The Resilient Recruiter

“Leaving people in the situation where all their major needs are met. For us, that is what a truly employee-centric model is. It is putting our people’s needs first so that they are at their best, and in turn they will make sure that the service they are providing to our clients and candidates is also at its best.” This is how my special guest, Saira Demmer, explains their approach to creating a culture of high performance. If you are looking for strategies to increase your employee engagement and individual performance, I am sure you will enjoy this episode! Saira is the CEO of SF Recruitment Group, a specialist recruitment firm located in the Midlands. Since 1998, SF Group has placed over 40,000 people and they’ve been recognized as one of the Top 20 companies to work for in the UK. Saira is passionate about employee engagement and since joining SF has introduced a new people-centric business model which has delivered an increase of over 60% in individual employee performance and reward.  Episode Outline and Highlights [1:45] From corporate to a big investment firm to recruiting - Saira shared how she fell in love with the recruitment industry. [10:54] How employee engagement is promoted at SF Group. [19:02] “Work where and when you want” - learn what this means in SF’s way of working. [26:10] Is it possible to enable people to measure and track performance without imposing KPIs? [30:23] The SF Experience and how it creates an environment where people can be successful. [34:08] Promoting intellectual freedom with a culture of coaching and guidance. [37:37] SF’s efforts in developing seniority and compensation to enhance performance. [40:42] How SF celebrates and shares success stories within the business. [46:53] Saira shares their plans for SF's expansion. How to Create an Environment of High Performance Recruiters SF Recruitment was listed 18th in the UK's 'Top 100 Small Companies to Work For', securing a place in the Top 20 for the second year. Their commitment to employee engagement has not only garnered them local and national recognition, but it is reflected in their performance as well. After joining SF, Saira introduced a people-centric business model that doubled productivity. Saira’s insightful take on KPIs may nudge you to re-think your strategy in terms of performance management and employee engagement. Here are some key pointers that Saira shared which I encourage you to focus on in this episode: The work “where and when you want to” approach. Promoting intellectual freedom among recruiters in a coaching environment. Backing up performance with an Employee Ownership Scheme The SF Recruitment Experience To show the level of commitment they have for their employee experience, Saira came up with a business model called the SF Experience. This is an approach wherein they are able to build a high-performing culture through autonomy and flexibility. Benchmarking of packages and earnings is regularly done. In fact, one notable achievement by Saira is achieving a 0% gender pay gap at SF three years after reporting a 23% gap in 2018! This combination of benefits indeed results in better profitability and employee retention. Listen to this episode to hear the specifics directly from Saira. An Insightful Take on KPIs  I am a firm believer in knowing your numbers. Metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) are incredibly valuable in order to manage and optimize your performance. Interestingly, Saira mentioned that in SF, they do not impose KPIs. I asked Saira to what extent they enable people to measure their milestones resulting in placements and billings? Be sure to listen to this interview to discover her answer. Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Saira Demmer Bio and Contact Info Saira is CEO at SF Group, a specialist recruitment firm headquartered in the Midlands. Saira joined in 2018 having previously been UK CEO and CFO at Ignata where she played a key role in building the group to over £40m of turnover today. Her knowledge of recruitment and talent solutions was honed during six years spent in Deloitte’s M&A strategy team, where she was involved in a number of high-profile deals in the recruitment sector. Outside of the boardroom, Saira is also a dedicated adventurer, she previously climbed half of Mount Everest and loves to travel the world to pursue her love of open-water diving. Saira on LinkedIn SF Recruitment website link SF Recruitment on Facebook SF Recruitment on Twitter @sfrecruiters SF Recruitment on YouTube People and Resources Mentioned James Caan on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#81 James Caan on the 10 Characteristics of Highly Successful Recruitment Entrepreneurs   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Best results come from the best talents, and the best talents can be found in the best places to work. How do you make your recruitment company a top place to work? My guest, David Cathey, reveals their standards and practices that made his firm, Unity Search Group, amongst the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work for three years running. David is a Partner at Unity Search. He oversees Unity's finance, accounting and tax consulting/contract, Unity's IT division and Unity's practice development, including training and development of our core team members, along with client development, relationship management and candidate recruiting. Episode Outline and Highlights [01:24] How David and I got acquainted via podcast. [03:45] Discussion on training and why it is important to approach different learning modalities. [08:50] David reveals Unity Search’s ‘train-the-trainer’ approach and how it builds a supportive environment for newly hired recruiters. [14:30] The advantages of growing your own talent versus hiring someone with years of experience. [19:30] Hear best practices when hiring rookie recruiters. [24:22] Know more about Unity KPIs, standards, and how they build a culture of accountability. [29:33] Great ideas on gamifying your KPIs to drive a self-managing culture. [35:06] Distinction between micromanagement and helping your team to be successful. [41:30] Are client visits still ‘fashionable’ for recruiters? [50:05] The problem with Vendor Management Systems (VMS) - and how to avoid them. [53:55] David shares his battle with the ‘impostor syndrome.’ [1:02:00] What is next with Unity Search? Continuous Learning and Establishing a Culture of Accountability In our conversation, you will hear David shared Unity Search’s approach on team development focusing in the following areas: The importance of continuous learning and approaching different learning modalities Best practices in hiring inexperienced recruiters  Train-the-trainer approach  How to get consistent results by establishing a self-managing culture and accountability Why It’s Time to Start Doing Client Visits Again Because of the pandemic, most recruiters stopped or drastically reduced the number of in-person client meetings. The advent of technology also made it possible for recruiters to engage via Zoom or MS Teams which brings us to the question: “Are client visits still relevant when it comes to recruitment?” Dave shared how client visits are one of his team’s KPIs and how meeting clients face-to-face is more relevant than ever, now that pandemic related restrictions are getting more lenient. He shared his philosophy behind it, “You are not going to date someone long term and develop a long-term relationship if you haven’t seen them face-to-face.” David explained that the pandemic really took that in-person element away because everybody was working remotely.  He then elaborated, “What ended up happening at least for our business … is your client visits turned to just phone call check-ins.” Now that restrictions have been lifted, David is making sure his team is taking the opportunity to get back out there and get in front of them. If you are running a local desk, this is something that you may want to look at to further engage with your clients and establish more connections. As Dave shared, “Sometimes meeting them for a cup of coffee, they love that because they are going out of their house.” Are You Struggling with Impostor Syndrome? If you are experiencing persistent self-doubt on your skills, talents and accomplishments, you may be suffering from impostor syndrome. This is like an elephant in the room that talented recruiters and recruitment business owners may be hesitant to discuss but it is something that everybody feels every once in a while. David courageously shared his battle with the impostor syndrome and how he overcame it.  “I’ve really worked on changing my attitude towards impostor syndrome” David stated. You may be able to relate on how it can hold you back in your career or how it can make it difficult to engage with a client. David realized that it is actually rooted in fear and not getting out of his comfort zone. He then shared how he turned it into a benefit for him and the steps he took to get out of that comfort zone. I hope that you too can appreciate the nuggets of wisdom in this part of the interview. Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  David Cathey Bio and Contact Info David’s experience includes over 15 years of executive recruiting on both a direct hire basis and consulting/contract recruiting basis. Throughout his recruiting career, his primary focus has been in accounting, finance, tax and information technology. After spending time as a Financial Analyst and Senior Pricing Manager for a large multinational organization, David began his recruiting career with one of the largest, US domestic recruiting firms, working in the Dallas/Fort Worth market for over 7 years. He established himself as a top performer in the organization, earning multiple incentive trips throughout his time as a producer.  At Unity Search, David’s focus remains in development of core information technology, accounting, finance, and tax recruitment and consulting for (and with) our clients. David’s focus on being relationship driven and process oriented allows Unity Search to service our clients at our best. David on LinkedIn Unity Search website link Unity Search on YouTube People and Resources Mentioned Bob Marshall on LinkedIn Joe Slenning on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Many recruiters claim to provide excellent customer service. Certainly, nobody sets out with the goal of delivering bad service. But is customer satisfaction built into your recruitment process, and most importantly do you actually measure it?  My podcast guest, Nick Eaves, is the Chief Customer Officer of Stanton House.  As his job title suggests, customer experience is something they take very seriously indeed. They’ve made customer satisfaction central to the way they engage with clients and candidates.   Nick believes it’s a key differentiator and one of the secrets to their success. The results speak for themselves - Stanton House is one of the UK’s fastest-growing recruitment companies. Since launching in 2010, they have scaled to £35m and a team of 80 people with offices in the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. Episode Outline and Highlights: [06:48] Candidates and clients are both customers  [09:47] Nick explains their systems and processes to enhance customer experience [12:30] Being a hero at Stanton House requires more than being a great biller [15:34] Nick shares examples of how they differentiate their brand [18:20] What does their customer experience look like? [21:20] How to create a narrative with your customers in a customer-centric environment [26:50] What training do they provide to ensure that their team delivers excellent value [31:50] What motivated Nick to co-found Stanton House in 2010? [36:00] The switch from recruiting to starting a recruitment business [38:50] What are the success factors driving Stanton House forward? [41:40] How and why Stanton House has evolved away from the 360 model [46:50] Employing experienced recruiters vs developing professionals with no recruitment experience, which is best? [52:10] What characteristics do they seek in their team members? [53:50] The Pathway Program - how it promotes diversity internally and for their customers [57:55] Stanton House’s international expansion Candidates and Clients Both Deserve Outstanding Customer Service “When we started the company, right from the start, the one thing that we were adamant was going to be different about Stanton House was that we are passionate about the customer experience and that was going to be the heart of everything we did. It is part of the DNA and it remained true until today,” Nick expands on how much value their brand attaches to ensuring that both clients and candidates enjoy the level of service they deserve.  