Our "5 Minutes with..." is a series of blogs for you to get know more about the guys here at Oval, what motivates them and how working for Oval fits into their busy lives.
This month we focus on Ryan our very own Mr Engineering, what he doesn’t know about Engineering isn’t worth knowing. Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland Ryan works with clients throughout the UK and Southern Ireland.
Everyday day is different in recruitment which is why I love it. Most mornings I get up and clear my head by heading out onto the streets of Belfast for a quick run. I can’t really function without a Coffee, crank open the lap top and go through a to-do list for the day which varies between speaking with clients about their ongoing needs, head hunting candidates and arranging interviews. Sometimes something will crop up that needs immediate attention and so a day can vary greatly. All part of the fun though!
Recruiting in the fast paced world of Engineering isn’t your typical 9 to 5
and so my hours can vary. Working from my home office I am available for clients 24/7 which gives me the flexibility to help with anything they need at anytime. No task is too small,
nor too big.
I live, eat and breathe Engineering and love the industry I work in. As someone who loves food, recruiting in the Food & Drink Manufacturing industry is fascinating for me and building long lasting relationships with both my candidates and clients is extremely rewarding. One of the perks of my job is visiting my clients and going inside their factories where I get to see all the Engineers and Engineering processes first hand and that gives me immense insight into the roles and clients I recruit for.
There is nothing more rewarding than helping a candidate secure their dream job. Recruitment is renowned for highs and lows but there is no better feeling than knowing you have made someone’s life so much better by making an introduction, that is something that never gets old.
I am constantly trying to improve and be the best version of myself that I can be always striving to give outstanding service to my clients and candidates. After nearly a decade in Engineering recruitment I know my market really well but there is always something new to learn to develop my knowledge and skills to make sure that I am always one step ahead of the competition.
It's not all work, work, work here at Oval on a Friday night you will usually find me at the famous Kingspan Stadium in Belfast watching Ulster win rugby games with my Dad. I love to travel and explore so getting my holiday requests in early is a must! A few years ago I fell in love with running competing in Half Marathon’s & Marathon’s across Europe. The training is brutal and takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice but the rewards are huge. I find a key part of running is mental strength, where you just need to shut out the negative voice in your head and keep running as Dory said, “Just keep swimming!”.
Having the right culture at a business is vital for me and here at Oval I genuinely feel I have found home. Even though I am here in Northern Ireland and the rest of the team are in mainland UK, excellent communication through video and phone calls makes me feel part of a fantastic team where success is shared and challenges are overcome.
The business shares my passion and vision for the growth and development of an Engineering division and we both want to make Oval the Engineering recruitment partner of choice within Food & Drink Manufacturing. The experience that both Nicola & Tim have was a huge factor in me deciding to join Oval. I have and I will continue to learn a lot from both through their leadership and mentoring. Every day is a learning day!
My most memorable moment at Oval was In June 2022 when I took part, along with Clayton, Nicola and Alicia in the Samworth Brothers Charity Challenge. This is a grueling non-stop 10 hour event consisting of Hill Walking (Mountain Climbing), Cycling & Rowing on a lake. I absolutely love a challenge and I am an extremely competitive person as is most people here at Oval so this was perfect for me.
I hadn’t done much cycling before, so I made sure to get on the bike 3 or 4 times a week in the build up. It was myself & Clayton’s first ever time competing in the challenge and as a team we came 10th place, an all time record for Oval. We were delighted and already laser focused to come top 5 at the next one! I am not a fan of losing, as you may have guessed!
.png)
