Consider regional opportunities for recruitment career progression, says Clayton

Contrary to popular belief, there are high-potential job opportunities on offer outside of the major cities. While many would have you believe that the only way to climb the career ladder is by joining the rat race in London, Manchester or Liverpool, Preston-local, Naomi Melling demonstrates that recruitment career progression and work-life balance can be right on your doorstep.

Naomi works for legal recruitment specialist, Clayton Legal, and joined the firm in 2014 as a trainee recruiter. Today, she manages a team of four and places professionals across the legal sector.

Commenting on the opportunities outside of a major city, she said:

“I entered the world of recruitment in 2014 with no prior experience of sales, having only worked in hospitality management. I never expected that in that time I would be able to progress to the degree that I have and benefit from the opportunities that I continue to do. I now live seven minutes from the office, enjoy an unparalleled work-life balance when compared to my friends in other fields and have progressed from a trainee to manager in the space of three years. That’s partly down to the unique training and development opportunities that I’ve been offered, but also because at a smaller firm there aren’t as many boundaries to prevent your success. Every day I offer jobseekers career advice and I always recommend that professionals looking to advance their careers and skills should consider a smaller or regional employer.”

Lynn Sedgwick, Managing Director of Clayton Legal, also comments.

“We’re a medium sized employer based in Preston and face competition from firms in major cities for the best talent in the market. However, if you’re really interested in career progression whilst also enjoying a better work-life balance than I would suggest working for a smaller, or regional, firm. Our size means that we’re more agile than larger organisations and because our employees don’t arrive into work stressed and frazzled from their commute, they’re in a much better position to do their jobs effectively. And the progression is unmatched. While at a larger organisation your chances of a promotion may be held back because there are longer-serving people in your way, at a smaller firm it’s more likely to be a true meritocracy and if there isn’t a space for you higher up the organisation then one can always be created.”