Management Team
Paul Crean
What He Does
Paul has overall responsibility for First Choice as a whole and manages the success of the Eight branches by directing all operational aspects of each branch and driving sales within each division.
Paul is responsible for ensuring that Team Leaders and their staff keep branches to the highest possible standards and that all policies, procedures and controls are followed.
Paul sets sales targets and expectations. He also challenges, motivates, encourages and provides constructive guidance to Team Leaders, Consultants and Administrators alike.
His Story
Paul joined the rapidly expanding First Choice in September 1996 after having worked in recruitment since 1985. He was initially based in the Belfast Head Office when it was one of only two Offices the company had, the other in Newry.
Shortly after commencing with First Choice Paul was offered an opportunity, by Managing Director Sean Doyle, to open a new office in Ballymena as part of Sean's plan to create a province-wide Branch Network.
Paul opened our Ballymena Branch in November 1996 with one phone, a yellow pages and two cardboard boxes! The branch very quickly grew from strength to strength and became one of First Choices most successful ventures.
Paul was promoted to Area Manager in June 2001 with First Choice then having eight offices throughout the province.
Paul's many years of experience and length of service with First Choice gives him a unique in-depth understanding of the market and allows him to continually look at new strategies and ways to grow First Choice as a Recruitment and Training Business.
What Drives Him
Paul is clearly driven by success and the success of the company he has invested so much of his working career in.
His Archetype
Paul is an a "Sage" - Paul says wisdom is the key to success and everything else is secondary to the pursuit of knowledge.
Five Year Plan
Paul hopes to continue to be the driving force of First Choices' success and to further develop his team within their own careers and to see Consultants promoted through the ranks of this ever changing, ever growing business.
What She Does
Michelle has overall responsibility for the First Choice Healthcare Teams in all of branches and is directly responsible for the operational procedures therein.
Michelle oversees and assists the healthcare consultants and team leaders in the development of the healthcare business whilst being responsible for the Training Division and The Safeguarding Team. Michelle is to ensure that things get done in an efficient, organised, cost effective and safe manner.
Her Story
Michelle joined First Choice in January 2003 as a temporary care assistant working from the Bangor Office. Having had a diploma in Health and Social Care she had worked within the care field for several years prior to this. Michelle then became a permanent member of the First Choice Office team placing temporary Healthcare Workers in various assignments within the Bangor Area. In 2006 Michelle was successful in securing the management position in the Bangor Office.
In January 2011 Michelle set up First Choice Training Division and at this point First Choice no longer had to outsource the training of their candidates and employees. This division has now grown to a team of four and operates a minimum of three training courses per week.
Michelle was seconded to the Belfast Head Office in June 2013 and at this point managed both the Belfast and the Bangor Offices.
Having honed her skills, knowledge and capabilities throughout the years within the Healthcare sector Michelle was offered a promotion in April 2018 to a Senior Healthcare Manager role assuming overall responsibility for all Healthcare divisions in First Choice.
What Drives Her
Michelle is driven by watching those in her team succeed and achieve their goals. No matter how small those goals may be she is always encouraged by that success.
Her Archetype
Michelle is a "Hero" - she wants to inspire others to believe in themselves as much as she does and challenges everyone and to help them rise to the occasion. She sacrifices her time to provide for others.
Five Year Plan
Michelle is encouraged by the continued excellent growth of First Choice, especially in the last year and intends to be part of its ongoing growth in the next five years.
What She Does
Tracy manages our Finance Department which consists of a team of six wages clerks, invoice clerks and accounts payable clerks. She is also responsible for the credit control for the company and manages all financial aspects of the First Choice.
Tracy oversee's her team to ensure all temporary employees receive monies due, clients pay monies owed and the First Choice suppliers receive payments in a timely manner.
Tracy keeps abreast of changes in financial and employee legislation to ensure our systems and processes remain as up to date as possible. She also liaises with the branch administrative and management teams to ensure compliance Company wide.
Her Story
Tracy joined the First Choice Team in February 2004 as the Company's Credit Controller. She had come from a sales with an element of responsibility for bringing in payments within the sales aftercare role.
