The Resilient Recruiter

Imagine starting a recruitment business at the age of 54, having never worked in the recruiting industry before, and becoming a “big biller” within 5 years.  In this episode of the Resilient Recruiter, you’ll meet Irishman Paul Taaffe, founder and CEO of FINANCE People Solutions based in Frankfurt, Germany.  Prior to starting his business in 2014, he was either a CFO or CRO for US global blue-chip companies such as Pepsi Cola, Nike, Lear Corporation, and Dell. I asked Paul to come on the show and discuss his extraordinary success running a boutique search firm.  Paul has doubled the business, on average, every year and last year managed to bill €4,000,000 in revenue!  That’s over $4.5M USD.   Sure, that figure is the gross sales and includes both permanent placement and interim revenue, so the Net Fee Income will be somewhat less.  Still very impressive considering Paul is the sole fee earner, supported by a small team.  In fact, Paul has built so much momentum that he closed five deals this April despite the coronavirus pandemic. Episode Outline and Highlights [4:22] History of Finance People Solutions (FPS) [6:37] What is Paul’s recipe for success? [9:00] Three aspects that help Paul to leverage relationship in recruitment. [14:30] How to level up from having a professional relationship to a professional friendship.  [19:25] Coronavirus experience: Three keys to keeping things moving forward. [26:16] FPS’s structure and how efficiency is integrated into each role. [31:18] Successful basis for acquiring new customers [32:00] Paul shares his advertising strategy with FINANCE Magazin. Hear his interesting narrative on how he came about with this idea. [41:00] How Paul engineered his five placements in April - during the coronavirus. [45:30] Explanation of the interim-to-perm business model. Being an “unkompliziert” person When it comes to building sustainable candidate relationships, Paul believes that it all comes down to personality. He is an uncomplicated (unkompliziert in German) person, and because of that, he is able to easily connect with candidates that he treats as friends.  Paul said, “Mark, I have become friends with so many of these candidates. They are not just candidates, that sounds very cold. They are friends or business friends of mine.” Explaining his interim-to-perm business model Paul was able to describe how his interim-to-perm business model has successfully provided solutions to a lot of his clients. This solution de-risks the hiring process for his customer. As Paul puts it, “Over the last few years, we are doing more and more interim business because it is the instant solution kind of thing.” For him, “It is like delivering quality results in a very short period of time.” Paul Taffe Bio and Contact Info Paul is the founder and CEO of FINANCE People Solutions (PFS) in 2014. He has been in the recruitment business since 2014, and prior to that, he was either a CFO or CRO for US global blue-chip companies such as Pepsi Cola, Nike, Lear Corporation, and Dell as well as having worked in Private Equity. He founded the PE Finance Organisation Benchmarking company, Taaffe, and Partners in 2011. Paul on LinkedIn Paul’s email: ptaaffe@finance-ps.com FINANCE People Solutions website link People and Resources Mentioned FINANCE Magazin website link Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

As the market continues to be challenging due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the search and recruitment industry remains ultra-competitive. How can small boutique recruiting firms and solo recruiters compete against the large, well-known search firms who have greater resources at their disposal?   In this episode of the Resilient Recruiter, my wonderful guest Matt Schwartz shares how he runs his retained search practice in New York City, one of the most competitive markets in the world. Matt is the President of MJS Executive Search, a small boutique search firm that he has been running for 17 years. With fees averaging to $100,000, his firm is serving Fortune 500 companies including American Express, Mastercard, and PepsiCo. How does a small boutique firm pitch against incumbent top 10 search firms, and win? Listen to this episode and find out. Also, he shared his astounding journey on how he recovered from Covid19 and as well as the mindset and actions he had to take while recuperating, enabling him to close a very significant deal while on his sickbed. Episode Outline and Highlights [1:10] Matt shares what he had to endure and how he recovered from the coronavirus. [4:18] How he closed a search while recuperating. [6:30] Proactive steps Matt took to overcome his frustration caused by the virus. [13:25] Matt narrates his career and transition to building his own search firm. [25:55] How does a very small boutique search firm win against incumbent headhunting firms? [27:55] What is “removing the black box” approach? [33:45] How to negotiate a relationship with talent acquisition partners. [38:23] What helped Matt’s firm to “get their foot in the door” [40:30] Matt shares his greatest learning and how it resulted in a drastic change. “I was being careful but probably got it through my travels.” Matt is based in Westchester County in New York, which was the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US. He described in detail the symptoms that he had to endure. “It was frustrating, a lot of days,” said Matt as he shares what was going on in his mind while recovering. Matt shared proactive steps he took to overcome that frustration and how he still took care of business. Amazingly, he was able to complete a search and earned a placement fee of $185,000. Setting His Firm Apart from his Competitors Operating in a highly competitive market, what sets MJS Executive Search from its well-known competitors?  As Matt puts it, “We are great at identifying people from alternative industries who are the best of the best of what they do, and bringing this mix of skills to diverse organizations.” “Typically we are up against, one other firm, and typically its a large one.”  Being a smaller firm does not mean reducing your fees. “We are not any cheaper, at the end of the day it’s up to them to have a comfort in terms of who they feel more comfortable with” Part of Matt’s success is properly setting expectations with his clients and preparing well in giving his presentations. “I don’t treat a sales conversation as a sales conversation. I treat it as a consultative meeting. I come in prepared with great questions.” Matt Schwartz Bio and Contact Info  Matt Schwartz is the President of MJS Executive Search. MJS Executive Search is a leader in recruiting and placing senior level, transformational Marketing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, User Experience, Segment Marketing and Acquisition, Digital Innovation, Employee Engagement, Corporate Communications, Media Strategy, Product Management, Product Marketing and Sales leaders for Global Fortune 500 to Entrepreneurial Start-ups. Matt has been running his own firm for 17 years. Prior to that, he was with Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. Prior to that, he was with Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.  Matt on Linkedin MJS Executive Search on twitter @MJSearch MJS Executive Search website MJS Executive Search on Facebook People and Resources Mentioned Heidrick and Struggles on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

