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Monday

It's a Bank Holiday – woohoo! The alarm, which I foolishly forgot to edit, goes off at 4.35am and I literally ping out of bed so as not to wake the whole house.  

This is about the only time I get to indulge my social media addiction.  I check my calendar (as if anything has changed since 11.40pm last night.) Knowing the agenda of my day, I relax and read the newspaper on my iPhone, get a grip on the tweets, likes, and conversations we have had as a company and see the news at a flash glance via Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, ultimately getting my dose of media industry news. I can then snooze until 7.30 am which is a rare treat.

Tuesday

5.00am Social media catch-up done, I tiptoe out of bed, shower, do my makeup and hair, then prepare packed lunches for my two girls and set an English and Maths paper for my eldest, who is going through her 11+ entrance exam phase. Fingers crossed she'll deliver on that by the time I get home, but Nickelodeon may well convince her otherwise.

I check my phone a myriad of times to ensure that all our consultants are fit and ready to face the day, and that there is no sickness to cover. Then I'm off to my first candidate interview at Pain Quotidien where I’m meeting with a commercial director.

Two peppermint teas later and I have had some seriously great inspiration. What drives their future career move? Why do they like selling? What do they find a challenge in the economy and how integral is a work/life balance? All of these questions are essential to gain true insight into what motivates people.

I love recruitment and the meeting is a reminder as to why I came in to this industry. This market is all about engaging with people who are happily employed – clients tend to want candidates who are already adding value in an organisation so you need to genuinely care about careers to make a difference and ultimately deliver on our remit as recruiters. The quick job hunt no longer exists. Care, consideration and coaching are vital to ensure clients get the right talent embedded into their business.

It’s 8.30am and time for a team get-together to go through the week ahead and a quick overview of the past week. Successes, challenges and a strong plan of attack for the week ensure every minute feels like one that matters. I celebrate the fact that we can happily lay claim to placing people in their ideal job. The day flies away with interviews and setting up meetings with clients, who include pure digital businesses, media agencies, media owners, outdoor, TV or research agencies.

At 4.30pm, I check my appointments for the following day and email my clients and candidates to ensure that they are feeling confident and ready for their meetings so I can head home with no worries.

Throughout one day I flit from conversing with planners to sales people to research directors and so by the time I leave the office I need some mindless time. My Kindle is at the ready to help get me in "Mummydom" mode.

Wednesday

A 7am meeting sets me up for the day and there is a pitch to deliver for us to get preferred supplier status for a global multi media owner. I hate cramming so giving myself a few days grace is vital.  It’s a day of sourcing images, ensuring content is relevant and that the look and feel of the presentation is substantial. Add to this the fact that a couple of staff are out of the office and the day quickly becomes a whirlwind of activity and catch-ups.

The Queen has been in Parliament today, so getting around central London has been a traffic catastrophe. I’ve whizzed through four external meetings, two internal meetings and started to define a business development initiative that we need to launch for our teams. Feedback for clients, candidates and preparations for final meetings take priority. Once home, there is only time to swim, eat and sleep.

Thursday

I've designated the day to looking at our sales and research teams' business during the past three years. I get in to the office for 7.15am and start evaluating our client relationships and candidate attraction. We’re looking at ways we can add more value to talent acquisition and employee engagement. How can recruiters make a marked impact to a business’s bottom line? Are the partnerships we have mutually valuable? What could we do differently or better? 

In a fast-paced office like ours, it’s difficult to get a moment to ponder, let alone a few days to ensure we evaluate our service and our business and plan for the future.

I get home for bed time and then resume working while watching 'The Apprentice' on Sky Plus. It makes me realise how vital choosing the right talent is.

Friday

I work from home until midday when I get into "Mum mode". My Skype calls are done by 7.45am, breakfast is ready and it’s time for the school run. This is the only day I get to drop my girls off. It’s a snatched conversation at the school gates and back for 9am to deliver the figures for the week and plan the following week.

I then deliver on the things my team needs from me. Terms need signing, jobs need matching on and adverts need writing, tenders need to get submitted and client meeting notes need writing up.

I need to ensure we are on target financially and have enough activity to deliver on future targets. Are there new companies we should be speaking with? I cram to have as much done by midday, when I'm off to London Zoo with my youngest daughter. A class of over-excited five-year-olds will finish this week off wonderfully.

Personal CV
Age: 36
Favourite media:  Digital 24/7
Biggest inspiration:  My dad
Dream job:  Gardener
One thing not a lot of people know: I'm a secret speed reader and consumer three to four books each week