Having succeeded in streamlining our credit control and the systems therein Tracy commenced building relationships the ever-growing Accounts and Account Managers that First Choice were securing.
Tracy was promoted to Finance Manager in January 2018.
What Drives Her
Tracy is driven by achievement. Knowing that she has completed tasks and made achievements during her working day is what drives her to do it all over again the next day.
Her Archetype
Tracy says she doesn't really have an archetype and cannot describe herself within those parameters
Five Year Plan
Tracy has said that she does not look that far into the future, she only focuses on the months ahead and within those months she aims to be as happy and content as she can.
What She Does
Karen is the Manager of our Head Office in Belfast. Her role consists of managing the Belfast Office on a day to day basis and developing the commercial and industrial business within the Greater Belfast Area.
Her Story
Karen joined the First Choice Team in February 2005 and is one of our longest serving employees, having worked for several years within another agency. Karen had a catering managerial background and initially worked within this sector of recruitment with First Choice.
Karen then managed our Coleraine Office for a period of time before relocating back to Belfast were she not only works as the Deputy Manager but also is a part of our First Choice Training Team.
She currently has management responsibility for ten other team members.
Karen also assists senior management with the training and development of consultants right across the company spectrum and is often seconded to other branches for brief periods of time.
What Drives Her
Karen is driven by relationship building and retention of clients. She says she gets satisfaction from knowing that a job has been completed.
Her Archetype
Karen is the "Wise Old Woman" or the "Sage" - she has wisdom and judgement and offers advice where necessary.
Five Year Plan
Karen fully intends to be on a beach with a cocktail in her hand!
What She Does
Sarah is the Divisional Supervisor for our Healthcare Department in Ballymena. Her role consists of managing the Ballymena Healthcare team of three and also jointly managing the Ballymena Office Team of nine. Her core responsibility is to develop the Healthcare Business in the greater Ballymena Area.
Sarah is also First Choice's Deputy Safeguarding Officer and works alongside Michelle in dealing with all safeguarding concerns, allegations and disciplinary procedures. She liaises with employees, clients, other safeguarding teams and regulatory bodies as part of this role.
Her Story
Sarah joined the First Choice Team in March 2006 and is one of our longest serving employees, having come from an administration background she commenced working in First Choice as a payroll administrator.
Sarah was then promoted to Healthcare Consultant in January 2008 having assisted with the Healthcare Team in various ways throughout the previous year.
With the knowledge and skills she developed Sarah was increasing the Healthcare Business and the team numbers increased. At this point Sarah was promoted to Senior Healthcare Consultant in Belfast in 2013.
Having succesfuly managed a team of three staff Sarah was given the opportunity for further promotion and relocated to our Ballymena Branch as a Divisonal Supervisor in September 2018.
What Drives Her
Sarah is driven by sourcing "Dream Jobs" for candidates that her team register.
Her Archetype
Sarah is a "Hero" - she encourages her team to do more and will sacrifice herself for the better of others.
Five Year Plan
Sarah intends to still be with the company having progressed and developed in her Supervisory role.
What She Does
Stacey manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Healthcare Division within our Bangor Office, servicing and maintaining client relationships and developing new business. Stacey is continually recruiting for Healthcare roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
Her Story
Stacey came to First Choice in 2012 as an administrator for the office after completing a degree in Law and Criminology. She brought with her a high level of customer service skills so having been trained on payroll she then assisted both divisions with recruitment and placements she was promoted to Healthcare Consultant in 2015. Stacy has recently been promoted To Bangor Team Leader following sustained growth for the office.
What Drives Her
Stacey is driven by her own personal development and success. She has achieved this throughout her dedication and loyalty to First Choice.
Her Archetype
Stacey is an "Innocent" - She just wants to be happy!
Five Year Plan
Stacey hopes to remain in First Choice and be in a more senior role.
Belfast Team
What She Does
Karen is the Manager of our Head Office in Belfast. Her role consists of managing the Belfast Office on a day to day basis and developing the commercial and industrial business within the Greater Belfast Area.
Her Story
Karen joined the First Choice Team in February 2005 and is one of our longest serving employees, having worked for several years within another agency. Karen had a catering managerial background and initially worked within this sector of recruitment with First Choice.
