of the things we offer is if a business needs a member of staff, we promise that we can find someone one hour from receiving their call.
CARLOS PINTO is contracts director, Candelisa People
FROM SEPTEMBER 2015'S RECRUITER MAGAZINE
Earliest dream job: I left school when I was very young. I had dyslexia so I didn’t do well in exams. I just wanted to get out, work and earn money. I can’t really remember if I thought ‘oh this [recruitment] will be an ideal job for me’What was your first job in recruitment, and how did you come into it? I was a temp working for a police station as a driver, taking mail evidence from station to station, which I loved. After that finished — because it was only to cover for a policeman who was ill — the man at the recruitment agency said ‘Would you like to help me? I’ve just had a big contract’. It was called Horizon Recruitment and they offered me a job as a consultant.
What do you love most about your current role? I enjoy helping people find work — especially people who need help more than others. I have a soft spot for people who are a challenge to get back into work.
What has been the most brilliant moment of your career? Horizon Recruitment made me contract manager with client [catalogue business] Gratton. Gratton used five agencies because there were more than 300 to 400 temps working there. Within a year I had won the whole contract for Horizon.
Your ‘can’t do without’ office tool? Mobile phone. I’m always on it 24-7.
Stay-cation or a holiday abroad? Either is great but I like to go abroad to let my head rest for a bit.
Outside the office, where would you like to interview a candidate or be interviewed? We have opportunities to go to the actual client and do interviews at the factories or where the client is based but we have also done interviews for perm positions at restaurants and hotels.
What is your top job to fill at the moment? I’ve got two high-quality positions to fill — electrical maintenance engineers and they’re on £25 an hour. They’re really hard to find but they really are top jobs to source.
Laugh or cry — which did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why? There’s a young man who was going through a bad time, kicked out of his house, no contact with his wife because he didn’t have money. He had a drug problem and was living on the streets. We got him a job. He’s earned some money. The other day he told me he’s gone back to his family. He sees the children. He buys them
ice cream.
What’s the best or worst interview question you’ve ever heard? When they ask you ‘if you could be an appliance what would you be?’.
Make us an offer we can’t refuse. One of the things we offer is if a business needs a member of staff, we promise that we can find someone one hour from receiving their call.
CARLOS PINTO is contracts director, Candelisa People
