Gemma Baylis (but please, call her Gem) joined our RecruitmentJunky team in March 2021. Her role as Head of Delivery Recruitment is to support our headhunters and drive the business forward.

In three words, she describes herself as driven, caring and fun. 

(We’d also add awesome, talented and mad hilarious, but that’s technically more than three words and might sound too much like flattery.)

Gem is a mum of three and full-time recruiting expert, but still manages to find time to get her cardio into her daily routine with her boxing lessons. 🥊 She’s a big supporter of good mental health practices, flexible working (particularly for new parents!) and diversity and inclusion.

(Here she is with her number 2 fan – we take the top spot.)

Find out more about her below.

How did you get into recruitment? 🕵️

I started in recruitment when I was 22 (17 years ago!) and although I briefly tried other industries and roles – recruitment is my passion and what I knew I wanted to do.

Since working this out, I have worked for large multinational companies as well as small bespoke agencies. Each has their plus points and reasons why I have loved being part of their teams.

Then, during the pandemic, I was on maternity leave! My baby, Stan, was just six months old when the pandemic hit. It was not an easy time.

Then, hey presto, I arrived here at RecruitmentJunky. And I’ve got to say I love everything about my job.

Watching the team develop and grow as recruiters is great. I sit in what I feel is a privileged position, as I act as a link from the team to management, and back again. 

What’s the best skill to be an excellent recruiter? 🤔

For me the best skill a recruiter can have is listening. 

Listen to what your client wants and needs. Same with your candidates. 

Sometimes what is not said can be just as important as what is said. 

I’ve built a career on doing what’s right. If I don’t have the right candidate, I would always feed that back. Those clients I have been honest with have always applauded my honesty.

Where do you see RecruitmentJunky going Gem? 🔮

My role is to support our Headhunters to realise their full potential. I want to get each and every one of them to maximise their billings!

The future is very exciting. Once the team in the UK is billing as high as they can and smashing their targets, I want to help build teams in the US and Australia.

That’s right, I love a challenge! Each month I want to do something new. 

I also want to develop the skills that the team has already to make them better all rounded recruiters. 

Two new starters are coming in July and with that, I hope to implement a new “5 star recruiter onboarding process” to support the team from day one. I also want all existing team members to go through this to highlight any areas they might need extra support on.

How do you balance being a mum and full-time work? 👶

The flexibility I am offered is better than any salary. I get to do my job without apologising for being a mum.

The most exciting thing about joining RecruitmentJunky was during a conversation with Rosanna, our CEO,  who said “why can’t we have it all?”. As a mum of three it’s very easy to have to put your career second, third, fourth…..I don’t have to here. Who runs the world!?

🕵️ Read this and want to join our team? Email us at hiring@RecruitmentJunky.com to find out our available recruiter roles.

Gem can also pack a punch! Look out for an upcoming blog on what recruiters can learn from boxing, inspired by Gem’s lessons. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn, or send her an email to Gemma@RecruitmentJunky.com. 

Want proof of our success? After reading this blog, you may also be interested in our post on getting ahead in tech: hospitality to tech support pro in 5 months, and our PDF guide on how RecruitmentJunky removed the headache of sourcing candidates for Virgin Wines in Norwich.