From Shy Fresh Graduate to Team Lead: Bryan’s Growth Journey at Reeracoen Malaysia
Reeracoen Employee SpotlightJune 01, 2026 10:00
From Shy Fresh Graduate to Team Lead: Bryan’s Growth Journey at Reeracoen Malaysia
In today’s fast-changing job market, recruitment is no longer just about matching resumes with job descriptions. It’s about understanding people, building trust, and helping both candidates and companies create a better future together. Behind every successful placement is a recruiter who works tirelessly to guide, support, and connect the right people with the right opportunities.
At Reeracoen Malaysia, our consultants play an important role in helping job seekers navigate their career journeys while supporting companies in finding the right talent. In this employee interview series, we spoke with Bryan, a Researcher Team Lead cum Career Advisor, to learn more about his journey, challenges, memorable experiences, and personal growth since joining the company.
From overcoming shyness as a fresh graduate to leading a team today, Bryan shares his honest experiences in the recruitment industry and what makes the role both meaningful and rewarding.
1) Can you briefly introduce yourself and your role at Reeracoen? How long have you been with the company, and what attracted you to join us initially?
Hi there! I’m Bryan, a Team Lead and Career Advisor at Reeracoen Malaysia. I’ve been with the company for about three years now, and it’s been quite a rewarding journey so far!
Funny enough, I didn’t originally plan to join Reeracoen. Back when I was job hunting, a friend of mine was the one who was approached by the Talent Acquisition team but she ended up referring me instead. I went through the interviews, did a bit of research, and what really stood out to me was the overall positive vibe, people, and environment!
The team felt young and supportive, and I liked that the company really emphasizes not giving up and always striving to do your best. It didn’t feel overly corporate or rigid, which made it less intimidating for me when I was a fresh grad back then. On top of that, I’ve always had a passion for helping others so the idea of connecting people with better career opportunities really resonated and felt meaningful to me. Overall, Reeracoen seemed like a place where I could learn a lot, challenge myself, and grow. Looking back, it was definitely the right choice because that’s exactly what happened 🙂
2) What is the most important responsibility in your job as a Researcher/ Career Advisor?
I think one of the most important responsibilities as a Researcher (RS) is having both speed and proactiveness when reaching out to candidates. A big part of the role involves cold calling, connecting with candidates, understanding their openness to new opportunities, and introducing relevant job matches.
Because of that, confidence and resilience are absolutely key, mixed with a strong sense of urgency. When I first started, I had to step out of my comfort zone quite a bit. Honestly, I was really shy, overthought my calls and hesitated a lot. I wasn’t very fast at first and struggled with hitting my numbers and sales. But with repetition and consistency, I adapted quickly and gradually became more confident, overcame hesitation, was more structured and natural in my conversations, and learned to be more efficient in handling different responses.
Of course, rejection is also part of the process. There will be times when candidates aren’t interested or conversations don’t go as planned - and that’s completely normal. What matters is staying resilient and continuing to push forward.
As a Career Advisor (CA), the role evolves further. Beyond just reaching out to candidates, it’s also about truly understanding candidates; their motivations, career goals, and what they’re looking for, so we can match them with the right opportunities. It requires strong active listening skills, empathy, as well as the ability to build both trust and rapport.
At the end of the day, I tell myself that every “no” brings you one step closer to the right “yes” and I believe that’s what keeps the role both challenging and fulfilling at the same time! 🙂↕️
3) Can you share one candidate or client story that has left a deep impression on you?
Wow, where do I even begin? 😅 Honestly, there have been many memorable moments throughout my journey so far, but one that really stayed with me was the very first placement I handled as a Career Advisor.
At that time, I was working with a Manager-level candidate, and everything was smooth all the way to the final stage. Both the client and candidate were positive, and we were informed that the company was ready to proceed with an offer. Naturally, I was excited, especially because it was potentially my first successful placement as a Career Advisor.
But when the offer was finally released, the package ended up being below the candidate’s expectations. On top of that, there were also some complicated discussions around the candidate’s notice buyout arrangement, which made the situation even more sensitive and difficult to manage. Since it was my first time handling a case of that level, I was honestly very nervous. I was worried about making mistakes, giving the wrong advice, or accidentally affecting the trust between both parties. There were also moments of miscommunication along the way, so it became a real learning experience for me.
What helped us pull through was staying calm, communicating transparently, and focusing on understanding what both sides truly wanted. Thankfully, the candidate was also very patient and understanding throughout the process, which made a huge difference. Together with support from my colleague, we carefully managed expectations and highlighted the long-term opportunities and strengths of the role.