He states that the recruitment industry often treats clients very well but not candidates so much. Yet, both are just people and the investment that a candidate has with a recruitment company has a far greater impact on the candidate than on the client.  Therefore, Stanton House has a comprehensive system in place to ensure that they always deliver on customer satisfaction and this is the foundation of their success. Exploring the Factors that Contributed to Their Success When Nick and co-founder Neil Wilson founded Stanton House, they didn’t have any clients and could only rely on their networks. They were determined to make their venture a success and create a brand that values customer service.   One challenge was that neither had actively run a recruitment desk for a while. Their solution was to get funding from investors so they could hire excellent people from the beginning. Nick highlights the following factors as the keys to the success they enjoy: The vision and the ambition to scale The desire to make a statement to the industry that if you operate with integrity, you can still win commercially. The culture, vision and values are the backbone of the business. Therefore, they hire people who share the same values as they do.  Why Experience Isn’t the Most Important Criteria When Recruiting Recruiters When hiring internally, values fit is essential. It is why Stanton House often employs people without recruitment experience and then provides excellent training to give them the skills to be successful in the industry.  Nick states that one of the most important things they are looking for in candidates for internal employment is the ability to overcome adversity. They prefer candidates who had to face severe challenges in their past and managed to overcome these challenges.  They’re looking for individuals who will care about the customer experience and are not only concerned with making money. Work ethic and shared values are what bind their team and not age, gender, background or experience. This is how they manage to remain a team that achieves greatness.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Nick Eaves Bio and Contact Info  Nick Co-Founded Stanton House back in 2010 and has played his part in building the Business to the 80+ people it is today.  Stanton House operates in the UK, Asia and the US in a range of professional service verticals and the vision for the Business is to Achieve Outstanding Performance through exceptional customer experiences.   This balance of ambitious business success, a focus on the Customer and a true commitment to strong values go to the heart of Stanton House. As Chief Customer Officer, Nick is the custodian of measuring and enhancing that customer offering.   Nick on LinkedIn Stanton House website link Acuity Partners website link Just Giving website link Stanton House on Instagram Stanton House on Twitter  People and Resources Mentioned Mark Farris on  LinkedIn Katrina Collier on LinkedIn Robot-Proof Recruiter: A survival guide for recruitment and sourcing professionals by Katrina Collier Steve Beckitt on LinkedIn Sourcebreaker website link Romney Rawes Recruitment Growth Accelerator Course  SenseHQ Neil Wilson on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR #98 How to Partner Successfully with Human Resources, Talent Acquisition and Hiring Managers, with Katrina Collier   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

If you’re tired of being treated as a “vendor” and want to forge true partnerships with your clients, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Many recruiters would like to shift from a transactional business model to a more consultative, value added one. The challenge is that both the recruiter and the client are constrained by old patterns — outdated ways of thinking and doing things. They recognize their recruitment process is incredibly inefficient but they don’t know how else to do it. Listen in to my fascinating interview with Steven Street about how he’s disrupting the ways recruitment services are traditionally sold and delivered and creating joint-ventures with client companies to solve their talent acquisition challenges. Since 2015, Steven has been the CEO of Cubed Talent Management – incorporating Cubed Recruitment, Indigo Healthcare Recruitment, and Cubed Academy. Cubed Talent Management brings a new approach to strategic talent management for the engineering, FMCG, electronics, manufacturing and supply chain sectors. Steven started his recruiting career over 25 years ago. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:00] Steven shared his humble beginnings [10:18] What is Steven’s “person-to-person” principle? [20:30] How to establish a true partnership with your clients [29:05] An interesting discussion about repositioning in the recruitment sector [32:10] How to make ‘in-house’ an opportunity instead of a threat [42:30] Learn more about the joint-venture and gain-share business models [55:21] “Be an individual” - how this advice relevant to help your recruitment business

Why should clients do business with you instead of your competition? What do you offer that is genuinely unique? Couldn’t your competitors make exactly the same claim? Are your prospects able to discern the difference between what you offer vs your closest competitors? It’s not easy to explain how your service is better in a way that is tangible and believable. Yet it’s critical that you create a “unique value proposition” if you’re going to thrive in a saturated recruitment market – especially during tough times. In this episode of the Resilient Recruiter, my special guests, Kevin Redman and Matt Halfpenny share their journey – the highs and lows – and discuss how they have differentiated their service from their competitors. Kevin and Matt are owners of the Property Recruitment Company, founded in 2012 with offices in London and Manchester. Episode Outline and Highlights [1:34] The how and why - Kevin tells the story of how he started the business in 2012. [6:57] Matt and Kevin unveil their “highs and lows” that they had to navigate through as leaders and entrepreneurs. [12:52] A vision of trying to be different and having a unique value proposition. [16:10] Kevin and Matt talk about differentiating themselves from the competition and what you can learn as a recruiter. [29:46] What it means to lead the change in recruitment instead of just catching up. [33:05] How the retained model can provide more options, flexibility, and a better sense of protection to your clients. [41:10] “The CV is dying” - this is a bold statement you should hear more about! [50:00] What the future holds for the property recruitment company

