Alexis effortlessly explains the heritage of Filipino spirits as he seamlessly puts together a contemporary take of a traditional cocktail. It’s no surprise that versatility has played a key part in his ascent at Resource Solutions. Currently serving multiple clients as a Recruitment Partner, Alexis tells his career story.
What is your current role & what is a typical day like?
The main responsibility of a Recruitment Partner is stakeholder management, which involves an end-to-end process from communicating with hiring managers about their requirements, btoto making the new hires welcome through our onboarding processes. Aside from this, I assist with back-end tasks as well – sourcing, candidate screening, reference checks, and the like – our hybrid model allows a clearer picture of our interplay, and we’re therefore able to offer support and feedback that works.
While structure still exists to ensure approval chains are in place, having a hybrid model does get things done quicker – a traditional Recruitment Coordinator role can be covered by a Partner, while Coordinators can try their hand at client engagements for growth.
What did you do prior to working at RW?
This is actually my third role in the industry. First kicking my HR journey off in the Learning & Development space before moving into Compensation and Benefits functions. I eventually moved into recruitment when I joined Robert Walters. I’ve seen the organisation grow significantly, working alongside our colleagues in Robert Walters, before opening our own GSC (Global Service Centre) back in 2018.
My time in Robert Walters started in December 2017 as a Recruitment Coordinator. My progression into a more client-focused role actually happened by accident – I was covering for my colleagues in Korea who were on public holiday, before realising I had a flair for stakeholder management which I was eventually given the opportunity to develop. This led to eventual promotions to a Direct Recruiter and Hybrid Recruiter role, supporting countries outside of the Philippines, before making it to my current position just month in March 2022.
What are the main challenges in your role with RW?
There were definitely some challenges in my recruitment journey that come to mind, but I do recall with greater fondness, however, is the support I received when facing these challenges, whether it be professional or personal. If you voice to your manager that you wish to grow, they will work their hardest to move obstacles to enable this.
How do you find the benefits & working conditions at RW?
An interesting incident does come to mind! Way back in 2018 when we had just moved into the Manila GSC office, initially the Internet in the office was a little unstable, making running high-bandwidth applications difficult. This was pre-Covid, so working from home was virtually unheard of, but the managers took my productivity concerns and allowed me to work from home in no time at all. It’s a great example of how flexible Robert Walters can be.
Now that Manila is entering a new normal and everyone is returning to the office, what’s the one thing you look forward to the most there?
Apart from meeting old faces, I’m also looking forward to meeting all of the new faces as well. Fun memories of monthly all-hands activities, designed to engage all employees across various accounts, now spring to mind. These never stopped even as the headcount grew year-on-year and when the pandemic struck and we switched to online sessions, but they were always more fun in person. Now that working in the office is a safe reality again, I’m looking forward to these once again, now with new team members!
I’m also looking forward to actively engaged with the management, who are very hands-on and open. Having lunch, coffee breaks, and sharing the good times back in the office – I can’t wait, really!
How do you find the culture of RW?
I can probably sum it up with two words, dedicated and genuine. Despite having individuals from different age groups, genders, and ethnicities, we show incredible collaboration to any task at hand, and everyone looks to go the extra mile each time.
Our genuine side shines through as well – we truly want to help our stakeholders, using all the tools we have at our disposal, and all have the desire to support each other as well.. I recall that we had daily morning huddles pre-pandemic, where everyone regardless of the account they work on would gather together for daily updates. There, we’d also share challenges, solutions, new scenarios, and suggest process fixes. We may have stopped the crowding now that Covid is a reality, but the same energy and collaboration remains.
What career path do you see yourself taking at RW?
Well, upper management maybe? (laughs) I do like to take things slow before I get to the top, ensuring that I understand everything fully where I am first. However, rising through the ranks is possible here – I’ve experienced it firsthand and look forward to seeing where this journey takes me next.
If someone was thinking about joining RW, how would you describe the company and your experience?
I’ve actually recommended several people to Robert Walters, and I wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t a good company to work for!
Robert Walters is an opportunity-giver, meaning they will be 100% supportive of your career path, goals, and personal growth. Once you demonstrate your interest, Robert Walters will give you all the support necessary, and help you challenge your limits until you reach the top!
Are you ready for an exciting new career, or already a recruiter and looking for your next challenge? Browse our vacancies.
