From Rugby to Recruitment

Our Manchester office welcomed Morgan Burgess on board in August and he's had a cracking start in the world of recruitment. With a long playing career in Rugby, how's he finding the world of recruitment?

I joined Warrington’s academy when I was 16, moving away from Barrow to live in Warrington to allow me to play. I spent two years playing in the academy alongside going to college. After I finished college I went into a full time environment for two years, being around the first team squad. I had friends who were in recruitment and I always liked the sound of it and it was something that I always considered for when I moved away from rugby.

I had seen the opportunity to join Linear and be involved in recruitment; I'd also always had an interest in construction so it was an opportunity that really grabbed me. It was coming to the end of my contract with Warrington and I decided to move away from the full time environment and pursue a career in recruitment. I did, however, miss playing rugby so decided the best option was to play part time at the best level I could. I currently play for Swinton Lions who have just been promoted to the championship, which allows me to play at a high level but also be able to work.

I like the fast-paced element of working on the blue collar desk at Linear; the satisfaction you get when a client is happy with your supply is great. Building relationships with people comes with this; I've discovered when you work with someone closely over an amount of time you can sit and talk about non-work related topics rather than just work all the time. I really enjoy this element because you're more than just a voice on the end of a phone to them - you get to go and meet them and become a part of their work life and not be just another agency.

Playing rugby has definitely given me a competitive streak, which helps in the world of recruitment. When playing rugby it's a sink or swim environment - you have to perform or you won’t be there. Doing that for a number of years has helped me develop the desire to be successful and set myself high standards which I think carry over into recruitment, with it being such a competitive sector between different agencies. This gives me the motivation to try to be the only person supplying a site and I'm almost disappointed if I hear they have used a different agency. Hopefully this kind of attitude can help me build a thriving trades desk at Linear.