Celebrating Working Dads

“How do you manage the work-life balance having two small children?"

"I am lucky as the set up I have at home is that my wife looks after the children and I look after the family income.  I try and get to work early and very often don’t see my children first thing in the morning, I do however make sure that I am back for their baths, supper and bed time story.  My wife and I  are relaxed about bed time, as an early routine would result in me not seeing them.  Once in bed and asleep, I try and complete the rest of my work tasks by working remotely to catch up." 

Joe Savidge, Managing Consultant, Accountancy and Finance

How do you manage to relax after a hard days recruiting with small children?

"The main way that I find to relax is just being there with them. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Oscar (the 3 year old) rushes up to me as soon as I am in the door and likes to tell me about everything he has done throughout the day (and even asks me about my day at times) and then usually wants to play with something that he has made that day or at the moment his obsession with Star Wars Lego keeps us both busy building and playing. Phoebe (the one year old) simply likes to be picked up and thrown in the air. Now that the weather is getting better we always have a bit of time in the Garden before dinner usually jumping through a sprinkler or running around on the grass. We always try to eat together as a family so that we can continue to chat about the day and make plans for the next day. Then it is bath time and after getting dressed and dried we alternate story-time before bed so that they both have 2 stories (one from a book and one, lights off, made up)." 

Mike Leeman, Senior Consultant, Accountancy and Finance

What comparisons are there between being a dad and being a recruiter?   

"Both require time and dedication coupled with an ability to negotiate – and it’s madness to do either!”

James Milne, Managing Director

 What advice did you give to your children during their job hunts? 

"Finding your first job after University can be quite a fraught process and there were many “interesting” conversations between myself and my 2 kids during the process. Both have Maths degrees and wanted to continue in a numerate role, our son was first up and he was pretty clear on what he wanted to do, which was move into Accountancy and live in London. He applied for the Big 4 and I guess the main advice to him was about how to handle assessment centres. My colleague Michelle, spent a lot of time coaching him so that he was already comfortable with the process and understood what the firms were looking for and I think this gave him a real edge on the day and sure enough he joined PWC in London.

Our daughter was slightly less clear on the direction she wanted to go in but also interviewed with 2 of the Big 4 Accountancy firms and decided it was not for her. She really wanted to work in Edinburgh but eventually we persuaded her to look at London too and sure enough she quickly found a job with Logica in Surrey. Most of the time with our daughter was spent helping her fill in the myriad of application forms and writing personal statements supporting her application – this was a crucial differentiator I feel and helped her secure a large number of interviews. 3 years later she is still in London and loving it although she’s now moved to Lloyds Bank. Our son has also moved on from PWC and works for IG Group – Accountancy was not for him but he loves what he does now and who he works for.

The message for me is that the first job these days is very rarely your last and gaining work experience after your degree opens up lots of doors, so don’t necessarily wait until the perfect job comes along. In saying that you should still choose carefully, as what I hear from my kids is that many first graduate jobs can be very dull and uninspiring – do your homework on a company and their grad scheme before jumping in".

 Chris Logue, Director

"What are the biggest differences you have experienced working before and after having children?"

"The biggest difference for me is how much I value my time and a new found love of coffee! Work life balance is so important, I have learnt to work smarter so I can make sure I have quality time at home. A few nights a week making sure I am home to have tea and put my son to bed before logging back on to finish any loose ends from the day. Mobile technology has made this transition so much easier! Not so much of an issue now but the early days and with baby number two on the way coffee is the new fuel to kick start my day to the point I have invested in a swanky new coffee machine!"

 Alasdair Murray, Divisional Manager, Food and Drink