Karen then managed our Coleraine Office for a period of time before relocating back to Belfast were she not only works as the Deputy Manager but also is a part of our First Choice Training Team.
She currently has management responsibility for ten other team members.
Karen also assists senior management with the training and development of consultants right across the company spectrum and is often seconded to other branches for brief periods of time.
What Drives Her
Karen is driven by relationship building and retention of clients. She says she gets satisfaction from knowing that a job has been completed.
Her Archetype
Karen is the "Wise Old Woman" or the "Sage" - she has wisdom and judgement and offers advice where necessary.
Five Year Plan
Karen fully intends to be on a beach with a cocktail in her hand!
What He Does
Michael has overall responsilbilty for the Belfast Healthcare Team Members as the Team Leader of the Healthcare Division within the Belfast Branch.
As part of the Healthcare Team Michael manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates, however his main responsibilities are developing the business within the Healthcare Division and directing his team to maintain client relationships and successfully place candidates in positions
His Story
Michael worked for ten years within the civil service and then began his Healthcare career within the HR department of a Domicilary Care Company where he was responsible for the recruitment and selcetion of staff. Wanting to develop his skills and abilities further he joined First Choice in March 2017.
Michael was promoted to Healthcare Team Leader in September 2018 and currently has responsibility for 4 other team members.
What Drives Him
Michael is driven by setting targets, achieveing targets, assisting his team acheive targets and seeing the business that he is responsible for grow from strength to strength.
His Archetype
Michael is a "Jester" - he lives in the moment and enjoys each day.
Five Year Plan
Michael wants to make as much money as possible and be in the Bahamas because he has retired!
If that doesn't work for him he would like to be further promoted in First Choice to a more managerial role.
What She Does
Karen works alongside Bernadette managing the recruitment of all Healthcare Staff within the Belfast Office. She is responsible for advertising vacant positions, shortlisting, interviewing all candidates and processing them until they are work compliant.
Her Story
Karen worked as a care assistant initially whilst studying for her Diploma in Care Practice. Once she had acheived this she went on to further her career as a care co-ordinator in a domicilary care company. It was after this she joined First Choice Bangor in July 2007 as a Healthcare Consultant.
Karen transferred to our Head Office in September 2015 in a new role the company had created.
What Drives Her
Karen is driven by recruiting good quality staff the the consultanst within her team can placed successfully, pleasing both candidate and client. She is focused on organistaion and completion and gets great satisfaction from seeing people that she registers becoming ready and available for work.
Her Archetype
Karen is a "Magician" - she likes to make dreams come true.
Five Year Plan
Karen currently works part-time and within five years would like to return to full-time work and be gearing herself towards a promotion within the company.
What She Does
Gina works as part of a five person Healthcare Team in the Belfast Head Office. She manages the servicing of our existing clients, the management of our large Healthcare Accounts and the placement of our Healthcare Candidates.
Her Story
Gina has had multiple customer facing roles throughout her employment history and brings with her many skills in this area which are vital to her role in First Choice. Gina is also a volunteer for a local organisation in which she assists members with applications, completion of forms, dealing with cash and financial planning.
What Drives Her
Gina is driven by seeing other members of the public satisfied with the work she has done for them. She is keen to secure the right employment for the right person and does not just fit any person into any role. Gina has a round hole, round peg attitude.
Her Archetype
Amy is an "Innocent" - wanting to be happy in her chosen career and to be surrounded by like minded individuals
Five Year Plan
Gina plans to continue with First Choice for as long as she can, learning new skills and developing herself as part of her personal development goals
What He Does
Craig, as part of a team, manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors within our Belfast Head Office. He is continually recruiting for various roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
His Story
Craig came with administrative and customer services experience from roles within the civil service and other governement agencies. He started work with First Choice in February 2018, initially as an administrative assistant. It very soon became clear that Craig had a great deal of customer service skills and was assisting the consultants matching candidates to roles and dealing directly with clients regarding their recruitment needs.
Craig was promoted to Recruitment Consultant in January 2019.
What Drives Him
Craig is driven by his own personal development and strives to improve on his own capabilities continually.
