Like most people, when I left university, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I chose accountancy as it offered a potential stepping stone to other things and offered me a grounding in business that I though could be useful later on in my career.

During my time working for audit firm Arthur Andersen in London and then in-house at Credit Suisse I realised that I wasn't a ‘numbers person’ particularly and that interacting with people was more of a calling. Whilst looking for some career advice I met a handful of recruitment consultants and what they did day to day piqued my interest. One of them, Robert Walters, offered me a job recruiting accountants for commercial clients in Central London and I jumped at it. That was 19 years ago and I've been in recruitment ever since.

I joined Michael Page after a year in the business and that’s where I stayed for 10 years, recruiting HR and finance talent in London, Sydney and Hong Kong. I had found a job I had a real passion for and I was enjoying the varied nature of the position and the challenges it posed on a daily basis.

In 2005 I set up Profile Search & Selection with a colleague from Michael Page, Andrew Oliver. Apart from jointly running the company I manage the HR recruitment practice, an area I have specialised in for 12 years. Over the eight years we’ve been in business we have set up offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing, have grown the company to 60 people and have won several headhunting industry awards over the years. 

During my two decades in recruitment I have had the good fortune to interview and advise thousands of candidates in different countries and at different levels and stages in their career. I've seen the consequences of poor decision-making and also what happens when professionals have approached career decisions the right way. 

Sometimes it has boiled down to the person’s personality and common sense but for some there has been a more experienced mentor or advisor who has provided a sounding board.  Making decisions in isolation is risky and not everyone has a trusted confidante to turn to.

I hope I can impart some of the knowledge I have picked up along the way and help professionals at all levels make the right decisions about their careers when they reach those critical crossroads. I am very much looking forward to sharing my thoughts and assisting readers in making sure that they head down the right path. 

Richard Letcher, the co-founder and managing director of Profile Search & Selection, has 19 years recruitment experience gained in the UK, Australia and Asia.