As we are now navigating through one of the most challenging moments of running a recruitment business, where should we focus our time, energy and resources for maximum return in both the short and long term? In this episode of the Resilient Recruiter, my special guest Jordan Lawrence reveals the incredibly effective marketing strategies behind the growth of his core business, Payments & Cards Network.  He breaks down how to partner with media companies, events organizers and even local governments to dominate your market niche.   Of course, we’ll also dig into what Jordan’s doing right now to pivot his marketing during the coronavirus crisis and ensure his company is well-positioned to catch the rebound. You’ll also hear Jordan’s valuable insights and perspective on building a success culture in different countries, hiring recruiters, keeping your team motivated and engaged, experimenting with the 4-day workweek, and embracing the “next normal.” Jordan founded the Payments & Cards Network around 10 years ago and the business has since evolved into a Micro Niche Recruitment group called PCN Capital which is comprised of Payments & Cards Network, Digital Source, Sekura Capital and PCM (Payments & Cards Media). The three recruitment brands focus on the FinTech Space, Data Science & Cyber Security respectively and operate from offices in Atlanta, Amsterdam & Singapore. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:00] How the business is dealing with the coronavirus. [5:55] An important key to keep your team motivated and engaged in these difficult circumstances. [8:20] Discussion on two areas of adjustments to “up their game”.  [10:15] How to reassure hesitant candidates during the coronavirus crisis - Warning: This is not a recruitment spiel. [13:10]  Jordan’s philosophy on building a community with media businesses.   [19:30] A very interesting discussion [+pointers] on how to keep a LinkedIn group relevant. [23:20] Will switching to a four-day workweek work for your business? [29:05] Jordan discusses the “new normal” for recruiting businesses. [32:45] Hear about Jordan’s “How to Hire Remotely with Confidence” webinar. [36:00] Benefits of having multinational offices versus having just one head office. [39:20] What led to Jordan’s partnership with a local government  Building a Community via the Media Businesses Jordan shared why and how he built a community through media and marketing and how it impacted his business. Dive into Jordan’s brilliant ideas on how to make marketing work for his business. For example, hear how using magazines in both physical and digital format helped his recruitment business grow exponentially.  The Philosophy Behind a Four-Day Workweek Will a four-day workweek fly in the recruitment industry? Hear Jordan’s perspective on how it can be a huge benefit. One way he puts it is “People before would sort of work really hard over the five days, binge on a Saturday… belly recovering on a Sunday, and stumbling to work on a Monday morning, it may not be so productive.” He added “Arguably, is there much getting done anyway on a Monday morning and a Friday afternoon? I don’t know. Now we are giving the opportunity to have a really good rest..” Adding Value to the Ecosystem of the Niche that You are Serving Having a multinational firm, Jordan’s success is defined by his mindset on adding value. In his words, “I think it is making yourself a part of the fabric of the industry you are trying to service rather than being seen as someone only taking and I think that’s really important.” On having a global presence, this is what he said: “If you are serious about growing globally in a niche market, you have to be on the ground and you have to have facetime. It shows you’re there for the long haul rather than just making the sort of hit and run deal which you do see all over the place.” He also discussed their support for the "Free a Girl" foundation which frees young girls from sexual slavery. You may refer to the link in the below section. Jordan Lawrence Bio and Contact Info Jordan Lawrence founded the Payments & Cards Network around 10 years ago and has since started a Micro Niche Recruitment group called PCN Capital which comprises of Payments & Cards Network, Digital Source, Sekura Capital and PCM (Payments & Cards Media) with offices in Atlanta, Amsterdam & Singapore the three brands focus on the FinTech Space, Data Science & Cyber Security respectively. Jordan also Co-Founded Volt Open Banking www.getvolt.io at the start of 2019 with FinTech industry experts sourced from his experience with PCN. Jordan on LinkedIn Jordan on Instagram  PCN Capital website PCN Capital on Youtube PCN Capital on Instagram PCN Capital on Twitter @PaymentsNet We are hiring aggressively at the moment so if you wish to take part in our growth as well as our forward-thinking culture, 4 day week and general good vibes then reach out to our excellent Head of People and Ops Victoria Hammond (who joined us from Google incidentally) at victoria@pcn.capital. People and Resources Mentioned Free a Girl Foundation website Christy Brown on LinkedIn Katie Howard Cross on LinkedIn David Stone LinkedIn Rogier Rouppe van der Voort on LinkedIn Cube19 website Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy TRR #15: How Katie Howard Cross Empowers Women to Excel in Recruitment TRR #18: How to Build Your Business During a Recession, with Christy Brown Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