How resilient is your recruitment business? What will you do the next time there’s a financial crisis, like we experienced in 2020? In this interview, my guest Lauren Stiebing describes the experience of her pipeline evaporating in March 2020. She goes on to reveal how she used that setback as an opportunity to create new service offerings that complimented her core business. Best of all, the new Mentoring program she developed aligned with her passion for and commitment to championing gender diversity. Could you recession-proof your recruitment business by creating multiple revenue streams? Listen-in to Lauren describing her process for researching the market, creating a “minimum viable product” and sales strategy leading to a very successful launch.  She also shares how she uses “video sales letters” as part of her fresh and innovative approach towards marketing. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:50] Behind the scenes of a podcast and overcoming nerves. [03:50] What happened at LS International in the last two years? [06:45] Don’t panic! Lauren’s key lessons learned during this period. [11:03] Had no searches to work on, so she used the downtime to develop a new service offering [12:22] How the need for female talent in leadership roles led to a new venture [16:04] Find out how creating an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) can prevent paralysis by analysis to stop you from proceeding on a new venture [20:03] Lauren shares why they are not planning to grow the mentoring business too quickly [22:50] There is value in taking a step back from your network and seeing with whom you can partner for future ventures [24:30] What did the marketing process look like and how did Lauren include selling through teaching? [25:57] What is a “video sales letter” and why should you create one?  [31:33] What is the value of a landing page? [36:50] Change required that Lauren steps out of her comfort zone, what did she learn from this? [40:00] How to use podcasts to your advantage to build trust with your audience [42:45] Can you hire less experienced recruiters and develop them successfully? Female Mentorship - Answering a Need In the Market When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Lauren suddenly had no searches to work on. She was coming off a record year and had money in the bank, so at first she didn’t panic. But as the months went by without any signs of improvement, she realized she had to try something new. “Always analyzing the market, analyzing what is happening and when you see a gap or a need, to really create a minimal viable product and see how the client reacts,” is how Lauren describes her process for developing a new service offering. What Lauren realized is that there was a need for mentorships for female executives.  Her clients often struggled to recruit female talent into leadership roles.  So rather than recruiting outside talent, companies should invest to develop and advance their own female employees so they could promote them internally.  This is how LS Elevate, Lauren’s mentorship program came into existence. Her initial goal was to sell 10 mentorship programs in the first year.  However, the sales and marketing campaign exceeded her expectations and she ended up selling 27 - more than double her original target. Now, in the second year of the program, she is ready to expand but is cautious about growing too quickly.  She would rather enjoy sustainable, long-term growth instead of over-extend herself. Especially since her search business has picked up again.  Podcasts Are The Perfect Way to Present Yourself As An Authority Lauren has published roughly 60 podcasts and states that these podcasts play a vital role to earn the trust of potential clients and candidates. When she already has a rapport with these people when they meet for the first time, it makes discussions and negotiations so much easier.  Lauren is also committed to constantly trying out new and different marketing ideas to see what delivers the best results. One of her most effective marketing strategies are “video sales letters.” In this interview, she shares all you need to know to create your first video sales letter.  Plans for Growth and Hiring for Attitude Over Experience Lauren is growing her team once again and I asked what she looks for in a potential hire.  She believes that “learning, agility, and curiosity are what is going to make someone successful.”  comes Lauren’s words infused by her own experiences and the many mistakes she made as a young recruiter. Lauren is highly committed to the learning and development of her team and wishes for them to step outside of their comfort zones and to explore wider horizons on the constant journey of self-improvement.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Lauren Stiebing Bio and Contact Info  Lauren is a small-town girl with big dreams. She has a degree in International Studies from Louisiana State University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her passion for head-hunting, top-notch networking abilities and being a skilled judge of people made her an experienced head-hunter. She is the founder of LS International, persevering, hard-working, resilient and has high personal standards.  