#MySkillsStory: Ryan

As a leading tech employer in the East we want to showcase some of the diverse roles and routes into tech. Today we meet Head of Talent Acquisition, Ryan McCaulay.

What is your role at Epos Now and what does that involve?

Head of Talent Acquisition, searching out and attracting top talent to come and join us here at Epos Now! Also working on our recruitment strategy and making sure our employer branding is on point too. It's vital that we attract top talent and we can only do this by offering something that's exciting and unique to Norwich.

What previous education/work experience helped hone your skills to get you where you are now?

Working within the hospitality sector has taught me a lot about communication, being that it is a very sociable and people-focused work environment. This has given me the confidence to be able to initiate and build up relationships with people at various stages of their careers and even advise on how they can progress and grow themselves. People will often ask me for advice on how best to layout a CV or best practice interview techniques. Internally, I obviously can't give them all the answers but I do try and help where I can.

Have you picked up any new skills in your role?

When I first joined Epos Now I was a support agent and worked my way up to where I am now. This meant was that I had a great insight into the type of people that would do well here at Epos Now and helps when looking for talent to join us! Also having exposure to different parts of the business gives me the ability to understand why every role here is critical to our success.

My public speaking ability has improved massively-it's still a scary thought doing it though! It may come as surprise to some but I actually hate the sound of my own voice! However, since working at Epos Now I have had the pleasure of attending numerous networking/careers events whereby I have had to speak to groups of people and educate them on what it's like working for Epos Now.

What skill is most critical and why?

The ability to build rapport quickly. I have to gain the buy-in from every candidate I speak to and the only way I can do this is to build rapport and show that I am genuine. Going back to my previous roles in hospitality really does help as you only have a matter of moments to make a good first impression and if you can nail that then that's half the battle won.

Can you offer any advice to someone starting out?

Be flexible, working in tech means that things will change often and quickly. Concentrate on self-development and it will keep you one step ahead of everyone else.

If you would like more information on the #MySkillsStory movement, check out City and Guilds. If you'd like to see if your skills are a good fit for the roles we have, check out the Epos Now career pages.