A global economic slowdown due to the coronavirus has greatly affected the recruitment industry. What type of “proactive” mindset should a recruiter possess in order to avoid just being “reactive” to the situation? How do you build your business despite economic challenges?  In this episode of the Resilient Recruiter, my special guest, Christy Brown shares her story on how she built a company in 2007, yes, you read it right, during the great recession. Listen to how creativity, technology enablement, and being agile helped her build, scale, and sell her staffing companies. Christy is a serial entrepreneur, investor, startup advisor, mentor, founder, futurist, triathlete.  Prior to becoming a Venture Capitalist, Christy was the Executive Vice President of a Fortune 100 human capital management software company where she led the business transformation and client success organizations globally. Christy has scaled three service-based companies focused on digital marketing, human capital, and security consulting. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:00] A former IRONMAN competitor, Christy shared how her competing translates to business. [6:00] Christy’s staffing journey.  [8:40] What it was like to start a staffing firm during the recession. [10:00] Christy’s two learnings that lead to improvement and innovation. [12:00] Christy’s business model that brought significant success in winning new clients. [15:00] Four factors that led to Christy’s start-up success. [22:45] A monthly meeting with all your placed candidates? Listen to why Christy did it. [27:30] Convincing clients to hire remotely - Christy mentioned least two elements  [30:00] What Christy believes is the number one growth area in recruiting [35:00] Christy talks about “technology enablement”  [38:30] How technology will drive the future of the recruiting industry. [44:00] Listen to Christy’s “regret” from a founder’s perspective. [47:02] Two practical ideas to navigate this challenging economy [53:00] Christy’s view on inclusion and women empowerment  Starting a Business During the Great Recession Back in 2007, Christy started her own staffing firm.  It may not have been the best time to start a new business, and as she mentioned, “For me, it became a firefight.” Comparing the situation before with what we are facing now, this is how she puts it  “It was a very interesting time, we can compare it to some of the things that are happening in this current healthcare crisis today. Massive fallouts to the economy occurring, a large banking crisis that we are still coming out of.” Despite the situation, Christy focused on the opportunity being presented to build her business. Christy laid out her mistakes and learnings, her business model, and the factors that led to her start-up success. Technology Will Drive the Future of the Recruiting Industry Christy gave her take on “technology enablement” and how technology will drive the future of the recruiting industry. As she puts it, “I think technology enablement and recruiting is probably the number one growth area that I look even from an investment lens. It is one of those things that has to grow, it has to accelerate, and we have to influence it.” Listen to her philosophy on how utilizing technology will help recruiters stay relevant. Inclusion and Woman Empowerment One of the biggest challenges Christy faced is, “Sometimes, being the only female in the room of technologists.” Hear her meaningful thoughts about inclusion and women empowerment in a corporate setting.  Christy Brown Bio and Contact Info Christy has held a number of executive leadership roles over the past 20 years but in 2019, became the Managing Executive Partner of a venture capital firm focused on pairing venture capital with shared services in a studio environment to scale rapidly with services to support early-stage startups.  Prior to assuming the executive investment role, Christy was the Executive Vice President at a Fortune 100 human capital management software company where she leads the business transformation & client success organization globally. Christy is a serial entrepreneur and founder and has scaled three service-based companies focused on digital marketing, human capital and security consulting which she exited across a 12-year interval.  Following the last exit, she became a consummate innovator and aligned to multiple startups incubators as a mentor and advisor.  She also serves as a board member across the Atlanta ecosystem including the Entrepreneur's Organization, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, American Cancer Society,  Technology Association of Georgia and various advisor and board roles across early and series stage startups in technology.    Christy’s website Christy on LinkedIn Christy on Twitter @downtown_CB Tone Networks website Launchpad2x on LinkedIn People and Resources Mentioned IRONMAN website AJ Anderson on LinkedIn Lee Charles on LinkedIn Kat Cole on LinkedIn Jordan Lawrence on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter      

With many countries in “lockdown” in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, businesses have been forced to adopt a remote work model.  If you own a recruitment business, managing recruiters remotely presents some significant challenges.  How do you keep your team members motivated and engaged?  How can you ensure people are productive without physically being there to supervise them?  In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter my very special guest, Ann Zaslow-Rethaber joins me to share her insights on running a successful team based on 20+ years of experience managing remote recruiters. Ann has been a recruiter since 1996 and she is the President of the International Search Consultants (ISC), a global executive recruitment firm. Ann launched ISC in 1999 her company has become one of the most reputable search firms in the United States, earning more recommendations on LinkedIn than any third party recruitment agency in the country.  Episode Outline and Highlights [2:30] Ann talks about visiting Mark in Scotland and shares her philosophy of investing in experiences and relationships instead of collecting “things.”  [5:17] Why Ann considers the Pandemic situation a “golden opportunity.”  [14:47] Two business principles to help you and your remote team stay on top of things. [22:52] How to hold your remote team accountable -- Ann explains two significant factors. [28:52] Praise vs Criticism: which is better for increasing your team’s performance? [35:17] A very powerful approach to help managers create accountability.  [41:43] Three things that Ann would have done differently if she knew then what she knows today. [45:43] Ann’s story -- from flight attendant to top producing recruiter; how being a working mother forced her to become super-productive Successful Remote Working Even Prior to the Pandemic Ann was already set-up for remote working prior to the coronavirus pandemic. If you want to listen to her strategy and how she achieved $142,000 in billing in one month, you may want to listen to our previous interview - look for the link below under People and Resources.  