Seizing Opportunities- From India to the US

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself, I am Shagun Sharma and I am an Associate Consultant here at Elliott Scott HR, based in India but working with our team in the US, an exciting opportunity that arose after only a year with the company. To celebrate being a part of this wonderful team for a whole year I would love to tell you all the journey I took to get here!

 

After completing my degree in History and Political Science, I was at crossroads like every other graduate in 2020- I was confused about my future, having varied interests, I wasn't too sure what field to pursue, or if I should continue with further studies. Graduating in the middle of the pandemic, I was anxious about my future career path. I started to evaluate my skill set, interests and general life priorities, I wanted a role that would get me out of bed every morning and that I would actively enjoy. 

 

Being a people person, I have always enjoyed interacting with new people across a multitude of cultures. It occurred to me that maybe I should consider a career in HR, but I didn't have the qualifications required. For 6 months I took a little de-tour to the Sales function, where I worked as a Business Development Representative for a global startup in the Food and Beverage industry, it was an enriching experience which prepared me to go forward. In this time, I took the opportunity to learn more about the HR industry and updated my LinkedIn as necessary.

This led to me receiving an InMail from my now colleague, Gaurav Yadav, Director, India, which opened the door to the HR world and the start of my career with Elliott Scott HR. So in July 2021, I joined the company as an HR Recruitment Researcher for our office in India. The India office is the newest of our 6 locations and had only been running a few months before I joined. Having no prior recruitment experience or specific HR qualifications was tricky at first but I had a passion to learn. The experience I had as part of the India team was amazing; I was able to fully immerse myself in the role and push myself to gain the most from this opportunity. 

 

After 6 months of being a hands-on researcher, I was promoted to Associate Consultant. I was fortunate enough to work very closely with senior HR leaders across Fintech, Technology, Aviation and Manufacturing industries.

 

I was recognised for my consistent efforts, resilience, and perseverance over the last year. With our US office experiencing record numbers of job roles, I was given the opportunity to move internally and support our consultants there across the varied industries they recruit for. As I’m sure you would all agree, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, although I was enjoying my time with the team here in India, I was so excited to step out of my comfort zone and join our US team. 

I have been working with the US for a month now and although it hasn’t come without it’s challenges it is one of the best moves I could have made. It has showed me that I can be resilient, determined and push through the barriers that are put in my way. Working odd hours due to opposite time zones has been the biggest challenge for me but building internal and external relationships has been so worth it. I have spent the last month adapting to this new markets culture, which I have really enjoyed learning about. 

 

My plan going forward is to be optimistic, kind and continue to show empathy to my team, candidates and clients, while continuing to learn more about recruitment and the HR world, globally.

 

My motto in life is ‘change begins at the end of your comfort zone’, I have pushed myself to work in a brand-new industry and now a whole new country with a culture very different from my own. I pride myself in being an optimistic person and am known to never give up and in this new role I don't intend to take shortcuts, I will dive into the challenge and know I will learn from it.

 

Finally, I am thankful to everyone at Elliott Scott HR for making this move possible, for recognising my strengths and showing me the path to take and in turn allowing my career to drastically progress. I am so excited for this next adventure, and I am glad I took advantage of this opportunity, it’s not everyday that ones like this arise!

 

Currently I am working on a multitude of roles from junior to mid-level to senior HR positions for clients across Retail, Manufacturing and Technology industries in the US market. I would love to hear from any HR professionals who are looking to expand their teams or looking for your next move within the industry , please feel free to reach out to me at ss@elliottscotthr.com or via LinkedIn.