Robbie
Tell us about your role within Prospectus?
I have been with Prospectus for nearly 18 years and work as a Specialist Principal Consultant on the Charity Core division. I specialise in the recruitment of Grant Making professionals within the Trusts, Foundations and Grant Making sector in the UK.
I spend my time speaking to candidates and clients, building relationships in order to get to a point where I can effectively introduce individuals with the correct skills and experience to match client requirements and importantly people whose values align with their work and vision.
I have worked a four-day week now for the past four years and it was the best decision I have made in a long time! The flexible hours support my work-life balance and it enables me to pursue other interests in my personal life.
I have assisted in setting up Prospectus’ LGBTQi+ Forum which has gone from strength to strength since its inception, offering a safe space for people across the organisation who have interests in the human rights components, as well as providing a great platform for fascinating debate and discussion on all things related to the LGBTQi+ community and its allies.
The past 17 years have absolutely flown by and I think there are a number of factors which have kept me here for so long. Firstly, I love the work - I love helping people which is fundamental to success in this role. The people at Prospectus have always been fantastic and personally, I feel that this is an organisation which encourages individuals to thrive by being totally themselves. We are all valued and made to feel part of the wider work and this is something which offers superb opportunities for personal development and pride in doing a great job.
What are you most proud of in your role?
I am very proud of a number of the long-standing relationships I have been able to develop with candidates and clients over the years. There is nothing more rewarding for me to come across a client who tells me that they had a great experience with me years ago and that I offered them some sound and useful advice at an important time in their career. The idea that I can make a positive difference to someone’s work-life and career at important times for them is such a privilege. It is fantastic to come across candidates years after I placed them in a role, to find that they have been promoted and are really pushing the boundaries of the ambitions they had when we first met. I am also very proud of and very lucky for the many life-long friendships I have made with colleagues past and present here at Prospectus.
What advice would you give to someone interested in joining the charity sector?
My advice to anyone looking to joining the Charity Sector would be, firstly to sign up with Prospectus of course and then to go with your instincts and dig deep into what it is that really motivates you to go to work. Depending on the content of that ambition, particularly if it is to improve the lives of people, strengthen communities or contributing to creating a healthier, more equitable and sustainable future for people and the planet we live on – REST ASSURED there is a charity out there, right now, that will allow you to realise all these ambitions and then some. So, go for it – the charity sector is where it is at in my view! Go, do it and enjoy!
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