In the end, the candidate accepted the offer, joined the company successfully, and both sides were genuinely satisfied with the outcome. It was a breakthrough moment for me, not just because I achieved my target that month, but because it taught me an important lesson about recruitment. In this line of work, not everything is within our control. But what we can control is how we communicate, how we manage pressure, and how we support both clients and candidates through difficult situations. That experience really shaped the way I approach recruitment today!
4) What has been your most challenging experience in this role, and how did you overcome it?
One of the most challenging parts of my journey has been transitioning through different roles - from Researcher, to Career Advisor, and now into a Team Lead position. Each stage came with completely different expectations and challenges.
As a Researcher and Career Advisor, my focus was mainly on personal performance, like hitting KPIs, achieving sales targets, and consistently delivering results. There were definitely times when it felt frustrating, especially when I was close to my targets but narrowly missed them. Those moments pushed me to improve my speed, become more proactive in sourcing candidates, and continuously learn about different industries and skillsets so I could provide better quality support to clients and candidates.
Stepping into a leadership role, however, was a completely different challenge. Now, instead of focusing only on my own performance, I’m also responsible for guiding and supporting my team members, most of whom are fresh graduates. My priorities shifted towards helping them grow, build confidence, and achieve their own goals while still balancing my personal responsibilities and KPIs.
To be honest, one of the biggest struggles at the beginning was dealing with imposter syndrome. I questioned whether I was really suitable to lead others and sometimes felt uncertain about whether I was guiding my team the right way. I also struggled to find the balance between being approachable and friendly, while still being firm, maintaining accountability, and performance standards among them.
Over time, I realised leadership is something you continuously learn through experience. It taught me a lot about responsibility, adaptability, and team management and I’ve learned that being a lead isn’t just about achieving results yourself. It’s also about supporting your team, understanding different personalities, and helping others grow together with you. Just like when I first joined the company, I understood that I wouldn’t master everything immediately. Through trial and error, feedback, and learning from different situations, I slowly became more confident in adapting my leadership style to different team members and supporting them based on their individual strengths and challenges.
Even today, there are still moments when I continue learning and improving as a lead. But what motivates me most is seeing my team members grow, perform well, and enjoy being part of the team! 📈 📈 📈
5) How does your role contribute to Reeracoen’s mission of “creating a wonderful future with those pursuing happiness”?
I think one of the most meaningful parts of recruitment is knowing that the work we do can genuinely change someone’s life or career direction.
Sometimes, candidates come to us feeling uncertain. Some are burned out, some lack confidence, and others simply don’t know what opportunities are available to them. Even though recruitment is a fast-paced and target-driven industry, I always try to remember that every candidate is still a person with their own goals, concerns, and personal circumstances.
For me, creating a positive impact starts with understanding what candidates truly want, instead of just trying to fill a role as quickly as possible. Sometimes it’s about giving them confidence before an interview, helping them realise their own value, or guiding them towards an opportunity they may not have considered before.
On the client side, it’s also rewarding to know that the candidates we place can contribute meaningfully to the company and team. A successful placement isn’t always just about closing a position. It’s also about creating a good long-term match where both sides are happy and able to grow together. This also falls back to one of our core values, which is to create a ‘happy spiral’ between all parties involved in the recruitment process. 🥳
At the end of the day, I think the biggest impact comes from being genuine, supportive, and consistent in how we communicate and help others throughout the process! 🌀
6) How have you grown personally and professionally since joining Reeracoen?
Well, of course, I’d like to think I’ve grown tremendously both personally and professionally since joining Reeracoen. 🤣
When I first started, I was actually very shy and soft-spoken (some of my colleagues would definitely know this 😅). Speaking to strangers over the phone, handling difficult conversations, or even talking in front of a group felt intimidating to me at the time. But because this role constantly pushes you out of your comfort zone, I gradually became more confident, outspoken, and comfortable communicating with different types of people.
Professionally, I’ve also been given many opportunities to challenge myself beyond my day-to-day responsibilities. As a Team Lead, I’ve had the chance to conduct presentations, speak during webinars with candidates, and share ideas with colleagues from other branches. These experiences helped me improve not only my communication and presentation skills, but also my confidence in leading and guiding others.
Looking back, I think one of the biggest changes is that I’ve become much more confident in myself compared to when I first joined. The journey wasn’t that smooth, but the challenges and opportunities here have played a huge role in helping me grow into who I am today! 💪