She is dedicated to the success of every client and candidate with a burning ambition to transform executive search. Lauren specializes in finding the best people for Sales, Marketing, and General Management positions in the consumer goods industry across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Her relationships with candidates and clients give her a broad and deep knowledge of markets and people. Both clients and candidates acknowledge that they love working with her because of her unique ability to craft solutions that balance client needs with candidate interests. Extensive international travel allows Lauren to pursue her hobbies of collecting currency and attending electronic music events.  Lauren on LinkedIn LS International on Twitter LS International website link LS International Podcast People and Resources Mentioned Larry Weinberg LS International Blog Article  - How to Increase Female Promotability by 66% LS International Careers Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR 10 How to Build Your Personal Brand As A Recruiter   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Recruiters everywhere are experiencing a surge in demand for quality candidates combined with an increasing quest for diversity and inclusion. Traditional approaches and outdated processes are proving inadequate to meet these challenges. Consequently, many recruitment firms are failing to capitalize on the huge potential for growth. My next guest, Natasha Makhijani, has managed to transform these challenges into an opportunity to revolutionize the recruitment industry. In this episode, Natasha shares how her team has developed their own mobile apps to increase candidate attraction, engagement and diversity.  She also reveals how they ensure much greater diversity and how they’re pioneering the use of Amazon’s Alexa to stay at the cutting edge of executive search. Episode Outline and Highlights [0:30] Why I invited Natasha back for the second time on the show [03:38] Inclusion in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee - how did Oliver Sanderson earn this prestigious recognition? [09:28] How technology helped the brand to grow despite the pandemic [16:55] How Natasha creates employee engagement and provides practical and emotional support while working remotely [22:49] The benefit of having a dedicated research / market mapping team [25:46] What are the three types of recruiters the brand employs? [30:00} Natasha’s role as Co-Chair of the HR Section Group at APSCo [31:20] A revolutionary approach to diversity and inclusion  [35:00] The charity focused on helping to uplift emerging talent and overcome the challenges faced by marginalized professionals [39:46] How the Snapp CV app brings technology and search together to increase talent engagement in a candidate-driven market [49:40] Using effective video content to grab the attention of high-level professionals and get them into your recruitment process  [51:30] New ventures - Natasha’s success in finding investors for a radical solution taking the recruitment industry into a new direction.  Being a Part of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Across the UK, plans are put into place to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 2022 marks the 70th year since her ascension.   For the Oliver Sanderson team, this is an even more thrilling event as the recruitment business has been chosen as one of 70 companies across the UK that represents the values of the British Monarchy and what they stand for.  The brand is the only recruitment business that has received this honor and the team’s advances in the field of technology and taking the recruitment industry to a more digital world is what they are being recognized for.  “Alexa: Find Me a Job” When it comes to advances in technology, the team at Oliver Sanderson is at the forefront of development. Their Oliver Sanderson OS Executive App – brings digital innovation to the executive search process. Natasha explains, “when we go out and map the candidates, once we’ve got a long list of candidates whom we think are of interest. At that point, you can either just reach out to them or you can send them a link to an app which allows them to watch a little video.” If they like what they see, they can proceed from there onwards but you already got them to the point to make a small commitment. The app is proving to be a highly effective solution to combat the challenges of a candidate-driven market.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Natasha Makhijani Bio and Contact Info  Degree Qualified from City University and a Masters in HR from the USA. Natasha began her professional career with Hays Logistics on their graduate scheme. She set up the Victoria office with her manager, and within two years, the Victoria office and the staff of eight were the top-performing office in the country. She was offered the opportunity to work with Michael Page and Robert Walters. She started with Michael Page Human Resources, and she became their top biller within HR during her first year. She helped set up their St Albans office and then moved to London to set up permanent recruitment for the Public Sector. Later, Natasha was promoted to Managing Consultant and contributed to the growth of the Public sector office. She considers herself lucky to have had a revelation to an entrepreneurial community from an early age, and she believes this helped her to shape into somebody who is vibrant and enthusiastic and with a keen interest and passion for business. Oliver Sanderson is a dynamic brand in Executive Search & Selection that looks after Perm and Interim assignments to FTSE 100 & 250 clients. They offer retained, exclusive and contingent end-to-end recruitment in a variety of disciplines and serve major UK & Global sectors. They also provide cutting-edge service solutions to customers, ensuring the needs are met in tune with the changing marketplace. As the market changes, so do the needs of candidates and clients, and the expert team at Oliver Sanderson ensures there are strategies created around new topics matters, IR35 and BAME, to name a few, to satisfy client and candidate needs. Oliver Sanderson offers access to new products such as their mobile job app from candidate attraction, to Drag & Drop to 1st stage video interviewing platform through their sister company Snapp CV Group PLC. Devising an alternative method of recruitment through their technology strategy has helped to move forward in the recruitment space, and