Meet the Team: Samantha

Continuing our Meet the VWA Team series, it’s time for us to hear from Consultant Samantha...

What is your role at VWA and how long have you been part of this awesome team?

I’m a Consultant and have been here for 4.5 years! I started as a Research Consultant in October 2018 and became a Consultant the following November.

Can you please briefly describe a day in the life of a Consultant?

That’s a tricky one as every day really is different! I’m a 360 degree consultant so my day can involve anything from shortlisting my active roles, arranging interviews, interviewing, taking feedback from clients and candidates, finding new candidates for the team and sometimes meeting with clients! My role also involves targeting new and prospective clients to work with too.

What is your favourite thing about your job?

I love how varied my role is – so many different clients, jobs and candidates – and how autonomous I can be! Telling people they have been successful in their interviews and they have secured their dream role also never gets old.

What is your least favourite thing about your job? Careful ha ha!

The fact that working with people can be as unpredictable as it is exciting – people can be so happy with an offer that’s their dream role, only for them to reject the offer and choose something totally different at the last minute.

What were you doing before you joined VWA?

I worked in a school local to where I grew up for 2 years doing admin and data tracking – a little bit different!

That’s enough of the work questions. Let’s find out more about the non-working you!

Do you have a favourite restaurant in London?

This is a tough one as I love so many! I think Parsons in Covent Garden is probably my favourite for a bit of a fancier meal although for a simple, reasonably priced and very tasty Italian, I love Pasta Remoli in Wembley.

Can you please describe your perfect Sunday?

If the weather’s nice I love a walk and a picnic followed maybe by a drink in the pub. If not, you can’t beat a roast and an afternoon on the sofa with the TV!

Which is your favourite season and why?

Spring and early Summer. The weather is warm but not too hot, it’s nice enough for picnics and you can have al-fresco meals and Aperol spritzes. Perfect!

Dog? Cat? Neither?

I genuinely love both, but I’d say I’m 51% on the side of dogs. No offence to all cats.

If you could jump on a plane to anywhere in the world today, where would you go?

Somewhere remote with mountains and beautiful scenery. Scotland has a very special place in my heart, but Canada and Switzerland are probably at the top of my lists of places I’d love to visit. And I’d love to see more of the Nordics too!

Do you have any special talents?

I used to play the electronic keyboard to grade 5 level, but I haven’t played in about 8 years now so I’m not sure if that still counts!

What is your favourite cocktail/mocktail?

Margaritas, any day!

Do you have a favourite movie?

I’d love to say something really clever here, but in reality it’s probably a toss-up Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Paddington 2.

Do you have any hobbies?

Boring as it sounds, I absolutely love painting by numbers and actually completed a pain-staking painting by numbers of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover during lockdown! I love arts and crafts but have no artistic talent of my own – but what I do have is patience, so painting by numbers is the ideal solution!

What was the last TV box set you binged on?

I am currently in the process of binge-watching You on Netflix for the first time. Completely ridiculous, dark and weirdly addictive!

Do you have anything you’d like to learn? For example DJ’ing or a musical instrument? Line-dancing?!

I would love to learn another language. My French A-Level just about gets me by in France but it would be lovely to visit other countries and not just speak English!

Finally, do you have a fun fact that might surprise us about you?

I was once in the background of an episode of The Apprentice. I was on a crazy golf course in Margate when the filming crew and the contestants arrived to film part of an episode there!