Kendall Interview

Senior Recruitment Consultant Kendall Barnett started here at Michael Page back in 2019. While her first couple years with the business have been anything but conventional due to COVID-19, she has found a tremendous amount of success as part of our Boston IT recruitment team.

We sat down with her to talk about her experience so far, and what she enjoys about being part of the Michael Page team.

What made you take an interview with Michael Page?

Kendall: “I was working for an agency, I was super money-motivated, and really wanted a strong company culture. I felt like I had gotten pieces of that from my previous employer but wasn’t whole-heartedly bought in. I even wondered if I should continue working in an agency setting or shift to an internal recruitment position. 

A now-colleague of mine reached out to see if I was open to an informal call. His message was tailored to what I was looking for: competitive compensation and the industry I hoped to continue working for, so I took the call and we hit it off.”

What made you accept the offer?

“I made a list of pros and cons for a couple of companies that I had accepted interviews with, and I just didn’t really have any cons after my interview with Michael Page. 

My first in-person interview with Sean [Rogerson, our Boston Managing Director) was very light-hearted and high-energy. I felt like I could be very honest, and I didn’t feel like I needed to give cookie-cutter answers. It was very authentic and allowed me to highlight my goals, which ended up being exactly what they had to offer. 

Sean has been with the company for 15+ years, ran multiple offices across multiple countries, and yet made me feel like his peer. I knew after that conversation if I were to work at Michael Page, I could give him a call any day of the week and he’d answer, which I loved.”

What surprised you about the job?

“I would say the control I had over my business surprised me. When I got to Michael Page, they saw I had some experience and asked, ‘How do you want to do this? How would you manage this book of business?’ It allowed me to grow, but also leverage my experience and collaborate. 

There was no one looking over my shoulder, either. I have a unique style on the phone, and I’m a very straight-to-the-point person, and that’s not necessarily for every company. Michael Page’s attitude was, ‘Be yourself on the phone because that’s why we hired you.’ It made me so much better because I wasn’t nervous.” 

Describe your relationship with your team…

“I think of them as true teammates. I have a lot of driven people around me with a sense of openness and honesty that creates an award-winning mentality. It’s a positive atmosphere, even when things are challenging.” 

A lot of people talk about career growth and opportunity here at Page. What has your experience with this been like?

“I’ve been with the business for just under two years and I’m about one fee away from my Managing Consultant promotion. I’m already mentoring someone on my team and we’re looking to add another. So, the management path is very, very real.

It’s not just management; we have people in our office who are individual contributors. There’s a lot of flexibility in where you want to go growth-wise. There’s no pressure towards any one path, it’s really about what works for you.” 

Tell me about a highlight of your career so far…

“There’s a couple! I got Rookie of the Year after only being here for three and a half months. It was nice to only be here for a short amount of time and have my success recognized. Those small wins were set up early, which was huge. 

My second win was getting my book of business back on its feet after COVID hit. I had a six-month period where I was putting some money on the board, but not hitting all the thresholds that I wanted. So, I sat down with Sean to re-work my strategy. He spent about two hours with me going over everything, and it put things into perspective. That next quarter, I was in the top three billers of my office and won MVP of the Boston office. 

Handling those challenging moments and coming back from them was huge for me from a personal growth perspective and a leadership perspective.” 

Do you have any advice for someone considering working here? Why they should apply, and what they should bear in mind when they start if they’re brought onboard?

“Know the top three things you are looking for out of your next company. I recommend this to my candidates, clients, and even utilized it in my own search. For example, ask about stability if that’s something you’re craving, or commission if compensation matters most to you.

When you come in, be prepared to put in the work. At this point, I feel like my desk works for itself after a year and a half in the company, but it took a lot of trial and error to get it there.”

If you’d like to learn more about the possibilities and opportunities Michael Page has to offer, you can find further information here.

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