The Importance of Investing in a Great Working Relationship With the current difficult situation we are facing with the Pandemic, there is a tendency for some recruiters to become radio silent with their clients. On the contrary, now is the time to be close and to stay in contact with clients. Ann is doing just that. She believes that now is the golden opportunity to walk the talk. She ensured to have her team message their clients, with the focus on saying  “I'm just touching base, and letting you know that we’re here.” Ann also shared her thoughts on why “time is the most valuable thing that any of us have.” As Ann puts it, “Just human compassion. You don’t always have to make money off a relationship, you can just have the working relationship because you like the person and you want to check on them. I think it’s a golden opportunity to walk that walk.” Overcoming Remote Working Challenges Remote working is now becoming more and more common. “The negatives in the past have always been synergy and making people accountable.” as Ann recalled. However, with the current technology available, working virtually is actually resulting in a lot of good results. Ann said, “There are so many benefits from working virtually and not requiring people to get in cars or to get in planes to drive from one place to the other.” Would it be possible to manage a virtual team as if you are managing people in the same location? Ann stated, “Twice a week meetings, daily meetings, touching base, anything that you can do live just about you can do online with this amazing technology that we all have.” Learning from the Past You’ll enjoy Ann’s story on how she went from being a flight attendant to becoming a top biller in the recruitment industry. Also, hear her insights on three things that she considers she would have done differently when building her business if she knew then what she knows now.  Connect with Ann Zaslow-Rethaber: Ann on LinkedIn Ann on Twitter @annzaslow International Search Consultants (ISC) website International Search Consultants (ISC) on LinkedIn International Search Consultants (ISC) on Facebook International Search Consultants (ISC) on Twitter @iscjobs People and Resources Mentioned: JobAdder on LinkedIn GeekSquad on LinkedIn Case Study: Recruiting Firm Owner Achieves New Personal Best, Billing $142,000 in One Month, by Mark Whitby. The Ideal Praise-to-Criticism Ratio, Harvard Business Review. Article Link. Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

The Coronavirus Pandemic has definitely impacted the jobs market and most likely presented new challenges to your recruitment business. Are you looking for alternatives to pivot your recruitment marketing strategies? Then you will definitely want to listen to my interview with Yosef Colish, Managing Director of Leah Yosef International, an executive search firm in the wealth-management space.   In this episode, Yosef shared how he adapted his approach and strategy when reaching out to potential clients given the current pandemic situation. You will also hear Yosef’s story, techniques, habits, and most importantly his mindset which will give you a clear picture of what it takes to be a million-dollar producer. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:00] 10 Before 10:00 Principle [7:00] Focus on Messaging and Approach  [11:19] “The pool is cold and just figure out a way to jump in” [14:20] Pivot and Changing Focus [19:00] “What is my Why?” [24:00] On managing your business: What do you personally focus your time on and what do you delegate to your assistants or offshore researchers? [33:18] Yosef’s story: From a research associate to a top producer [42:30] Work-Life Balance 10 Before 10:00 Principle  Leah Yosef International is a member of the Sanford Rose Associates network of offices. One thing that SRA President Jeff Kaye said that resonated with Yosef is, “There are certain clients out there that need you right now.” So Yosef decided to apply the 10 before 10:00 principle. Listen as he discusses the three simple steps he is taking that has resulted in a lead every single day - and in one case he got 7 jobs!   If you want to read more about the 10 before 10:00 formula, read my blog article “How to Increase Your Sales Activity”  and increase your sales activity by clicking on this link. Focus on Messaging and Approach  Focus on approach and messaging helped Yosef reach out to his leads and client positively. He was able to converse with the intention concentrated on caring and making human connection rather than just trying to sell something. In his words, “You already have the icebreaker. It’s just ‘How are you?’”.  He also shared an overview of at least three phases when reaching out to their leads in a nine-day cycle, as well as what tools they are using. “The pool is cold and just figure out a way to jump in” Reaching out to leads can be difficult sometimes. Yosef shared a really motivating success story of how overcoming negative thoughts in his head got him a contingent job order. Definitely worth hearing. Pivot and Changing Focus Reallocating his time to improve his business, Yosef shifted his strategy to add Consulting as a service offering to complement his existing Perm/Direct Hire business.  Same market, same prospect, same relationship, providing a different solution that may be relevant is really good thinking. Yosef shared how his move is taking traction.  “What is my Why?” In the middle of our conversation, a very interesting mindset was shared by Yosef: “Just one thing I struggled with for a very long time was ‘What’s my why?’”     Being a father and a breadwinner, money is a pretty big WHY. But it didn’t feel good to Yosef if that was the only reason. Yosef believes that it is not just about money. It is about changing people’s lives.     Inspired by Michael Jackson’s song “Heal the World”, Yosef used to be a medical student. With his present role, listen to his thoughts on how he contributes to “heal the world and make it a better place”. Hear his insights on how his business fits with his mission and what he is trying to build.  On managing your business: What do you personally focus your time on and what do you delegate to your assistants or offshore researchers? A recruiter professional’s tasks can be daunting. How does Yosef manage his time by effective delegation? In his words: “I focus my time on anything that has to do with deals and interacting with my clients. Reaching out to candidates if I know that they are interested.”   