they are excited about developing the digital side to recruitment through the use of Artificial Intelligence with new products. Natasha on LinkedIn Oliver Sanderson Group PLC website link Oliver Sanderson Group PLC on LinkedIn Oliver Sanderson Group PLC on Instagram Oliver Sanderson Group PLC on Twitter @OliverSanders9 Oliver Sanderson Group PLC on Facebook Snapp CV website link People and Resources Mentioned APSCO website link Ann Swain on LinkedIn Diversely website link Helen McGuire on LinkedIn Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini Gary Vaynerchuk Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR 30 How to Open Doors and Build Relationships at C-Level TRR 90 How to Build a World-Class Talent Development Program TRR 57 Diversity as a Differentiator How Recruiters Can Attract 70% More Diverse Talent   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Would you like to generate an average revenue increase of 30% per year? In this interview, Simon La Fosse shares how La Fosse Associates has achieved this every year for the past 15 years.  When Simon founded La Fosse Associates, his focus was on creating a values-led company and treating people well – including team members and customers.  He firmly believes that the core values of Caring, Ambition and Humility have been a huge factor in company’s sustained success as they scaled to a team of 250 people.  Simon also expands on why La Fosse Associates give share options to everyone in the business and 40% of the company is owned by the employees. He explains how it has benefitted them not only with staff retention but has also created a culture where everyone is extremely motivated to contribute to the company’s consistent growth.  Their commitment to looking after the people on their team has earned the brand several awards. Another more recent but highly exciting addition to Simon’s portfolio is Futureproof. This venture is completely revolutionary and has the potential to set the recruitment industry off in a new direction. Through innovative thinking, Futureproof is a solution that overcomes the demand for more diversity and also addresses the severe talent shortage in technology. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:00] How does La Fosse retain their culture over multiple offices for so long? [8:35] Designing your company culture [10:50] Find out how care, ambition and humility are pillars in their brand [13:20} What does care look like in the recruitment industry? [18:56] How to use different ways to celebrate success  [25:02] Can you measure a culture fit during interviews? [31:50] Simon shares details about their share options and how it impacts their success [39:42] What are the secrets behind the commercial success La Fosse enjoys [46:50] Can you effectively measure the office vibe and what to do with the results? [49:29] What are the KPIs the management team focuses on? [53:30] Futureproof - a radical evolution in recruitment Why Do Values Play Such A Vital Role In La Fosse? “The better I treated people, the more successful I was,” this is the observation Simon made as he looked back on 15 years in the recruitment industry before he founded La Fosse Associates. Back then the recruitment industry was very competitive and income-driven, making his observation quite profound for the time. However, it was this wisdom that he took with him as he felt that it was something that would give his brand a key strategic advantage.  Today, the brand still operates on principles that celebrate care, ambition and humility as determining factors to their success. It is by upholding these principles and giving it space in everything they do that the brand manages to sustain its value-driven culture for more than a decade. Through sustaining this brand culture, it has earned several awards but even more importantly, La Fosse has been able to show 30% growth year on year, for the past 15 years.  At La Fosse Associates, 40% of the Company is Owned by the Staff – Why Is the Share Option Scheme Open to All Employees? The first characteristic that differentiates the way that La Fosse gives share options is the fact that the percentage of the business that is reserved for share options is much larger than usual.  I’m not aware of any other recruitment company that is 40% owned by the employees. The second is that they don’t only offer share options to the senior management team and the highest billers. Every employee has access to this opportunity.  “I started the business and I took the risk but you know I am one person amongst 250 and I don’t do much billing anymore. So, you can see where the value is being created and it is not me. So I think to say 60% seems really fair to leave me with,” Simon expands on how they came to the point of offering as much as 40% of the business to share options rather than the conventional 5-10%.  The longer you are part of the team and the more you progress in the level of role you fulfill, the larger your share option grows, but essentially everyone, even those who just started as fresh graduates, has access to this opportunity. Futureproof - Helping to Address Diversity and Talent Shortages in the Industry As the recruitment industry can be very stagnant, the foundation of Futureproof came as a breath of fresh air. Simon admits that it has been an expensive venture, but it represents a major transition in the recruitment industry. It allows the team to select the best of the pickings of graduates before putting them through relevant training and placing them in the workplace for two years. The academy enables them to present their clients with a diverse group of junior candidates. As students don’t have to pay for this training, it allows access to training on the basis of how good you are rather than whether you can afford to pay the fees. The result is fairness and diversity when it comes to the selection of suitable candidates they can present.