Recruiter of the Month: Cindy Nilooban

Drake Philippines

You are never too young to start dreaming and achieving the best things.

Take it from our Recruiter of the Month, Cindy Nilooban, a fresh graduate who entered the Human Resources Industry after graduating from Our Lady of Fatima University. Within five months of being a recruiter, she already has enough experience under her belt to prove that her age doesn’t define her success.

Early on, Cindy admitted that it was never her dream to be a headhunter, to be someone who helps people find the career that matches their skills and experience. All the while, since she set foot in her university, her future was set — she must grow her mother’s business, hence taking Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management.

“After I graduated, I really don’t know what career I am going to take or even make. I plan to just let things happen. And then I got a message from Drake International [where I used to have my internship] asking me to become a recruiter. I just decided to take that opportunity,” Cindy shared.

During her internship in the same company, she was entrusted to look for candidates both here and abroad, to do cold calls, to review curriculum vitae, to generate leads, and to understand the different client structures. According to her, without these tasks, she would have feared to take on the opportunity.

But just like any other journey, to begin is always a challenge. Cindy recognizes the difference between the job training and her actual first day on the job. She may have her tools, but setting the pace and doing actual candidate engagement and client relations require a different level of understanding of the business and having your own strategies.

“Since I am a fresh graduate, all things were hard for me, even thought of “What career have I made?” I failed, got stressed, and pressured,” she admitted.

Still, the people around her believed in her potential and she started believing, too.

“I remember, I got a letter last August [during our Appreciation Month] from one of my colleagues, it stated, “Mahalin mo ang trabaho mo, at mamahalin ka rin nito”. It was an eye-opener to me, so I said to myself, “Cindy, everyone believes in your capability, why not believe in yourself and do your work wholeheartedly?

“Little by little, I followed [her] advice, learn to love the work that I have and proved [to] everyone that I can. All went well, and I was able to place candidates in various industries and roles. All the hardships paid off,” said Cindy.

As you can probably tell, when she changed her mindset, things fell into their rightful place. Recently, Cindy was awarded Recruiter of the Month for successfully having the most number of recruits. The same month was her most profitable to date, as well.

Ultimately, the candidates and clients she works with are satisfied by her efficiency. And she has one advice for all of those who are interested to start being a headhunter while they are young.

“Love what you do. [Because] as long as you love the thing that you are doing, everything will just be fine — and that’s the secret. And if you already are a recruiter, always remember, you are not just a recruiter, but you are someone who helps people to grow their careers,” Cindy advised.

Cindy entered Drake fearing she won’t be able to last, hesitating that this is not the path that the universe designed for her. But she took it easy, gave herself a chance because all this time, she’s the only one clipping her wings to fly.

And now by realizing and knowing herself better, she’s breaking free — aiming to reach greater glory.