Claire Coombes, Recruitment CoordinatorI’ve worked in this role for 25 years, having originally joined as a Personnel Assistant reporting to a Personnel Manager.
Back then, recruitment looked very different.
I was responsible for recruiting ‘manual’ staff, while colleagues focused on ‘clerical’, ‘technical’ or ‘research’ roles.
Every day we had to listen to the ‘adline’ where applicants would leave an answerphone message requesting an application form. We’d write out their name and address and post a blank application form to them.
The post room staff always brought us piles of mail including application forms that we recorded manually and saved in individual slots in a big filing cabinet. When the closing date passed, the recruiting manager collected the batch of applications and shortlisted manually, bringing the paperwork back to the office for us to contact the candidates.
We shared a printer between two desks and every letter was printed, signed by the Personnel Manager, and then posted – this included invites to interview, reference requests, offers of employment, and contracts (including lots of sheets of paper for every element of work).
The printers were constantly churning out paperwork, phones were always ringing, and the ‘hatch’ was always busy.
Things have changed massively over the years and now almost every task is completed electronically. Hopefully the changes have saved a few trees though!
Today as a Recruitment Coordinator we also provide guidance for recruiting managers. This ensures that we attract the best candidates, the advert is informative, inclusive and highlights the employee benefits the university offers. Building good working relationships with our stakeholders is key to running a smooth and successful recruitment campaign.
We support the recruitment process from start to finish. From receipt of an approved Staff Request Form (SRF), creating the advert, checking the shortlist, arranging interviews, making employment offers, and issuing contracts, through to adding new starter details on the payroll system.
Staff immigration checks are also a huge part of our role, establishing both if a role is sponsorable and whether a candidate has eligibility to work in the UK.
Following the successful appointment of a candidate we also provide data dashboards to the recruiting manager to help them make future advertising decisions - providing information on the number of hits on the vacancy, number of applications, media sources etc, and an applicant analysis with equal opportunities data.
The university has grown enormously over the years with new departments and institutes, and new opportunities open to both staff and students. The HR Department has grown too with almost 70 members of the team attending the festive celebration in December 2025!
Every day is different, and I’m never surprised at some of the questions we’re asked. I’m still learning and asking questions myself!
Although the workload has increased, along with the number of team members, the office is much quieter these days both in terms of the general buzz of equipment and the level of staff chatter, but one thing that has remained the same is the teamwork. There is always a friendly and supportive colleague ready to provide assistance and guidance, and lots of long-term friendships have been made over the years 😊
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