When it comes to experience in and dedication to helping people develop their careers, few people come close to Barbara Arndt. Part of the Noble Futures team for the last 6 years, Barbara has a BSc in Animal Science, a CIPD Certificate in Personal Practice (HR Qualification) and over 10 years of experience in recruitment.

However, Barbara did not start her career in recruitment.

An animal scientist by ‘trade’, when a previous employer decided to make a large number of people redundant and exit the Animal Health industry, Barbara decided to turn a negative into a positive and change the path of her career, as she is now helping so many people to do each and every day.

Here Barbara gives us some insights into her background, her previous work experience and how she made the transition from animal scientist to recruitment consultant.

“I’m originally from Dublin, but I lived in Germany for quite some time and have travelled the world extensively and experienced different cultures.

“I received my Animal Science degree from Aberystwyth in Wales, but although I love animals, I have always been drawn to working with people and towards targets. Consequently, commercial and scientific roles within the Animal Health industry were an obvious choice for me. Following my degree, I spent 10 years working in some fantastic commercial and research roles within the industry, where I got to fully immerse myself in the inner workings of a range of internationally focused animal health organisations.

“However, in 2014, the company I was working for decided to exit the animal health industry and made a large number of employees redundant. At the time it was devastating, but if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

“The move into recruitment was not an obvious one for me at the start. As I came from Dublin and had been involved with horses as a child, I knew Tony Noble – the founder and MD of Noble Futures Recruitment. I actually started horse riding at the same stables that Tony attended, so I contacted him seeking career advice.

“Tony has a gift of being able to match people’s skills and strengths with their desires and dreams to pave out a career path that perfectly matches their personality. And this is what he has done for me in recognising that helping other people achieve their career ambitions is something I am very good at.

“And so I became a recruitment consultant for Noble Futures…and the rest is history!

“Looking back, my experience within the animal health industry has positioned me perfectly for my current role. I started out working in R&D, which taught me about the product lifecycle and a company’s varying staffing needs throughout. It introduced me to the many different types of Animal Health companies that exist and the types of roles that exist within them. And with a Commercial Manager position that I held, I travelled extensively and got to visit many of the global headquarters of the businesses that I now recruit for. Each of these elements has helped me to connect the dots to where I am today – working to find the perfect match for a candidate or client.

“My advice to someone looking for a career change is to seek expert advice. If you have worked in a sector for some time, it can be hard to see the wood for the trees and recognise where your skills and passions may be perfectly matched. That’s exactly what we do here at Noble Futures. Through consultation and ongoing discussions, we work tirelessly to help people secure their dream roles and put them on a path to success.”