I've always said that life is about taking chances! Without wanting to sound cheesy, I moved across the world from Brazil to Dubai for love. My partner moved in 2016 and I followed a month later, leaving behind my family and job of four years as a pre-school teacher. It was this move that started me on my exciting journey into recruitment. A friend of mine, who worked at Robert Walters back home in São Paulo, put me in touch with the Dubai team to help me find a job here — but I would need to find an alternative to teaching.

I’ve always been independent and worked since I was a little girl, from helping out at my parents’ restaurant to landing a job in HR during my first semester at university. Although I had already made the decision to move to the Middle East, I was adamant in finding work before flying out, and that’s how I made my first cold call — to the managing director of the Dubai office. Unexpectedly, he offered me the opportunity to interview for their newly launched internship programme. Starting as an intern after eight years in the job market may sound daunting to many — trust me, it sounded like that to me! — but it’s what jump-started my career in recruitment, and I haven’t looked back since.

I joined the legal team in 2016, and two months into the internship, my only other colleague in the team went on maternity leave. I was immediately thrown into the deep end and needed to learn about the world of recruitment within a matter of weeks — it was a real make-or-break moment! I took the chance to hop on as many training sessions with the London team, devoured the printed resources we had in the office, and listened in on my colleagues’ candidate/client phone calls. I would tag along at candidate interviews and client meetings with managers and senior consultants, and soon enough, I was given the opportunity to 'run' a role from start to finish. I was promoted from intern to researcher, then to associate consultant in a matter of months, and then to consultant just a few months after that!

What I love about recruitment is that every single day is different and exciting! You get to build relationships with people from all sorts of backgrounds, especially in Dubai, which is a true melting pot of cultures. You can see the influence and direct impact you have on other people’s lives and it’s always fulfilling to know you’ve helped both sides — a candidate finding a job and a client finding the right talent. Of course, recruitment has it's ups and downs — just like any job, I’ve had my fair share of knock-backs and disappointments, not to mention the indirect pressure I put on myself to perform. But dealing with these challenges is also what has helped me build resilience and increase my self-motivation.

As I said, I believe life is about taking chances — and I've learned so much since taking a chance on a new career five years ago, moving across the globe to somewhere I didn’t know a soul or had ever visited before, but look where it got me! I’ve built a great career and work with amazing people who have supported and continue to support my journey; I count myself lucky to work with colleagues who honestly feel like family. Plus, my wonderful partner and I love living in Dubai and we now have a baby on the way!

Overall, recruitment can be challenging, but it is also tremendously gratifying. If you’re adaptable and willing to take on new challenges, have a strong work ethic and driven to achieve your goals, a recruitment career at Robert Walters might just be the place for you — all you have to do is take that chance.