Clare Mills, one of our Account Managers wrote this hilarious blog about juggling life as a busy mum of twins with recruiting in the Motorsports industry.... we thought it was worth sharing!

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My job is cool (for a Tomboy) – I recruit engineers that develop technology for the motorsport industry. I vividly remember Sundays as a little girl where Dad would sit, anxiously waiting for the Grand Prix to start and Mum would bring his roast dinner in on a tray! F1, Moto GP, WRC….these were all regulars in our household. I now get to tell my Dad all about the hi-tech developments that are happening in the world of motorsports engineering.

In 2014 I became a Mum of twin boys (mental!) and came back to work at FMC as a part time Account Manager following 12 months maternity leave. Already my boys demonstrate their passion for cars, trucks and buses…it must be in the genes. 

Once I have changed several nappies, tried patiently to navigate spoonfuls of Weetabix into mouths, not nostrils, ear holes or it being squelched between their fingers, and wiped the snot off my shoulders (a look I was hopeful would be on the Autumn/Winter 2016 catwalks) I am ready to hit the road for a day of recruiting….all before 8am.

Any recruiter, consultant or internal, appreciates the level of organisation needed to keep numerous plates spinning. Throw in a husband that travels throughout the UK for work and twin babies, and the organisation gear just shifted up a few notches!

Fortunately FMC is a modern, forward thinking business with senior managers who are techy (…I really mean geeky) and invest in tools and systems to make the job achievable, enjoyable and smarter. I thrive in our company wide mission to be specialists, to truly know my industry. Being well connected with my candidates and clients enables me to respond quickly with relevant opportunities, and to genuinely partner with my clients, demonstrating my ability to help solve their problems…not create a bun-fight over which recruiter spoke to which candidate first (I have enough of this teaching my toddlers to share their toys and play nicely).

I like working with engineers…I find they respond to me being honest, open and knowing a bit about my specialism and is the key to credible recruiting. I work across the technical disciplines that design, develop and manufacture pieces of metal and composites that make cars go really fast. I am always on the phone to Design Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, CNC Machinists and Programmers, Production Engineers, Development Engineers for hybrid technology and then a whole raft of other technical and operational people that support this – Quality Engineers, Test Engineers, Technical Buyers and Material Planners.

Too much planning? Too many systems & procedures? Is there such a thing!?!

…OK admittedly I am often accused of being the “Kitchen Gestapo” in the office. I genuinely recognise that too rigid a system can be more of a hindrance. However having processes, systems and technology to aid me in managing candidate and client expectation, juggling many priorities and being able to access the information I need quickly, enables me to compete and build relationships with some of the biggest names in motorsport and automotive engineering.

FMC is not only a cool place to work, it’s an interesting place to work, that and the Christmas parties are Epic. Our business model is committed to supporting me unearth some of the most up and coming talented engineering professionals in the world.

Being able to work in automotive recruitment for FMC AND be a Mum is something I treasure…so I am off home now to see if I can even up my shoulders with more snot, and to watch Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy canoodle in a field. Joy!

If you’d like to find out more about working at FMC, visit our careers area, or email work@fmctalent.com