It’s always a nice feeling to reward people for their hard work, so we are thrilled to reveal that Will Shellard, a consultant on our Travel & Hospitality desk, has earned a promotion to Senior Consultant. Will joined us straight from university and we feel honoured to have been able to watch him grow as an individual and a recruitment consultant while he’s been here.

To mark the occasion, we spoke with Will about why he chose to work in recruitment, what he likes about working in his sector, his promotion, and being back in the office.

Congratulations are in order, Will! You joined us straight after university, what made you make that decision?

Thank you, Richard. Yes, so the main reason was that I wanted to be responsible for my success. I saw recruitment as a way to own a business within a business by building out my own desk, looking after my candidates and keeping in touch with clients.

Deltra appealed to me instantly because I was promised a lot of freedom, which is what I was looking for. The directors said they had a policy of “there’s no such thing as a bad idea” and I was pleased to hear that the consultants were actively encouraged to look for new ways of doing things.

When they told me about the ongoing learning and development they offered too, I felt comfortable that Deltra would look after me and help me, as I didn’t know anything about recruiting before I took the job. In retrospect, I definitely made the right decision.

You’ve been on Travel & Hospitality for a long time – what do you enjoy about it?

I discovered early on that travel and hospitality were industries that I liked working in. I get to work with some big-name brands that are very public facing, so I actually see the effects of my hires in the real world. I enjoy getting a bit of insight into what’s going on behind the scenes of these big companies, too.

So how does it feel to be a Senior Consultant now?

It’s a big step in the right direction. I’m not where I want to be yet, so really, I’m looking at what’s next, what I need to do to become a Principal Consultant. It’s all about the day-to-day behaviours which I have been working on over the years. I’ve got a much greater understanding of the market and some solid relationships, so now I just need to keep proving myself.

The promotion kind of came out of nowhere to be honest. I wasn’t expecting travel and hospitality to be that active during lockdown as there wasn’t much of either, but business really picked up as restrictions started easing. I’m really pleased to receive the promotion as it represents recognition for the work that I’ve put in over the last year. It’s been tough at times, but I’ve come out of it stronger.

You must be excited to be back in the office?

Obviously, it’s great to be back in the office with everyone. It’s really useful being able to quickly ask a question, it’s much more natural. It’s crazy that I haven’t seen anyone for nearly a year after working with them for years.

I didn’t realise I missed the commute as much as I did either! It’s a great opportunity to listen to a podcast or read a book but the early morning routine took some getting used to after all this time.

Working from home was a challenge at first but I feel like we all adapted pretty quickly. We’ve also realised that it has its benefits too, like if you just have a long list of people you need to contact, so I’m enjoying the split between office and home working.

You can find out more about Will on his Deltra page or by connecting with him on LinkedIn.