This week in our MHC Life Series, we hear from Eimear Cusack, Recruitment Manager in our HR team. Eimear chats about her career journey, a typical day and her idea of a perfect holiday.
Tell us a bit about you and your career journey to MHC – what inspired you to get into this career?
I began my working life in secondary school waitressing and doing bar work which I enjoyed but the unsocial hours were not my friend! I studied human resources in college, as I was interested in the human side of business and workplace behaviours. I completed a master’s in international business which fitted in well with where I saw my career going. I worked for a couple of multinationals across professional services and IT, in HR & recruitment roles, before joining MHC over 3 years ago.
Favourite thing about your role?
Top talent is always in high demand which makes my job challenging and fast paced but also really rewarding. I get a lot of job satisfaction from attracting the right people, seeing them join and being successful within the firm. I enjoy feeling like I am contributing to the firm’s success by supporting the people and growth strategy.
Talk us through a typical day for you
My day can start anywhere between 6 and 7 am depending on the whims of an 18-month-old! One of the benefits of working predominantly from home is our mornings are pretty relaxed. I walk my son Tom to crèche and pick up a coffee en route home before logging in. Depending on the day, it can kick off with a team meeting on Zoom to understand priorities, followed by meeting a hiring partner to understand a new role which may have opened in their department.
At any given time, we have candidates at all stages of the recruitment process, from screening, to interviewing, to offering, and those who are due to join us. My day focuses on driving activity to deliver a positive candidate experience, attracting and hiring high quality professionals in a competitive market. There are many touchpoints internally and externally to bring about successful hiring campaigns which makes the role collaborative and social. I work closely with employer branding to ensure people externally can get an insight into our culture and what it’s like to work here. I am an advocate of our modern and progressive environment which allows employees to grow, thrive, and enjoy their career with us.
My day could finish with a broader HR meeting, whether that is involvement in preparations for our Working on Wellness (WOW) programme or to research current HR trends.
If I wasn’t a Recruitment Manager, I would……
Open my own health food shop. There is someone with the same name as me who has done so in my hometown – I feel like they are living my dream!
What's your idea of a perfect holiday/favourite place you've ever visited?
I spent a few weeks in Canada just before COVID19 where my partner and I rented a car and drove from Vancouver to Banff & Jasper through the Rookies. We took in a lot of incredible hiking, camping, wildlife (including bears!), water sports, vineyards and good food – easily my favourite holiday. We topped it off by watching our friends get married in Bowen Island and enjoying the luxury of no longer camping!