For him to focus on interacting with his clients, tasks that take a lot of time and effort and energy can be delegated.  “Anything that anyone else can possibly do, that I can give 20 minutes of training and they can do it for 25 hours over the course of the year, that is awesome!”   But with all these tasks, how does he manage and keep track of all that’s happening? There are four things on his desk that help him keep track. He also shared four software/tools that help him manage these tasks.    Yosef’s story: From a research associate to a top producer Yosef recalls the time he started as a part-time executive assistant, becoming a research associate rising as a big biller and a partner in his firm. What he achieved in a relatively short period of time is remarkable. His account just shows how driving and taking responsibility for your development lead to success.  Work-Life Balance Having very clear parameters around things, how do Yosef balance being a dad and doing other things? Hear his one effective technique in managing all different aspects.  Connect with Yosef Colish: Yosef on LinkedIn     Yosef on Twitter: @yosef_colish Leah Yossef International            Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   People & Resources Mentioned Jeff Kaye on LinkedIn Erin Bent on LinkedIn Karen Schmidt on LinkedIn Todd Camp on LinkedIn 10 Before 10:00 / How to Increase Your Sales Activity by Mark Whitby BOOK: Start with Why by Simon Senik BOOK: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss BOOK: Start With No by Jim Camp SRA / Sandford Rose Associates Website Next Level Exchange Website Call Logic Website WoodPecker Website Tony Robbins Life Coaching Website Headhunting 247 Website Get Vyral Website MPC Email Template Kolbe Test Website

There are very few women in recruitment management positions in the global power sector—for years, Katie Howard Cross was one of them. You see more gender disparity as you climb up the ladder and both Katie and I agree that needs to change. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Katie and I chat about how she found success. We’ll delve into her strategies, her positive mindset, and talk about her new business endeavor—Eva Connections. Katie has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that shines through whatever she takes on. Her goal is to empower women working in recruitment—in any industry, truly—to help them reach success.  Outline of This Episode [2:55] The message Katie is sharing with her community [5:28] Career advancement, family, and tough decisions [10:15] Katie’s lightbulb moment that changed everything [14:26] The freedom and flexibility of running your own business [17:04] How Katie billed €600,000 while managing a large team [24:09] Katie shares how to sell a retainer model to clients [31:35] What Katie has learned building her business [34:08] We take a deep-dive into Katie’s business—Eva Connections Women in recruitment are forced to make tough decisions Katie shares she was focused on career advancement well into her 30’s—it wasn’t until then she decided to have kids. She worked long hours in a global sector that included constant world-wide travel. When she had her daughter, she knew her work practices needed to shift. She began leaving work at 5:30 every day which—for some recruiters—is the middle of the day. After having her 2nd child, she knew she needed to leave Amoria Bond, and they parted ways amicably. But she was left feeling as if she was having an identity crisis, and found herself asking “Who am I? What's my identity? Where do I fit in the world?”.  Why Katie launched her own business Before Katie had kids, she had worked with an executive coach to narrow down her values, which were found in career advancement/progression and seeking out adventure. After kids, her values drastically switched to finding autonomy, freedom, and flexibility. She still wanted a career and knew she could couple it with being a Mom. So Katie started her own business. She launched into career-coaching for women and focused on recruitment training—because she excelled at it. She met her current business partner 8 months into the process and found that they complemented each other’s abilities. They put their heads together and Eva Connections was born. Suddenly, Katie had the freedom to choose her own hours and structure her day how she pleased. She had the flexibility to make appointments when it suited her. She points out that the traditional 9-5 is becoming outdated and old-fashioned and found herself questioning, “What works for me and makes me happy? As long as that’s working I know my business will flourish”.  How Katie billed €600,000 while managing a large team Katie has been in the recruiting industry for 19 years and reached a point where she completed 10 deals a month while managing a team. It took years of learning from the experts, working with candidates to understand the industry and soak in all the knowledge she could. She didn’t reinvent the wheel but followed a process she knew worked. 10 years later, she became the expert. She attributes some of her success to choosing a niche and diligence with market-mapping. She wasn’t afraid to get on the phone and speak to candidates and clients. She qualified her leads and minimized the event of a candidate not accepting a position. She firmly believes—as do I—in the retainer model. Above all, she believes in the value of her service. Katie goes into detail about what she did that works and continues to work—listen to this section carefully to benefit from her vast knowledge.  Retainer versus contingency: selling it to clients The average conversion of job order to placement across the industry is a mere 19%. So the recruiters who work on a contingency basis are working for free 80% of the time. This isn’t a way to make a living and provide for a family. You should be paid upfront for the work you do. Your time is precious—don’t waste it.  Katie believes that recruiters don’t challenge their clients enough and that you need to fight for yourself. You’re a specialist working in a particular niche and an expert in your industry. You must have confidence in yourself and your abilities and be willing to push back when necessary.  Katie states you must focus on “finding those clients that appreciate the value in the service that you offer, the skills and the expertise you can bring, and the quality and the caliber of candidates that may then add significant value to [their] business”. In the remainder of the episode, Katie also talks in-depth about her business, Eva Connections, and the community they’ve built for women. She continues to find ways to invest in women in recruitment Katie Howard Cross Bio and Contact Info Katie is the co-founder of Eva Connections and has more than 18 years of experience in executive recruitment, training and development, and career coaching. She's worked extensively in the energy and heavy engineering sectors and she's passionate about developing a company culture that supports women to rise to the top of their profession.  She has worked and operated within international business environments and built multi-million revenue-generating provisions from scratch. She's got a very entrepreneurial mindset and is always seeking out and has a talent for spotting creative opportunities from nothing where none previously existed. Katie's helped her teams to win several awards along the way, including Best Executive Search Firm at the RBA Awards for four consecutive years. Eva Connections Katie on LinkedIn Katie on Twitter Resources & People Mentioned Amoria Bond Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK

