My Work Experience at Impact Recruitment — Jacob Palmer

My Work Experience at Impact Recruitment — Jacob Palmer

With the deadline for Year 12 work experience fast approaching, I still hadn’t secured a placement. So, I booked an appointment with Jenny Lal, our school careers advisor. We discussed a few possible options, and recruitment came up as Jenny had a contact at Impact Recruitment. She kindly reached out, and within a week, my placement was confirmed.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t looking forward to work experience — I assumed I’d be stuck in a quiet office behind a computer. But I couldn’t have been more wrong!

From day one, the team at Impact made me feel incredibly welcome and part of the group. The workspace was bright and open, with inspiring pictures and relaxing background music. It was immediately clear that the staff had strong working relationships. I felt comfortable getting to know everyone, and the team was always approachable and supportive.

Day 1: Welcomed and Introduced to Recruitment

My first day began with a warm greeting and an informative tour of the office with Heather, the Office Manager. I was shown to my own desk, complete with a laptop and email account ready to go. Angela, the Director, gave me a great overview of Impact and the recruitment industry as a whole. We also discussed my goals for the week. I spent time preparing interview questions to ask the team so I could learn more about their roles and working styles. I had lunch at Abington Park and enjoyed the sun. In the afternoon, I began interviewing  the team and getting a feel for the office dynamics. I also reviewed the PowerPoint presentation in preparation for Enterprise Day.

Day 2: Enterprise Day with Year 9s

I met Angela at school for a full-day workshop with Year 9 students. We set up the library for multiple groups, each with pens, paper, and materials. The aim of the session was to teach students how to present themselves in interviews and how to demonstrate transferable skills. It was rewarding to see how engaged the students were, and I enjoyed moving between groups, hearing their ideas and offering encouragement. I had lunch in the staff room (a strange but fun experience!), and we finished the final group sessions before heading home.

Day 3: Marketing, CV Writing & Team Meetings

The day began with Freya, the Marketing Manager, who helped me edit photos from Enterprise Day. She introduced me to Canva, and I later used Hootsuite to schedule a social media post. I then started working on my CV — a daunting task at first — but with guidance from the team, I quickly made progress. Later, I joined a team meeting with Richard to learn about temporary recruitment in the industrial sector. In the afternoon, I brainstormed ideas for future social media content and emailed the team about upcoming office events — including “Tell an Old Joke Day!”

Day 4: Social Media Filming & Recruitment Insight

I spent the morning filming social media content around the office, gaining experience in content creation and understanding what goes on behind the scenes. I edited the video using Cap Cut and scheduled it for future posting. Later, I worked with Richard again to screen CVs using Broadbean and forwarded the most relevant ones to Charley, an Account Manager. I observed a candidate call with Charley, which gave me valuable insight into how recruitment conversations are handled professionally. I ended the day by updating my LinkedIn and connecting with members of the team.

Day 5: CV Finalisation & Reflection

On dress-down Friday, I finalised my CV and received feedback from several team members, which helped me make key improvements. I also enjoyed some of Phoenix’s incredible bake-off entry — a white chocolate and raspberry traybake (10/10!). In the afternoon, I reflected on the week by writing a LinkedIn post and wrapping up my work. I even ended the day with a bit of karaoke with Alex!

Final Reflections

Overall, my work experience at Impact Recruitment was enriching, eye-opening, and enjoyable. I went in with the wrong assumptions about office life but left with new skills, confidence, and a better understanding of the working world.

If I had one piece of advice for anyone starting work experience, it would be: go in with an open mind and get involved — you get out what you put in.

Huge thanks to the entire Impact team for welcoming me so warmly and supporting me every step of the way. It’s been a brilliant week!