About the author: Ewan Rawlings is a marketing assistant at Hydrogen Group. He has been with the company for 10 months, moving into his current position a month ago.

At Hydrogen, we currently have multiple Digital Researchers (DRs) who each work within our specialised practice teams. But what is a DR? Well as a matter of fact, my first job at Hydrogen (before being promoted into the marketing team), was as a DR across three different practices. So who better to give you a quick insight into life as a Digital Researcher? I’ve also roped in my colleagues Eutonne Tam, a DR for the London Legal practice, and Richard Puckett who was a DR in our Business Transformation practice until recently being promoted to the role of Researcher.

​What is a Digital Researcher and what do they do?

​“I’m an expert in mapping out key contacts within a specialist industry; from candidates we place, to clients that we place with.”

On a day-to-day basis this means getting involved in various tasks, ranging from finding specific candidates for niche roles to much broader market mapping as a way of developing new business. So I quickly became a whizz at scouting candidates using various digital channels such as job boards, LinkedIn Recruiter etc.

Being able to help place someone in a new, often better role is rewarding work and certainly gets noticed by the company. Eutonne told me that one of her biggest achievements so far was leading the DR team on international LinkedIn campaigns which involved mapping and approaching 2,500 candidates across Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada and South Africa. “As a result of my efforts, the team processed hundreds of responses, which have so far resulted in multiple placements across the UK, Offshore and Australia, with more to come! It was so exciting to not only see all my hard work pay off but to also see how I’d personally made a difference to the company.”

​Working against the clock, to fill live vacancies, is always challenging; but you quickly learn how to manage your time better as you juggle multiple projects. And you really do learn quickly, as Richard discovered when he was promoted to the role of researcher about a month ago. When I asked him what played the biggest part in his promotion, he told me that it was the development of his organizational skills. Skills he learnt through guidance from senior management and the training Hydrogen gives; which includes role-playing how to have quality calls with candidates, what it means to be a consultant and how to use the recruitment tools effectively to build relationships.

​“Through training I learnt how to manage my time effectively to find outstanding candidates, who were subsequently placed in various roles.”

​These training sessions also helped me personally. They improved my confidence, which assisted me in progressing to my new role in marketing, which gives me more responsibility and a new set of skills to learn. It’s not just me and Richard though, as we’ve had 6 DRs progress to higher roles across both Sales and Operations within the last 6 months.

​Granted I may be a teeny bit biased, but a Digital Researcher at Hydrogen is a great entry level position for those who are intrigued by the world of recruitment, and want to quickly develop their skills in a fun and energetic environment.

​Are you interested in working for Hydrogen as a Digital Researcher or want to find out more about this type of work? Check out our Facebook page or email us for both part-time and full-time positions.

​Acknowledgements: I have to give a huge thanks to the wonderful Eutonne and Richard for their input on this article!