'I'm put off by people who don't embrace change - that's a big hindrance'
Executive recruiter Estelle Davis talks about her favourite job interview questions.
RECRUITMENT FIRM BRIGHTWATER has hired staff for a number of big-name firms, including Glanbia, Allianz and Ladbrokes.
Estelle Davis is managing partner at the recruiter’s executive division. She fronts a team that specialises in finding people to fill senior management and executive roles across a range of industries, such as the financial services and marketing sectors.
For the latest instalment of our question-and-answer series, Davis talks about her favourite job interview question, her Friday ‘power hours’ and how she’d probably work as an aviation lessor in another life.
On average, what time do you start work in the morning and what time do you clock off?
I start work at about 7.30am and ‘technically’ clock off around six in the evening. I get the Dart in and out of work so I tend to log on for the hour commute to and from the office.
It’s the nature of the work. I’m balancing my own individual workload while overseeing a team, managing contract tenders and preparing for presentations and events. You constantly have to prepare for something the next day.
Brightwater's Estelle Davis
What’s the worst job/task you’ve ever had to do?
If I go back to my college days, I think the worst job was working back-to-back shifts in a nightclub and being surrounded by smoke 24/7.
It was back in the day where smoking was allowed. I also remember cleaning out ashtrays at two o’clock in the morning. That’s probably my worst memory.
What’s the one skill you wish you had?
I’d love to be able to sing, but from a work perspective I’d like to get better at time management and delegation.
I don’t think people realise the volume of requests and calls and emails that a recruiter can get on any given day. When you combine that with a role where you’re also managing staff, managing strategies, managing tenders, it’s a constant balancing act.
You’d love to think there’s a magic answer to be better at time management and delegation. There probably is – I just need to find it.
What’s one thing that would put you off hiring someone?
For me, it’s someone who is not an active listener. If I’m interviewing a candidate and they’re not answering the actual question I’m asking, or they’re not capturing the critical information you’re asking for, that’s a big thing for me.
A lot of people are good, passive listeners, but they’re not active listeners – they don’t actually understand the core of a question. I’m also put off by anyone who doesn’t embrace change. That’s always a big hindrance.
What’s your favourite interview question and why?
It doesn’t matter what the job is, one question I always ask during a job interview is: “If you could change one decision that you made in your career, what would it be and what would you do differently?” I think that’s a real eye-opener.
In an interview, people put their best foot forward – which is what you’d expect – but it’s good to see how people self-reflect on things they maybe didn’t do so well.
Do you read business biographies/management books?
I do, but to be honest, the last one I read cover-to-cover was when I was on maternity leave. I take up lots of books but never quite finish them.
The last business book I read was the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. That’s a really good book. It takes an all-encompassing look at how to manage professional and family life.
If you weren’t doing your current job, what do you think you would be doing instead?
If money wasn’t an obstacle, I would love to be involved in an organisation that allows people who have fallen out of work get back into professional society.
It would support them through coaching, building up confidence and developing leadership skills. There is so much fantastic potential out there, but some people just don’t have the chance.
Outside of that, I’d love to get into aviation leasing having recruited for that industry over the last 10 years.
It’s a huge sector in Ireland. I just find the whole life cycle of an aircraft and trading and the markets interesting. It’s a fast-paced, aggressive, results-orientated industry.
What’s your favourite day of the week and why?
It’s definitely Saturday because I know I have another full day off with no schedule or anything like that.
During the week, I love Friday afternoons. For me, it’s the best time to catch up with key clients because everyone’s in a good mood and I get my whole diary set up for the next week. That for me is the best power three hours to get things done.
