From Graduate to Growing Leader: Toby’s Recruitment Story

When Toby graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in Psychology, he didn’t step straight into a corporate career. He went home to Essex and back to working at McDonald’s. 

“I’d worked there since I was 16. I just thought I’d stay for a bit and figure life out before committing to a big adult job”, Toby explains.  

It’s a position a lot of graduates find themselves in, where they are qualified and capable, but not entirely sure what the next step should look like. For Toby, that turning point came after a few honest conversations at home: 

“My dad and my sister basically told me I needed to sort my life out.” 

So he started applying for jobs.  

Choosing the bigger opportunity 

In one 24-hour period, Toby travelled into London and interviewed face-to-face with three different recruitment firms, all within walking distance of Liverpool Street. All three offered him jobs, but he chose LVI Associates,  

Why? 

Because of the scale, his manager at the time didn’t just pitch a job; they pitched growth. At LVI Associates, you might start covering one geography, but the business was built to allow consultants to expand, specialise, and  

He explained that while Toby might start covering one geography, the business was designed to allow consultants to expand, specialise, and build something of their own if they delivered. That entrepreneurial angle stood out. 

Nine months later, Toby proved the point. 

Building something of his own  

Toby initially covered New York and New Jersey. Through conversations with candidates and clients, he started noticing a consistent theme: HVAC and building systems engineering across major commercial properties. 

New York’s skyline isn’t just made of glass and steel; the buildings need heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to keep them running. This one requirement turned into deeper research, market mapping, and ended with Toby creating a proposal:  

“I sat down, built a presentation, and mapped out how we could scale an entire team in this space across the US.” 

He pitched it internally, covering locations, verticals, growth potential, and commercial logic. And leadership backed him. 

The first few months were tough, though, because building a market from scratch always is. There were moments for Toby where it would have been easier to drop it and return to something established. 

But he didn’t, and now that specialism is a 10-person team managed by him.  

What his team actually does 

Today, Toby leads a US-focused building automation engineering recruitment team specialising in the automation of HVAC/Cooling systems across multiple industry verticals and geographical regions. His team partners with controls & mechanical contractors, engineering consultancies, systems integrators, and building owners to recruit senior-level technical, operational, and commercial professionals.
 
He places professionals responsible for designing, programming, and servicing the systems that are responsible for something as simple as maintaining the temperature in a high-rise office, or as critical as management of air pressurisation within Laboratory clean rooms in the development of ground-breaking pharmaceuticals. With the huge investment and development of the data center industry, these systems are the lifeblood of the infrastructure responsible for managing AI. It’s a market where technical understanding, credibility, and long-term relationship building matter, and it’s a specialism Toby developed from the ground up. 

From commute to commitment 

In the early days, Toby also didn’t live in London. He commuted three and a half hours a day. It was incredibly hard, but it was temporary. The plan was simple: to perform, earn decent money, and move to London. 

The earning potential in recruitment made the move realistic, and once Toby started placing professionals, relocating became viable. 

Today, the journey from Essex feels symbolic. He didn’t just move geographically, he moved professionally, from figuring things out to leading a team, and from working shifts to building a specialism. 

What he looks for in his team 

Toby is clear about one thing: this job requires commitment. Not perfection, not a specific degree, and not even industry knowledge on day one. 

Commitment. 

He looks for people who: 

• Are willing to learn something technical and make it their own 
• Ask questions about the market 
• Want to build expertise, not just do tasks 
• Can handle setbacks and keep going 
• Are genuinely motivated to improve their position in life 

“I want people who want to be part of the industry they work in. Because that industry will help them achieve everything else they want,” Toby summarises.  

He’s passionate about HVAC and building systems, and that energy is intentional. When he talks about the market, candidates can hear it. 

The more consultants understand their market, the more valuable they become. The more valuable they become, the more successful they are. 

The bigger picture 

Toby didn’t join LVI Associates with a five-year blueprint. He joined because he needed direction and saw an opportunity. He chose long-term growth, committed himself to a niche market, and built something brand new. Today, he leads a 10-person US engineering specialism that didn’t exist before he pitched it. 

For graduates reading this who might be sitting at home wondering what’s next, we don’t think you need everything mapped out. 

You need: 

• The willingness to commit 
• The ability to learn 
• The resilience to push through tough months 
• And the ambition to build something bigger than where you started 

Sometimes “sorting your life out” starts with backing yourself in a room full of opportunity.