His Archetype
Craig is a "Jester" - he lives in the moment and is concerned with succesfully fulfilling his role on a day to day basis.
Five Year Plan
Craig intends to remain with first Choice in a more senior / Team Leader role.
What She Does
Shannen runs the Payroll and Adminsitraion within our Belfast Head Office and works alongside Elaine. She manages the payroll for all temporary staff, handles clients payments, deals with queries from both clients and candidates and is the first point of contact for the office.
Her Story
Shannen has studied business and prior to joining First Choice in August 2017 Shannen had some administartion roles but was keen to get involved in a payroll department.
Shannen was promoted to Senior Payroll Administrator in January 2018.
What Drives Her
Shannen is driven by customer satisfactions. She is driven by ensuring her department runs smoothly and efficently.
Her Archetype
Shannen is a "Caregiver" - she gives entirely of herself to make sure others are looked after.
Five Year Plan
Shannen plans to remain with First Choice and have developed her career through us.
What She Does
Elaine works in the Payroll and Adminsitraion department within our Belfast Head Office alongside Shannen. She assists in the payroll for all temporary staff, handles Clients payments, deals with queries from both clients and candidates and is the first point of contact for the office.
Her Story
Elaine worked for fourteen years within a payroll department and when this job ceased she joined First Choice in November 2018. Elaine brought with her a high level of knowledge within Human Resources, Payroll and Customer Service.
What Drives Her
Elaine is driven by the constant change within the Recruitment environment. She enjoys meeting new people daily and having differenct tasks and challenges on a daily basis.
Her Archetype
Elaine is a "Caregiver" - she makes sure everyone around her is satisfied and cared for before herself.
Five Year Plan
Elaine has said she would like the opportunity to work within the consultancy department at some stage in the future.
Ballymena Team
What She Does
Sarah is the Divisional Supervisor for our Healthcare Department in Ballymena. Her role consists of managing the Ballymena Healthcare team of three and also jointly managing the Ballymena Office Team of nine. Her core responsibility is to develop the Healthcare Business in the greater Ballymena Area.
Sarah is also First Choice's Deputy Safeguarding Officer and works alongside Michelle in dealing with all safeguarding concerns, allegations and disciplinary procedures. She liaises with employees, clients, other safeguarding teams and regulatory bodies as part of this role.
Her Story
Sarah joined the First Choice Team in March 2006 and is one of our longest serving employees, having come from an administration background she commenced working in First Choice as a payroll administrator.
Sarah was then promoted to Healthcare Consultant in January 2008 having assisted with the Healthcare Team in various ways throughout the previous year.
With the knowledge and skills she developed Sarah was increasing the Healthcare Business and the team numbers increased. At this point Sarah was promoted to Senior Healthcare Consultant in Belfast in 2013.
Having succesfuly managed a team of three staff Sarah was given the opportunity for further promotion and relocated to our Ballymena Branch as a Divisonal Supervisor in September 2018.
What Drives Her
Sarah is driven by sourcing "Dream Jobs" for candidates that her team register.
Her Archetype
Sarah is a "Hero" - she encourages her team to do more and will sacrifice herself for the better of others.
Five Year Plan
Sarah intends to still be with the company having progressed and developed in her Supervisory role.
What She Does
Patricia works as part of a four person team in the Ballymena Office and acts as a supportive administrator to the consultants in the commercial and industrial sectors. Patricia is responsible for assisting in ensuring all candidates become compliant and ready for work and maintains our internal systems to monitor candidates and clients needs.
Her Story
Patricia has been employed in administrative roles during her professional career and worked for First Choice as a temporary employee for over four years with one of our largest clients. Patricia was such a reliable employee who was consistently praised for her work ethic, her reliability and her strong administrative and customer service skills that she was offered a permanent position with First Choice in September 2017.
What Drives Her
Patricia is driven by increasing her teams business, by recruiting more staff and getting them out to work allowing the Commercial and Industrial Business to succeed.
Her Archetype
Patricia is a "Hero" - she wants to prove herself to colleagues and clients.
Five Year Plan
Patricia fully intends to remain within her First Choice Team and continuing to grow the business.
