Changing careers: Daibhid's story

By Daibhid MacCann, Senior Marketing Executive

My career has taken many twists and turns.

​In 2005, I had my first taste of working as a Recruitment Consultant in Liverpool running a successful office desk for Blue Arrow, Guidant Global’s sister company (spoiler alert: you could say this has been some sort of a full circle experience). After going back to university, I became a secondary school English teacher in 2011, and for the next seven years, I taught in Hertfordshire where I became Deputy Head of English.

​Having seen through an entire cohort from Year 7 to A-Level, I took my leave at the end of 2017.

But why did I end that career path, you ask?
Teaching was a singularly brilliant experience – that job prepared me for every obstacle I’ve had to face since. I’ve learned so much about who I am both as a person and a professional from it. It’s been one of the truest pleasures I’ve had in this life and I’ve loved being instrumental in the development and success of many young people.

I’m often asked if it was the kids that made me leave, to which I will vehemently reply, ‘absolutely not!’ The kids were the best part of the job and my very reason for being there.

Teaching in the 21st century is an all-encompassing occupation. It's a mixture of social work, project management, admin, and, when you actually get a minute, educating young minds. It's a full-on vocation, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to strike the right work-life balance.

It's a great profession, but one that demands a lot of you, both professionally and personally.

So what happened after I left?
I left teaching with a lump of savings buying me four months before I wanted to start thinking about my next move. I wasn't in any rush to begin a job search in earnest, but my dad had me sign on as a jobseeker at the Job Centre to ‘keep my stamp up’ (by which he meant, have them pay NI contributions into my state pensions while unemployed – Dads, eh? So practical).

Despite being determined to take a break and not rush into any career decisions, I had to demonstrate commitment to finding a job every week by keeping a diary of things I applied for. Having become frustrated with needing to prove the number of applications I was making each week, I actually started applying for things!

When I saw Guidant advertising for a Sourcing Specialist role, I thought it’d work as a stop-gap and put an end to the weekly Job Centre visits. I applied and was invited to interview.

And the rest is history..?
At my interview, I met Selena Ayling, Client Services Director, who sold me on Guidant and decided my skills were much better off at the Recruitment Business Partner level.

I ended up being brought on as an Education Recruitment Business Partner to deal with one specific client. It was thought that I could leverage my experience as a teacher to drive recruitment for this client. However, the partnership with said client never got off the ground, so I had to (for want of a better word) hustle and show people in Guidant what I could do for other areas of the business.

The hustle begins!
Because I’d worked closely with the bids team on a number of public sector opportunities, this parlayed into a three-month secondment opportunity as a Bid Executive, dovetailing this with a recruitment drive for Social Workers for Bedford Borough Council. While working on the latter, I had a lot of contact with the marketing team, supporting them with creative briefs and undertaking some design work myself.

So when a role on the marketing team became available, I knew I wanted to work for them. Despite not having a marketing qualification, I was certain my years of insight, my experience of the recruitment world and my own passion for design and creative work would bring something new to the table.

And no big surprises here but…
The marketing team took me on board! In the year I’ve been part of the team, I was given responsibility as a line manager. I’ve also had the opportunity to work on campaigns for some of the biggest clients in our portfolio, which has been amazing. It’s funny to think that a company I perceived as a temporary fix has now become the place where I have been able to thrive.

So, how did Guidant go from a stop-gap job to a full-blown chapter in my career?
Simple – they made it very easy for me to stay. I’ve had more opportunities to do exciting things in this company in the past 18 months than I’ve had in my entire career history!

And I’m not just talking about career progression opportunities, but the chance to be part of incredible initiatives, including becoming an Unconscious Bias trainer, an LGBTQ+ Ambassador, and even the chance to fulfil my long-held ambition to become a gameshow host at this year’s Summer Celebration!

Guidant’s all about delivering #ABetterWay for clients and candidates. And what I’ve experienced has truly been a better way. I’ve a great job, a healthy work-life balance and I get to work with amazing people who aren’t just trying to make money, but want to make a real difference in the world.

So while I may not get to transform lives in a classroom anymore, I know I am part of an organisation who is committed to providing people with life-changing opportunities – and that’s wholly satisfying too.

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You’ve heard Daibhid’s story. At Guidant, we know that people who have the right skills and work ethic might not always have the exact qualifications or experience on paper. Got what it takes? View our vacancies here >