Daniel distinguishes himself as top student in recruitment qualification

Daniel distinguishes himself as top student in recruitment qualification

A Derby recruitment consultant has distinguished himself by becoming the top student in a UK-wide qualification.

Daniel Leahy, who works as a senior recruiter for Syntax, a consultancy specialising in IT and engineering recruitment based in College Place, Derby, was awarded a Distinction in his examination for the Certificate in Recruitment Practice, (CertRP), an industry recognised qualification offered by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the trade body representing the UK’s private recruitment industry.

He describes his achievement as “a lovely surprise.”

Daniel joined the recruitment industry in 1997 after completing his MA in Global Political Economy at Warwick University. At that time, he did not have a long-term career goal. However, this changed when he found an advertisement in the University’s careers magazine for a trainee account manager at a Coventry-based engineering and IT agency. He decided he liked the sound of working in a vibrant and fast-moving industry.

For the first ten years, he specialised in business development and account management roles within the IT contract and technical engineering markets.

Deciding he particularly enjoyed the client-facing, resourcing and delivery side of recruitment, Daniel joined Syntax in 2008. He is now senior IT resourcer within their specialist resourcing team, delivering IT contract services across the UK.

Commenting on his work for the Certificate, Daniel said: “I adopted the little and often approach, breaking down my study time into small, manageable chunks. For me, it was important to take a balanced approach and to spread my study time into regular slots rather than trying to cram in intimidating amounts of work at the last minute!”

He added: “I was absolutely thrilled to get a Distinction but I really didn’t expect to be top student in the UK.”

Judith Armatage, the REC’s Director of Professional Development, said: “Daniel’s Distinction in the examination shows how dedicated recruitment professionals continue to strive for the highest possible standards within this industry.

“We never cease to be amazed by the dedication and commitment that students apply to successfully completing their courses. As Daniel’s example shows, some careful planning on how to combine studying alongside work certainly pays dividends.”

Daniel praised Syntax with providing him with an ideal base from which to take the qualification. “It is important for me to work in a progressive and flexible company that listens and responds to both its employees and clients, and Syntax certainly lives up to this.”