Choosing a future career can be difficult when you're still at school. That's why work experience in recruitment can be such a valuable opportunity. It gives you the chance to experience a professional workplace, develop new skills and explore different career paths before making important decisions about your future.
My name is Martin, I'm in Year 10, and I recently completed a week of work experience at Goodman Masson. During the week, I spent time with several departments, including recruitment, human resources (HR), finance and marketing. Before I started, I wasn't sure what career I wanted to pursue, so I hoped the placement would help me discover what interested me most. Looking back, it gave me a much better understanding of how a recruitment business operates and what working life is really like.
Work experience is a great way to gain insight into different careers before leaving school. It allows you to see how businesses operate, develop workplace skills and understand what employers look for.
For me, the placement wasn't just about finding my ideal career. It was also about discovering which roles suited my interests and which ones didn't. Experiencing different departments helped me make more informed decisions about my future.
I spent my first day with the recruitment team, and it quickly became one of my favourite parts of the week.
Before this placement, I hadn't realised how much work recruiters do behind the scenes. I learnt how consultants review CVs, identify candidates with the right skills and shortlist people for different roles. Seeing the recruitment process from the employer's perspective completely changed how I think about applying for jobs in the future.
One of the biggest lessons I learnt was the importance of having a well-written CV. Recruiters often review many applications, so presenting your experience clearly and highlighting relevant skills can make a huge difference.
I also enjoyed helping narrow down potential candidates. Although I wasn't making final decisions, it gave me a good understanding of how recruiters compare applications and identify the strongest candidates. It was both interesting and rewarding to see how each decision was made.
Another surprise was meeting a 17-year-old employee at Goodman Masson. Seeing someone so close to my own age already building their career was inspiring and showed me there are opportunities to gain valuable experience early.
On Tuesday, I worked with the Human Resources (HR) team.
Before this week, I didn't know much about HR, so everything I learnt was new to me. The team explained how they support employees throughout their careers, from welcoming new starters to organising training and helping maintain a positive workplace culture.
Although I found the department interesting to learn about, I realised it probably isn't the career path I would choose.
One task involved organising meetings within colleagues' calendars. It required concentration and attention to detail because every meeting had to fit around existing schedules. It was satisfying to complete and helped me appreciate how important organisation is in any workplace.
Wednesday focused on the finance department. This was probably the area I enjoyed the least because much of the work involved spreadsheets, numbers and Excel. While I understand how important finance is to every business, I realised it isn't something I would enjoy doing every day.
Even so, I learnt useful skills, including filing company credit card returns and organising financial data into more manageable spreadsheets. It was valuable to understand how finance supports the wider business, even if it wasn't my favourite department.
I also had the opportunity to learn about marketing and how it helps promote the business and attract both clients and candidates. It was interesting to see how every department works together to achieve the same goals, even though they all have different responsibilities.
One part of the placement I hadn't really considered beforehand was the daily commute.
Travelling into central London each day took around an hour and gave me a realistic idea of what working in the city is like. The trains were often busy, and finding a seat wasn't always easy, but it helped me understand the commitment many professionals make every day.
Working in the office also showed me how important company culture can be. Everyone at Goodman Masson was friendly, welcoming and happy to answer my questions. Even though I was only there for a week, I felt included and encouraged to get involved wherever possible.
The location was another highlight. There were plenty of lunch options within walking distance, including Korean food, kebab shops and cafés. My favourite was BAP Foods, which quickly became my go-to lunch spot during the week.
Looking back, the experience taught me much more than I expected.
Some of my biggest takeaways were:
Most importantly, I realised it's completely normal not to know exactly what career you want while you're still at school. Trying different roles helps you understand both what interests you and what doesn't.
Discover what work experience in recruitment is really like through a Year 10 student's week at Goodman Masson, exploring HR, finance and office life.
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