How do you demonstrate leadership in times of crisis? How do you protect your business and lead your team through the Coronavirus Pandemic? We are living through a very uncertain period of time where we must stay relevant and resilient. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, my friend and coaching client Greg Benadiba joins me to share his thoughts.  Greg shares his strategy for screening recruiters and hiring the right people for the position. He also shares the leadership principles he’s built his business on. We share a hopeful viewpoint, one in which your recruiting business can emerge stronger than ever.  Outline of This Episode [2:11] Greg Benadiba shares how to work smarter—not harder [4:48] Lessons and takeaways from the last recession [6:57] How to help your business survive the Coronavirus pandemic [10:33] How to build and maintain relationships with clients [17:15] The unique way Greg interviews and hires recruiters [26:49] The targeted and probing questions to decipher the best candidate [30:49] The 5 principles Greg has adapted for his recruiting business How to stay resilient through adversity At the time of recording this podcast, Ontario had declared a state of emergency. Major outlets, stores, banks, restaurants, and bars closed on St. Patrick's Day. Greg ‘s team went from having 120 jobs to fill down to 72. Greg believes there will be a significant decrease in job orders across the board. But notes it is possible in this day and age to interview, hire and work remotely.  Greg points out that regardless of the pandemic, there will still be positions that need to be filled. So you must stay level-headed and position yourself for the upswing that will come. I work with each of my clients to have a plan of action to get them through this pandemic—you need to have one as well. Keep listening as Greg and I talk about having a contingency plan in place and where he’s focusing his business right now. We also talk about tough decisions you may have to make as a manager.  How to stay in front of your customers It is more important than ever to position yourself to remain in front of your clients. When things pick up again you’ll be at the forefront of their minds. Greg found a unique way to add value for his customers: he made his Zoom account available to customers so that they could still interview potential hires. It was a simple way to help meet their needs and keep their business from screeching to a halt.  We can still facilitate meetings through the tools we have available—email, conference calls, video conferencing, etc. We must be careful not to alienate customers, but stay in touch and offer insight, guidance, and empathy. Greg says to ask the question, “How can we add value considering the current circumstances that our clients are in?” Greg’s unique hiring process Greg doesn’t aim to hire experienced recruiters but prefers to hire candidates from across industries who embody the values he’s looking for. They need to be good with people as well as driven and sales focused. He looks for resiliency and someone who is always learning and finding ways to improve. He asks probing questions, such as “What’s the most difficult thing they’ve ever been through?”.  He notes that you can’t rush the recruiting process. On top of his interview questions and profile testing, they have the recruiter undergo a half-day of job shadowing. In the second part of that day, the potential hire is allowed to jump on the phone to connect with people and flesh out a list of referrals. In this way, the candidate is able to immerse themselves into the job and get a feel for what it will be like.  Greg uses a clearly defined checklist in his hiring process. All of the questions on his checklist are based on mistakes that he’s made in the past. He crafts those mistakes into questions for his screening process. Listen as he shares examples of his questions and how he uses them to decipher who will be the best fit for his business.  The 5 principles Greg incorporates into Bilingual Source Greg was kind enough to share 5 principles that he incorporates into his business:  Principle #1: You are solely responsible for you and your team’s performance. Assume the role of “mini CEO” and take responsibility for performance management, hiring, training, etc.  Principle #2: You must lead by example. “Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t work—we all know it. Be the type of manager and leader that your team looks up to and emulates. Follow the rules, don’t cut corners, and be the role model  Principle #3: Have very clear goals defined for you and your team. Don’t confuse goals with desires. Goals MUST be accomplished, desires are just things you want.  Principle #4: Don’t worry about looking good, worry about achieving your goals. As a leader, you can’t always make the popular choice—but you need to make the right one. If a decision conflicts with achieving a goal, it’s an easy no.  Principle #5: Hone yours and your team's outcomes. Focus on what you CAN control and take ownership of the outcome. This is no place for the blame-game.  Greg believes there is always a process to follow. If you stray from your plan you make yourself susceptible to stupid mistakes. Above all, everything you say and do needs to be congruent with your values. Listen to the rest of the episode as we talk about Greg's vision for the future of Bilingual Source.  Greg Benadiba Bio and Contact Info Greg and his team at Bilingual Source have been in the recruitment space for 35 years. They are the leaders in language search in the Canadian Market and have brokered over 500MM in salaries over those years. Greg has consistently been a top producer for his organization, with record billings of 750K, and has helped double the organization's revenue over the last 4 years. Greg on LinkedIn Bilingual Source Website Bilingual Source on Twitter Bilingual Source on Instagram Resources & People Mentioned Sales Test Online The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone Principles by Ray Dalio Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

