Senior Recruitment - Marc Bentley

Marc Bentley

Following his successful moderation at the 2020 National Engineering, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Expo in City West. Marc has since been asked to speak for Enterprise Ireland, Griffith College, Marino College and TUD over the coming months. Not only that, but Marc also made Senior Consultant within the same week- talk about a busy man! Read his story

What is your achievement?

To reach the milestone of Senior Recruitment Consultant. This was challenging as the market for Supply Chain slowed significantly which was attributed largely to Brexit. Had the industry not been affected I may have achieved this sooner however, the learnings from this timeframe helped me understand the industry better and allowed me to be able to offer specific recruitment advice to clients and candidates about processes amongst other things.

How long have you been working in Brightwater?

2 years and 5months

What industry and area do you recruit in?

Supply Chain, Procurement and Logistics

What has been your success so far?

Brightwater was more known for Accountancy, Tax, Insurance, Banking & Funds and less about Engineering and Supply Chain. This only became apparent from attending events and networking, companies would say that they weren’t aware that Brightwater looked after Supply Chain. In lieu of this I brought a business case to our MD and as a result of this in 2019 the Engineering and Supply Chain team exhibited for the first time at the National Manufacturing and Supply Chain Expo in City West. I could see from the event there was an appetite for professional advice from Recruiters and we were swamped, there were other recruitment agencies exhibiting, but Brightwater were more hands on and the success from the event were clear to see.

Following the 2019 expo we went one step further in 2020 and sponsored the Careers, Skills and Training Stage, I couldn’t have imagined the interest we had generated through our inhouse marketing. Whilst moderating the 2 day event I lined up speakers from Brightwater for the Careers stage including myself and there was standing room only. There was a real desire for information, advice and general careers support. The level of attention was outstanding and the contacts generated over the 2 days were magnificent. Brightwater is now slowly getting known for specialising in Supply Chain and the people who look after it.

What was your background before Brightwater?

I was an operations manager for several different blue chip companies in Scotland and Ireland who was accountable for building commercial relationships and was responsible for the management of workforce optimisation, continually looking at trends and making recommendations back into the business together with the Development and motivation of teams and individuals, stressing both qualitative and quantitative performance. I also maximised performance of SLA’s and took on accountability for their performance, whilst managing the recruitment needs at Senior level.

What made you think about a career in recruitment?

Always did recruitment for the companies I worked in and frequently used the services of agency recruiters but, never felt that they properly listened to my needs.  I came into Brightwater with the mindset that if I just acted upon the areas the agency recruiters didn’t, I could be successful in recruitment.

What was the process like?

It was a journey more than a process with lots of questions from both sides at interview stage and was something that I had to be sure about, I wasn’t looking for a job I was looking for an opportunity to showcase my skills and experience and build a career. I had to be right for them and they had to right for me! The honesty from the Interviewers about the job was something that I hadn’t been exposed to before, there was no sugar coating they were up front about the challenges, it was left to me as to whether or not I wanted to proceed, thankfully I did.

What skills do you think have helped you most as a recruitment consultant?

Ability to listen, the most important skill in my opinion, as my mother used to say, 2 ears and 1 mouth use them in proportion. Listening and hearing are not the same, I learned the difference early in my previous career and it has stood me in good stead throughout my operational career.

I also feel that by asking the right about of probing questions you’ll qualify either your candidate or your client appropriately which will reinforce your position as a consultant and someone that can be trusted, Ireland is full of recruitment agencies who all purport to be the best at what they do, but are they really? They key to success is rapport building, a skill I’ve always had but I feel that it has especially helped me through my time in Brightwater. Placing candidates is important in the short term, but the long term is what ensures you are successful and continue to be successful, building relations is paramount, without this your career could be very short!

Now having worked as recruitment consultant, how does the role differ from what you expected?

The role is challenging, the open plan office was a little daunting at first as everyone could hear your telephone conversations, you’re the new person in the room and it’s hard for others not to listen to you, especially for not having an Irish accent. I didn’t use this negatively but instead used the feedback after my initial calls from colleagues around me to help enhance my skills to use the correct questions to gain the most detailed answers. There are occasions when you don’t even need that direct feedback as all you need to do is listen to others around you, there are decades and decades of experience on hand to tap into without even having to ask. Looking back it sounds silly and probably is as I don’t give this a second thought now!

What was your first love?

It has to be my wife of over 20 years Louise

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Absolutely, I knew she was the one, thank god she thought the same?

Who do you love?

My Wife, Louise my children, Charis and Ava and of course Celtic Football Club!

What food do you love?

Mexican, Thai as well Haggis Neeps and Tatties, got to fit that in there!

What's your favourite love story?

The only love story I truly paid attention to was Odysseus and Penelope, this was part of my Higher English exam a great story if you haven’t read it !

Is there a place that you love?

Barcelona, a magnificent city that has everything, outdoor markets, restaurants, shops, bars and nightclubs as well as museums and churches, weather and of course, the beach.

Describe a perfect first date:

A nice restaurant with great food, good wine, oh and NO kids!

If you would like to discuss any recruitment needs you and your team may be experiencing or to join our award-winning team, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Brightwater team on [email protected] or 01 662 1000