What She Does
Diane runs the Payroll and Administration within our Ballymena Office. She manages the payroll for all temporary staff, handles Clients payments, deals with queries from both clients and candidates and is the first point of contact for the office. Diane takes overall responsibility for the smooth running of the office as a whole.
Her Story
Diane worked for four years as an Office Administrator within the HR Department for a large supermarket chain. Within this role she undertook the payroll duties of a large volume of staff. When Diane joined First Choice in June 2018 we were keen for her to bring her HR and payroll skills to our company.
What Drives Her
Diane is a very driven person, she thrives on the fact that no two days are the same within First Choice and that she is constantly using her skills and knowledge.
Her Archetype
Diane is a "Caregiver" - she says her mottos is to do unto others what you want others to do to you.
Five Year Plan
Diane would be keen to become more involved within the Finance side of our business within the next five years.
Bangor Team
What She Does
Stacey manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Healthcare Division within our Bangor Office, servicing and maintaining client relationships and developing new business. Stacey is continually recruiting for Healthcare roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
Her Story
Stacey came to First Choice in 2012 as an administrator for the office after completing a degree in Law and Criminology. She brought with her a high level of customer service skills so having been trained on payroll she then assisted both divisions with recruitment and placements she was promoted to Healthcare Consultant in 2015. Stacy has recently been promoted To Bangor Team Leader following sustained growth for the office.
What Drives Her
Stacey is driven by her own personal development and success. She has achieved this throughout her dedication and loyalty to First Choice.
Her Archetype
Stacey is an "Innocent" - She just wants to be happy!
Five Year Plan
Stacey hopes to remain in First Choice and be in a more senior role.
Coleraine Team
What She Does
Samantha manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors within the Coleraine Region. She is continually recruiting for various roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
Her Story
Samantha worked for four years with the car sales business before deciding to transfer her skills into the Recruitment Business and joining First Choice. She understands the skills that she developed in previous roles lent themselves well to Recruitment Sales and she became a member of our Coleriane Team in December 2018.
What Drives Her
Samantha is driven by meeting and exceeding targets and winning new business from clients that are new to the benefits using First Choice can bring.
Her Archetype
Samantha is a "Joker" - light hearted, sociable and fun to work with and for.
Five Year Plan
Samantha hopes to remain in First Choice and be in a more senior role.
What He Does
Vinnie is one of our Healthcare Consultants and manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Healthcare Division for Coleraine and Foyle . He is continually recruiting for Healthcare roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
His Story
Vinnie began his recruitment career in Toronto, Canada, and thrived within this sector. Upon his return home he continued this career path within a permanent placement recruitment business before joining First Choice in June 2019.
What Drives Him
Vinnie and is driven by team work and client and candidate satisfaction.
His Archetype
Vinnie is a "Jester" who lives in the moment and wants to have a funfilled life.
Five Year Plan
Vinnie says that he is thriving within the tight knit team and working in a company that he can be proud of. He wants to continue like this and enjoying his work life and home life.
Lurgan/Dungannon Team
What She Does
Janete, as part of a team, manages the end to end recruitment process for both clients and candidates in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors within our Belfast Head Office. She is continually recruiting for various roles and is exceptional at matching candidates to specific roles.
Her Story
Before joining First Choice Janete had worked for numerous sales organisations both here and abroad. Janete relocated back to Northern Ireland and was looking for an opportunity to utilise her sales skills, her conquering mindset and her ability to develop client relationships and win new business. She joined the First Choice team in March 2019 to do exactly that.
What Drives Her
Janete is driven by being given ownership of roles, seeing processes through from start to finish and in working as part of a hugely successful team.
Her Archetype
Janete is an "Explorer" - she wants to experience new things and have a very fulfilling life.
Five Year Plan
Janete intends to have successfully settled within First Choice and be developing her career further at the end of five years.
Training Team
Who She Is
Michelle is the Manager of First Choice Training and is the one that organises the weekly training courses, what courses are on where and which trainers are taking them. She also centrally manages the organisation of training that clients have requested and prepares these for delivery.
Michelle is always trying to improve the quality and type of courses First Choice deliver and is often requesting that the training team devise new bespoke courses in certain areas as she has a vision to deliver it.