How do you respond to a recession? I’ve been here before and I’ve learned to recognize the signs—a recession is coming. I recommend to act as if tough times are coming and take massive action—charge forward with total commitment and sell as if your family's financial security is at stake.  I get 100% of my business through digital marketing strategies with 20% of my warm leads coming from LinkedIn. Generating warm leads on LinkedIn is one of the marketing strategies I recommend adopting right now.  The only way to deal with adversity is to increase your commitment and adopt more intelligent strategies. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, I’m sharing a presentation on how to generate warm leads on LinkedIn. I’ll share the 5 key things it takes to make your profile compelling, how to connect with leads and how to resonate with your audience.  Outline of This Episode [1:16] What motivates me to push harder in times of uncertainty [6:57] How to generate warm leads on LinkedIn during a recession [10:05] I share the 5 keys to creating an effective LinkedIn strategy [13:17] Key #1: Create a compelling LinkedIn profile [24:08] Key #2: Focus on Consistently growing your network [33:08] Key #3: Follow up and start engaging conversations [39:07] BONUS: How to increase your response rate exponentially [42:40] Key #4: In a world where content is king—how do you stand out? [53:47] Key #5: Who do you engage with on LinkedIn? Key #1: Make your LinkedIn profile compelling Your LinkedIn profile should be a lead generation website for your business. Take a look at your LinkedIn profile from the perspective of a potential client or candidate. Does it convey who you are and what you do? There are a few things I recommend making a concerted effort with: Choose a profile image that is professional and inviting.  Do not use the default banner. It is prime real estate and one of the first things someone sees. Ideally, you should use a photograph taken in a professional context. It needs to convey credibility and authority.  Craft a professional headline. Clearly define what you do and what value proposition is. Who do you work with? What kind of results do you get? Signal to your industry and your ideal audience that you speak their language and provide them an incentive to scroll down and get more information. PRO TIP: Adjust your headline using the app on your phone—you’re somehow allowed more words/characters. Use the ‘about’ section to make a human connection. Tell your personal and professional story in a way that is relevant to your business and resonates with your audience. You want a potential client or prospect to relate to you. Share WHY you do what you do.  Listen to the episode for more ideas to create a compelling LinkedIn Profile.  Key #2: Consistently grow your network  Growing your network needs to be a proactive process that you do consistently every day. You need to start by searching for your ideal prospects with a tool such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator. I recommend setting a goal to send 30-50 connection requests a day (allocating 30-60 minutes of your time). I typically see a 40% acceptance rate from people who are warm prospects that are more receptive to engagement.  Secondly, focus on crafting a message that is low-key, non-threatening, with zero sales pitch. Personalize the message when possible with something relevant. You can create a friendly and natural-sounding template to use and interchange the pertinent details. You could use a simple template across the board, but your response rate will likely be lower without a personalized touch. Key #3: It’s all about outreach You need to follow up with leads and start conversations. Send a sequence of messages with the end goal of engaging the lead and having them schedule a call on your calendar. This is a task where you can hire a virtual assistant to help you.  Within the first 24 hours send them a polite note. If you don’t get a reply, send another message from a different angle. You could ask a question or comment on a post or article on their profile. Perhaps you could send them a piece of content or research relevant to their field.  You could send a case study pitch—a soft sell—just sharing a brief snapshot of what you do and the success you’ve found.  Offer a call—ask them when would be a great time to chat about the value you can offer them.  There is ONE thing I’ve found that will get you a higher response rate. One of my clients gets an 80% response rate when they use this tactic. Listen to the whole episode to find out what the strategy is. Key #4: Content is King The easiest way to generate inbound leads is by producing content on LinkedIn. Writing articles is great, but even simply posting a status update is huge. Once you’ve connected with someone, it keeps you on their radar. You become a regular in their newsfeed and they see your face repeatedly.  These are the guidelines that I recommend: Consider posting once daily but the minimum is once a week. It can take as little as 15 minutes to come up with something that can offer value.  Share a video update: You can cover thoughtful and relevant content quickly and it allows your connections to see your personality and connect with a face.  Share your photos: post photos from client meetings, industry conferences, speaking on a panel, etc. with a simple caption.  Share a text-based status update: This is something that you can do daily.  There is an art and a science to status updates. People NEED to engage with your content or LinkedIn won’t share it. Only a small fraction of your audience sees what you post organically. So you need to design your content carefully and put an emphasis on content that will stimulate discussion.  Key #5: Be strategic and intentional about where you’re commenting and liking  There are only TWO reasons you should comment on someone else’s content: 1) If they’re an existing or potential client, or 2) they’re a thought leader in your industry. LinkedIn isn’t Facebook. You can’t scroll, like, and comment on people’s posts without being intentional.  Engage with an existing or potential client. Make what you say directly relevant so that they take notice of you. Engage with a thought leader in your industry. They are interacting with the same audience you want to reach. If you can capture a piece of that audience with your thoughtful comments, you’re headed the right direction. The recruiting industry lives on LinkedIn more than any other platform. It’s important to leverage the social platform as a part of your digital marketing strategy. What you’ve read is just a snapshot of the content I cover in this episode. Make sure you listen for full details on my guide to generating warm leads on LinkedIn.  Resources & People Mentioned LinkedIn Sales Navigator BOOK: Start with Why BOOK: The Million-Pound LinkedIn Message Lee De Souza on LinkedIn Vidyard CloudHQ BombBomb Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK

