In 2018, fresh out of a degree in International Relations, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I was about to start a Master’s in HR when I noticed a few job ads for recruitment roles. I went for an interview, and just like that, I had my first job as an IT Recruiter.
At the time, I could not have told you the difference between Java and JavaScript. That is a story for another article.
A few years and a couple of agency roles later, I joined Damia. For those who do not know us: we are a boutique tech recruitment agency in Portugal, and one of our services is Embedded Recruitment, known industry-wide as RPO. Earlier this year, after almost twelve months of working from home, eating at home, and drinking every glass of wine at home (thanks, pandemic), I was offered the chance to work at OLX Group as part of an embedded placement.
New challenges are one of the best parts of working at Damia. Even inside recruitment, you get to see different cultures, different environments, and genuinely different ways of working.
I was excited. I was also, honestly, terrified.
The doubt before the leap
I had only ever worked in agency roles. Now I was about to start a year-long project inside a large product company, and it felt like a different world.
I used to think I did not have what it takes to recruit inside a big product company. Looking back, I suspect that feeling is more common than it should be, and the market itself reinforces it. Part of me was ready to say no.
After weighing the pros and cons, one thing tipped the decision: I had spent two years in agency recruitment, which anyone who has done it knows is a demanding school. If I could handle that, I could probably handle this.
Recruitment is challenging everywhere
I am going to be honest. Recruitment is challenging wherever you sit.
There are real advantages to recruiting inside a product company. You are involved with the candidate through the entire process. You can give feedback promptly, because you actually know what is happening on the client side. You can answer almost every question the candidate has, and when you cannot, you can reach the technical team or the hiring manager within seconds. You know the company, the project, and the people in every department. That is a genuine privilege.
My understanding of the industry grew during my agency years. It grew again at Damia, and it grew again after starting at OLX. Working closely with hiring managers and engineers, you truly understand what you are recruiting for. What the project is. How to explain it to a candidate. What information you actually need to run a useful process.
Embedded recruitment is more than just recruiting. When you sit inside your client’s team, you see what is working in their process and what is not, and you can help fix it. That is the difference between running a search and being part of a hiring function.
That said, I would not trade my agency years for anything.
What each side taught me
Agency work taught me:
- The importance of fast, disciplined processes
- How to read tech profiles, quickly
- How to teach myself whatever new stack landed on my desk, through the internet, reading, and asking
- How to defend my candidates and advocate for their potential
- Real organisational discipline, documenting everything so no thread drops
- And above all, resilience. Never give up, keep trying, keep going
Working inside a product company taught me:
- How to focus on the priorities that actually matter to the business
- How to understand the specifics of a project well enough to explain it to candidates in their language
- How to hold technical conversations with an engineering team
- How to guide a candidate through every stage of the process with real transparency
- How to communicate assertively, giving candidates the full picture of the project and the company
- And how to manage multiple stakeholders inside a single organisation
Why the combination matters
This is one person’s experience. Every agency is different, every product company is different, and your own mileage will vary. Mine so far has been genuinely rewarding.
I feel like a more complete recruiter after seeing both sides. I have learned a lot, and I know I need to keep learning, because that is the job. A tech recruiter has to be flexible, curious, and willing to adapt when the ground moves.
Whichever side of the desk you sit on, IT recruitment is going to test you. What matters is that you keep pushing yourself, keep asking questions, and keep talking to the people around you. Clients, teammates, hiring managers, engineers. You will learn from every single one of them.
For me, Embedded Recruitment is one of the most valuable services a recruitment agency can offer. It is a real advantage for the client, and for us as recruiters, it is a chance to see how companies actually work and to build a much sharper read of the market.
If you are considering a similar move, or you are on the fence about a new challenge in your recruitment career, my honest advice is: take the leap.
Curious about how Embedded Recruitment works at Damia? See our Embedded Recruitment service page or browse current tech roles.