What She Trains
Michelle trained for many years and found that it was a passion for her. However, she rarely actively teaches now as she is more involved in the implementation and delivery of our courses.
Why She Trains
Michelle created and developed the Training Division in First Choice because she saw a need to be able to offer clients good quality, reliable and fully trained care staff. She has said that she was, less than enthusiastic, about her care staffs training so decided she was going to do it herself. This started her on the road of becoming a qualified trainer and progressively building the division in the last number of years.
First Choice Training Thoughts
Michelle has said that her team of trainers are, "The best in the business" Her team follow all regulatory and mandatory requirements when it comes to training but also offer these in a bespoke, unique way.
"You just have to glimpse at the feedback we receive from employees and clients alike to see that our trainers deliver over and above what is expected and really assist in the learning and development of employees"
Who She Is
Karen is, not only, one of our longest serving First Choice employees but is also our longest serving trainer. Karen undertakes regular training courses along side her main sales role within our Head Office. She joined the Training Team in its infancy back in 2011 and assisted in the progression and development of it to become the establishment it is today.
What She Trains
Karen is a fully qualified Food Hygiene Trainer, First Aid Trainer and Fire Awareness Trainer. She also trains in Infection Control, COSHH and certain soft skills.
Why She Trains
Karen enjoys the training aspect of her role at First Choice. She has said she is keen to assist people learn in an interactive and enjoyable way. Karen has said the skills she instils in people can only benefit them in their working careers but also in their personal life.
First Choice Training Thoughts
Karen has said that First Choice Training is, by far, the most innovative, interactive and forward thinking training courses that she has ever been involved in. She said the fact that the trainers that First Choice employ are not only trainers but also have working industry knowledge of the areas they train in sets them apart from many other training companies.
Who He Is
Darran is, not only a trainer for First Choice, but also for the civil service. He joined our Training Division in March 2012 and has steadily developed a range of training material to suit the ever growing needs of our employees and our business. Darran is qualified through the Health and Safety Executive, The National Examination Body of Occupational Safety and Health and holds a Diploma in Teaching in The Lifelong Sector.
What He Trains
Darran trains in Risk Assessments, Challenging Behaviour, Conflict Management, Health and Safety in The Workplace. COSHH, Dementia Awareness, Suicide Intervention, Clinical Skills and many many more.
Why He Trains
Darran has trained for such a long time he has said that he has fallen in love with enabling other people to improve their skills and their abilities. He has said that his main aim in a training course is to change and better peoples thought processes to handle situations better. As Darrans courses are not about teaching how to use equipment but how to think differently in certain situations it can be emotionally provoking for attendees and trainer alike.
First Choice Training Thoughts
Darran has said that becoming a trainer for First Choice has taught him, as a trainer, so much. He has met such a range of wonderful employees over the years that have helped him grow and develop as a trainer. Darran has said he gets his information from his trainees which allows him to improve his course content and keep it appropriate and relevant to the day to day workplace.
Who He Is
Gary commenced employment with First Choice as a temporary Support Worker with our Bangor Branch. He worked in numerous environments and then secured a permanent role in a local supported living unit.Gary continued his studies and worked his way through the ranks , during which time he became interested in training others and began his training career as a Manual Handling Trainer.
Gary rejoined our team as a trainer in May 2014 and has been working in our Training Division ever since. He has been on regular training courses himself and has widened his training portfolio through First Choice.
What He Trains
Gary is a fully qualified Client Handling, Manual Handling, First Aid, CPR, AED, Clinical Skills, Infection Control and Safeguarding Trainer.
Why He Trains
Gary still works within the Healthcare environment alongside his training work. He has said this is a perfect balance of doing what he loves caring for those that need and promoting independence as far as possible whilst teaching others to do the same to the best of their abilities.
First Choice Training Thoughts
Gary has never been involved in a Training Team prior to joining our team at First Choice. He has said that the First Choice Training Team all fully understand that training is a continuously evolving subject matter and that no two courses that they run will ever be the same. He said working with knowledgeable, respectful trainers that are working to the same ethos and end goal as yourself is so important and that's what makes the team he belongs to a real asset to First Choice.