‘How do you do it?’ the frequent question aired daily to our Recruitment Business Manager Maxine within the ER office. Maxine is well known throughout the business community sitting on committees, attending various events around the clock and of course recognised for connecting our partners with high quality talent. To an outsider, Maxine is a recruitment leader who airs professionalism and has made a great career for herself; but to Finnley and Harper, she is a mummy.
At ages 1 and 2, it’s fair to say Maxine’s hands are full, however those two angelic faces make the hectic days worthwhile. Despite the mad rush to drop the children at nursery in the morning to head into the office and manage a team of successful recruitment consultants, Max somehow still manages to do it all (which may be how her nickname of ‘Max the Machine’ came about)! With Mother’s Day this weekend and the topic of being a working mum being a reoccurring hot discussion point, we thought it was only right to get Max to share her Supermom story with you…
In previous years it was the noise of the alarm clock that would wake me up ahead of a busy day catching up with clients, speaking with candidates and making an ideal recruitment match between the two – however in recent years, it has become the noise of young children full of beans after a night of sleep (lucky them!) that now gets me out of bed at the crack of dawn. I love my job and every aspect that goes with it, starting out as a junior within the industry to quickly steaming through the ranks to now a Recruitment Business Manager – recruitment became something I live and breathe so naturally when my children came along it was an aspect of my life I was keen to maintain and continue to be successful within. Being a mummy with such a busy job has its challenges, there are days when I rush into work with a heavy feeling of guilt having dropped an upset child at nursery or days when I am heading into a meeting wiping the milk off of my fresh black trousers, however the separation allows them to grow and be independent and the work enables us as a family to experience fantastic things.
Multitasking is a skill I have been blessed with from a young age, as the eldest of four children I grew up watching my mum manage multiple tasks all whilst baby in hand and so it came natural to me. Having a career is exciting; it’s something you’ve worked hard for, something you’re proud of. At home as a parent there are so many milestones making you burst with pride, the endless cuddles and family memories but at work you have a complete separate identity a place where you are respected and recognised for the work you put in. Working for an employer who supports and instils you with drive and passion offering flexibility when needs be makes working mum life possible, choosing between being a business woman and a mother isn’t a choice I wanted to have to make but working for Eileen Richards Recruitment has enabled me to successfully fulfil both. I am sure as my children grow and the business continues to expand, new challenges will arise, however I’m ready to tackle those hurdles when they come!