Diversity and inclusion is an important topic to discuss in the world of recruitment. Raj Tulsiani and Steve Baggi founded their recruitment firm with the goal and aim of helping organizations broaden their horizons and to hire a more diverse workplace. Doing so not just for diversity’s sake, but to lead to competitive advantage, increased business value, and diverse perspectives to drive innovation.  Raj is uniquely qualified to tackle this subject. Not only is he a minority business owner himself, but a hugely successful entrepreneur. His firm Green Park is the 5th fastest growing recruitment company in the UK, with revenues just over £90,000,000 (about $117m USD). They’re listed by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe, and the only recruitment company to make the Sunday Times Fast Track in 2019. Raj Tulsiani has become one of the UK’s leading figures in executive search, interim management, workforce planning, and diversification. He has over 20 years of experience moving the dial on leadership, talent and diversity and is the author of ‘Diversity and Inclusion for Leaders: Making a Difference with the Diversity Headhunter.’ Outline of This Episode [1:41] Raj’s journey in recruitment [3:02] What key milestones facilitated their growth? [10:34] The reality of achieving diversity and inclusion [16:47] What challenging a customer involves [24:37] How Green Park developed its CREED [33:22] Lessons learned from the last recession Diversity and inclusion has been in their DNA since day 1 Raj and his co-founder Steve Baggi “wanted to work for an organization who accepted diversity and inclusion in their actions—not just in their aspirations and in their marketing.” They couldn’t find an employer that embodied their values, so they started their own recruitment firm on the 4th of August in 2006.  They set up their business with the goal of helping people make diversity and inclusion more meaningful. A good customer was someone who wanted diversity but didn’t know how to get it or weren’t as inclusive as they thought. They committed to looking at the world through the intersection between brand, recruitment, and diversity.  They invested in technology and research to back them up. It enabled them to hire and retain better talent and be more relevant in the marketplace. It afforded them a platform to be able to challenge poor behaviors they saw that needed to be corrected.  How do they achieve diversity?  Raj notes that he articulates it more clearly in his book, but for the purpose of a simple definition: when they talk about diversity they mean someone who is an ethnic minority, a woman, or someone who has a physical disability. Green Park placed a new diverse leader on a board every 8 days and their goal is to be able to achieve that daily by 2025.  They have placed 35% ethnic minorities in board roles against a national average of 6% and over 50% women against an average of mid-’40s in the rest of the marketplace. Their goal is to provide a customer with a broader choice than they’d receive anywhere else. They want clients who prefer someone relevant to the problems they’ll face in the future.  There is a high level of institutional prejudice in the marketplace. They are passionate about helping organizations build advocacy and deal with underlying disparities in outcomes. They want to develop relationships and help them understand the world differently. They come with a commitment to being different—and know they won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.  Challenging your customers to new viewpoints They believe that you can’t compete without having a true identity. Green Park’s view is that “forward-thinking, modern organizations require a wider, more considered choice—a diverse group of thinkers with a greater breadth of perspectives to drive ideas and spur innovation”. They want their clients to learn to look at the world in a way that gives them a broader choice. If Raj sees disparities in how someone is treated in the selection process, he won’t hesitate to bring it to their attention and sees it as his duty. He once had a client ask, point-blank, “Why are there so many ethnic minorities on the short-list?”. It left Raj's team speechless, after all—isn’t that what people come to them for?  He asked Raj how to address it. His response was “We’ve given you the best people that we’ve found and it happens that 40% of them are ethnic minorities' '. They had done their due diligence and the necessary research and they were all qualified candidates. The Green Park CREED: Courage, Rigor, Empathy, Energy, and Diversity Raj was clear that the business chose the values they operate on. As they built it, it became more apparent what was important to them. They are courageous with candidate and client feedback. Rigor and gaining a deeper understanding of customer’s needs are high on the list. Embodying empathy and the ability to come alongside a candidate dealing with a difficult transition into a placement is crucial. Above all, they want to represent the diversity that is already in the world. We both wholeheartedly agree that inclusion is a basic human right. If an organization doesn’t understand or agree with that fact, they can find someone else to do their search. In Raj’s words,“We don’t want to be a conduit for great talent into leaky buckets”.  To hear our in-depth discussion on diversity and inclusion and how it impacts a business’s competitive advantage and increased business value—listen to the whole episode of the Resilient Recruiter.  Connect with Raj Tulsiani Raj on LinkedIn Green Park Limited Instagram Green Park on LinkedIn Green Park on Twitter Green Park on Facebook Resources & People Mentioned BOOK: Diversity and Inclusion for Leaders Connect With Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/Breakthrough Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Mark on YouTube Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK