#JGStories – Ingrid Nilsson

This week, in our second #JGStories, we sat down with one of our Partners, Ingrid Nilsson, to find out how she got to where she is today as well as finding out what her favourite boxset is! We hope you enjoy finding out more about Ingrid and if you have any questions or are a candidate or client and would like to feature as one of our #JGStories, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!

HOW DID YOU GET INTO RECRUITMENT?

Back in 2007 I moved to Asia to live and work and I ended up spending almost two years in Malaysia giving me the chance to explore and absorb the sites, culture and of course, the food of Asia. I spent every weekend discovering a new island or food hotspot; I was spoilt for choice, that’s for sure!  I returned to the UK in the Autumn of 2009 as the credit crunch was rearing its ugly head and began the chore of calling and registering with recruitment agencies here in London. The Joyce Guiness office was at that stage based above what is now the cheese shop in South Ken. Pip was there to meet me at the door; she settled me in and produced a spelling and grammar test and told me I’d have to do a typing test (!) something I’d never done before. We chatted through my CV and life stories to a degree and came up with plan of action on the ‘finding work’ front. This had always seemed like a daunting mission, however Pip put me at ease from the get go and within days I was out interviewing for ‘proper’ jobs. Pip and I had a great relationship from the outset, strengthened further each time we chatted about feedback post interviews. I called the JG office daily to ask if there was temp work too. I couldn’t have made myself more ‘known’ if I’d tried to be honest, and I think in hindsight I must have been edging on the verge of annoying with the number of calls I was making to the JG office in my pursuit of work. It paid off however as the JG girls recognised my motivation to work paired with my ability to talk, sometimes incessantly, and they finally asked me to come in and have a chat about joining them. The rest is history as they say, and almost 10 years later to the day, I sit writing this for the JG blog. Who would have thought eh?

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON?

My favourite place in London has to be Holland Park. I arrived in the UK, from Sweden, when I was 3 years old and was lucky enough to grow up just behind Holland Park. I spent many an afternoon there playing in the children’s playground, climbing trees (back in those days having fun wasn’t forbidden) and making friends with anyone who would listen to me. During my teenage years I spent my early summers ‘revising’ for GCSEs and A Levels on the main lawn in the centre of the park. I played tennis in Holland Park most weekends throughout spring and summer, often playing in tennis tournaments or mini tennis cups. From time to time my parents would take my brother, sister and I to the outdoor opera although it was more of an excuse to meet with friends who were there with their parents. I had my first ‘99 flake’ in Holland Park, saw the solar eclipse of 1999 there and still to this day walk through the park on my home from work most nights.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV BOX SET?

My favourite box set?  What a loaded question…. How long have you got?  Nothing beats a good old Scandinavian noir crime television series like ‘The Bridge’ although I might be slightly biased as I was born in Helsingborg, which lies just north of the Swedish side of that very bridge! No Sunday afternoon /evening is complete without at least 3 episodes of something dark and mysterious!