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Simon La Fosse Bio and Contact Info  Simon is the founder and now Chair of the technology recruitment business La Fosse Associates. He also more recently founded a rapidly growing subsidiary business called Futureproof;  a diverse and free-to-learn tech academy. Everyone’s a shareholder in the group and the mission is to continue to rapidly grow a purpose-driven business with the hope of positively impacting the whole recruitment industry. La Fosse Associates has won a few awards for growth and the way they treat people, which they keep at the heart of their ethos as they continue to expand. La Fosse Associates is 15 years old, over 250 strong, has a number of UK offices, and established operations in Los Angeles and New York  Simon La Fosse on LinkedIn La Fosse Associates website link Futureproof website link La Fosse Associates on Instagram La Fosse Associates on Facebook La Fosse Associates on Twitter i-intro on Youtube Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Are you ready to progress from contingency to retained recruitment services but aren’t sure how to pitch it? It is often a lack of confidence in what truly differentiates your brand – and the value you can deliver – that keeps recruitment business owners trapped in a position of earning less than they deserve.    As the COO of i-intro, James O’Brien has helped hundreds of recruiters transition to a retained recruitment model.  He’s also a champion and advocate for recruiters, a true thought leader who is committed to sharing knowledge and insight to benefit the recruitment industry. In this podcast, he shares many helpful tips and offers valuable guidance to make the shift from contingency to retained services easy. He provides ways to overcome a lack of confidence and how to distinguish yourself by effectively differentiating your service.    James has more than 30 years of experience in the recruitment industry and understands all the pain points of recruiters and he has the solutions to help them overcome this with outstanding success.   Episode Outline and Highlights [02:15] The obstacles to generating video content - and how to overcome them [07:02] Why and how to create authentic videos that build your personal brand [10:30] What equipment do you need to create valuable video content? The answer might surprise you!  [13:55] James’ career transition from running a large executive recruitment firm to jumping into the world of “rec tech” with i-intro [19:13] Why retained recruitment isn’t just for executive search assignments [21:00] How can you earn a better return on your efforts and triple your income? [24:10] How to present yourself with confidence as someone adding value to your clients [32:20] Teaming up with the right people to take your business to the next level [35:20] How to pitch the added value that your service delivers in the form of ROI [37:23] What are the “three promises” James makes to clients that enable him (and i-intro users) to get paid up-front payment? [40:00] How James uses a “bad hire calculator” to show clients the true cost of staff turnover [42:35] Clients only see recruiters when they have a problem - use it to your advantage [44:00] Exploring the different solutions that you can present to your clients [45:30] Steps on how to distinguish your brand by differentiating your service   Escaping The Grip of Limiting Beliefs   Creating videos or podcasts is one of the most powerful tools to establish yourself as an authoritative figure inside your niche market. Yet, many professionals still shy away from capturing themselves on video or audio because they can only see and hear their shortcomings. They convince themselves that the value of their message is overshadowed by these imperfections that are so prominent in their eyes.    James disagrees: “If you are saying something that is going to be useful to somebody, then people do want to hear.” He believes that people “appreciate the realness of who you are,” and will overlook a less-than studio quality production. This belief that you are not capable of doing it is merely self-limiting, holding you back from achieving the success you deserve.    How To Tripple Your Income   “I am not here saying that retained recruitment is the only way to deliver service. But I am someone who says that retained recruitment is not just the executive search assignments,” James states his belief that this is the way to increase your revenue without increasing your efforts.    He explains that by opting for retained recruitment, you can increase your conversion rate from 20% which is the norm for contingency recruitment, to 60% or more. It means that you can triple your income without working harder. You will also be able to work smarter with your clients and candidates and have more fun doing so. The secret is not in working harder but in being able to convince a client of your value of your service.     How to Convince Clients to Appreciate You   “There is a perception of what a recruiter is and what they do that the market has and they have that for a very good reason…but if you hold yourself and have your self-worth and believe that you are worth it, then you should have the confidence to tell your clients what you do,” James states.    He says that you should refrain from positioning yourself as a recruiter for you deliver much more than merely sourcing a few CVs. You should be able to differentiate yourself from the rest by being able to express to your clients what you truly offer them and how hiring you will benefit them. He explains some of the practical steps that will help you to do this with great success.    Are you ready to make the transition from offering a contingency service to the position where you can rather enjoy a fair exchange for your expertise through a retained recruitment model?   Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  James O’Brien Bio and Contact Info  James O-Brien has been the COO of i-intro for the past six years and during this time he grasped an in-depth understanding of the challenges that recruiters face when they transition to retained recruitment services. During his career, James trained hundreds of recruitment firms and helped them to fully understand and be able to utilize the i-intro platform. He was an early adopter of the i-intro platform and process while he was still running EO Executives, an international interim management and executive search firm. James’s career in recruitment dates back to the 1980s. During most of the past 30 years in the field, he has been involved in coaching and training recruiters as well as being the coalface of the industry.    James O’Brien on LinkedIn i-intro website link i-intro on Instagram i-intro on Youtube Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR #43 How to Transition from Contingency CV Supplier to Consultive Retained Recruiter, with Plamen Ivanoff     Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Want to grow your recruitment business more rapidly? In today’s podcast, you’ll hear the remarkable story of how Ben Broughton managed to grow his start-up, Primis, to 21 staff members and revenue of £1.1 million in just five months. Primis specialises in recruitment in the field of technology and serves the UK and US market with a vision to expand into Europe soon.  Ben started his career in recruitment in 2000 at SThree where he ran and set up offices across several locations before moving onto Premier Group in 2006. Here he spent 14 years as managing director, taking the company from 14 people to 110 and growing the revenue to £30 million and £10 million in Net Fee Income.  While the core focus of Primis is the field of technology, the company and its success are centred around diversity and inclusion, giving everyone access to shares and putting people first.  Episode Outline and Highlights [2:23] How to build a start-up to 21 staff in only five months earning £1.1 million NFI [3:50] Aiming for 50 heads and £3.5 million NFI by year-end [4:18] Touching on diversity and how it fits into Ben’s idea of success [6:41] Ben’s vision to become the fastest-growing tech recruitment company in the UK in three years [7:33] Access to shares - giving everyone a piece of the pie [8:43] What are the success factors resulting in this exponential growth? [10:25] Ben’s take on future-proofing the business [11:00] Taking diversity and inclusion to a new level [13:46] Offering clients multiple solutions depending on their needs [17:49] Looking at such rapid scalability from a practical perspective [22:00] Partnering with recruitment clients [23:20] Having a personal relationship with your leaders is vital [25:16] Sharing insights into breaking into the US market [28:16] Employee Management Incentive Scheme (EMI) provides staff with global ownership [32:55] The big lessons learned with scaling a business [36:10] Balancing work and life as a start-up owner? [39:50] Don’t micromanage - let people do what they do best [46:30] People do business with people - it is vital to nurture client relationships [49:00] The biggest challenge Ben had to navigate [53:50] Find out what is next for Primis Making The Most of Shareholding “Give everybody access to shares in the business. I think for me personally, I currently have 80% of the organisation but if I end up with 60% and the team has the other 40 but we’re worth four times as much, then that is just a no brainer for me,” Ben explains that they want everyone to feel like they have a piece of the pie, to promote even greater success for all. One of the reasons why Ben left the Premier group was because he didn’t have enough control to make the changes he desired. Thus, shareholding is something that is not only important to him on a personal level but also as a vital part of his success. Coupled with having the right people on board, success comes much easier.  Ben states that ownership is key to creating a space where staff feels they belong and the outcome is that they deliver even greater results. Getting The Right Practical Aspects In Place To Obtain Such Rapid Growth  When you are starting a business to grow it at a rapid pace, it does require that you have certain measures in place to ensure that everything happens at a certain pace. How did Ben do this?  As he has been in the industry for quite some time, he had access to a strong network. He trusts his team of managers with whom he has relationships outside the office too. They empower these managers to operate more independently and this helps the growth of the business.  Primis partnered with two rec-to-rec partners The team is launching their training academy to ensure recruits get the proper training to hit the ground running. They are creating an environment of inclusion and diversity  When it comes to clients, they offer several service options They ensured financial backing in advance. What Are The Mistakes Ben Has Made Along the Way As a large part of Ben’s success at Premier Group was the large expansion he delivered on, taking the recruitment team from 14 to 110 people, he can share some lessons learned. The following are all things he mentions to ensure rapid expansion Take care to ensure work/life balance Don’t micromanage your team Clients are your partners and it is vital to build personal relationships These and many other insights that Ben brings to the podcast can help you too to speed up the growth of your business.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Ben Broughton Bio and Contact Info  Ben’s career in recruitment started in 2000 when he joined the team of SThree. Here his primary responsibility was to set up and run offices for the company across Birmingham, Leeds and Reading.  By 2006, he moved on to Premier Group. After successfully expanding the contract function of the business he continued to open offices for the Premier brand in Manchester, London, Birmingham, New York and Austin. During his 14 years as managing director, he led the company to expand from 14 people to 110, reaching revenue of more than £30 million and £10 million NFI.  As founder of Primis, Ben scaled the business to 21 employees since September 2021. Ben’s mission is to grow the Primis brand into a leading technology-focused recruitment business that puts people first.  Ben Broughton on LinkedIn Primis website link Primis on LinkedIn People and Resources Mentioned Steve Beckitt on LinkedIn SourceBreaker website link Amoria Bond website link   OneUp website link Steve Wynne on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Related Podcast You Might Enjoy How Recruiters Can Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with Chikere Igbokwe, Ep #102 How to Build a High-Performance Sales Team and Skyrocket Your Growth, with Ian Moyse, Ep #83   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter