The Recruitment Mentors Podcast

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunted's annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersOn this episode I’m joined by Susan Barrance from Signify Technology.She initially began her career as an estate agent, then took some time out to travel the world and work in varying roles. When returning to the UK, she knew about recruitment and wanted the lifestyle and progression that it provided. Fast forward to now, and Susan has been at Signify Technology for just shy of three years, and has progressed up the ranks not just in her title, but in her billings, too.Susan’s journey is one that I think will resonate with a lot of recruiters, and she shares a lot of advice around expanding clients and how she was able to bill over £450,000 in a year.For recruiters who are wanting to learn about ‘landing and expanding’ client bases, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn about structure, the power of listening and how to be patient with your billings if you are going through a rough month.You can connect with Susan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-barrance-38b607a7/Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [4:22]How many people were in the company when you joined? [9:01]What was your approach to learning? [12:35]How did you cope with self-doubt? [16:44]When did things pick up for you? [18:28]Business development as a contract recruiter [20:23]Expanding accounts [22:55]What else do you do to build relationships? [25:37]Spotting a good account [27:15]Approaching startups [29:02]What changed so you could achieve those numbers? [31:20]How many clients were you working with at any one time? [33:23]How did things change for you? [34:45]Mindset [41:55]Common mistakes from new recruiters [45:05]The benefits of being niche [49:00]How have you navigated the market over the last 12 weeks? [51:28]What’s been the biggest challenge for you? [53:10]How have your priorities changed? [54:27]What’s helped you get through the hard days? [55:54]How has Ryan’s leadership impacted you? [57:21]What are you most excited about? [58:45]What would you say to the people? [59:38]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review. Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunted's annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersThis week I’m joined by Alex Cooper, one of the Co-Founders of Ernest Hunter Green.He entered recruitment shortly after finishing university, and progressed through the ranks at three separate businesses before deciding to set up his own. It was excellent to have someone on the podcast who had worked for long periods of time at each separate consultancy, as we were able to get real insight into his experiences and motivations for moving.For recruiters and recruitment business owners who want to learn about a COMPLETELY remote recruitment consultancy, this one is definitely for you. We get into the nitty gritty of remote working and how it works for some but not for others.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about remote recruitment companies if you’ve realised that you’ve thrived more in a remote environment than you have in an office.You can connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexcooper1/Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [4:28]First year [7:00]PSD [8:30]Forming relationships and accessing mentors [10:28]What made that person the top 1% in the company? [13:17]What made Elliot someone you’d want to follow? [14:43]How to not be a job hopper [17:12]Starting your own business [20:28]First year plan [23:27]Did you want to scale? [25:52]Running a completely remote business [29:54]Key learnings that have had an impact on the business culture [32:40]Why is an open culture important to have in a remote business? [35:25]Getting people to open up [37:05]Measuring efficiency and having visibility on performance [40:19]What do remote consultants typically need help with? [46:15]Common misconceptions recruiters have around flexible working [48:18]What are the great things about building a remote business? [51:05]Do you think if you had an office you’d be more profitable? [53:31]Non-negotiables for your onboarding process? [55:19]What does that process look like? [57:31]Future vision for the company [1:00:00]What are you excited for? [1:02:20]What would you say to the people? [1:03:37]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review. Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunteds annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersOn this episode, I’m joined by Jay Guney from Digital Gurus!He initially built his recruitment career at Oscar for just under five years, where he progressed up the ranks and worked as a billing manager. Arguably one of the most difficult jobs in recruitment! After moving to Digital Gurus it gave him the opportunity to level up in his career, and a lot of the conversations that we had on this episode was centred around management and why he loves it so much!For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about management and what it entails, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about building relationships with clients and senior candidates and why it’s so crucial in any market.You can connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayguney/Timestamps:How did you enter recruitment? [4:00]How did you end up working at Oscar? [7:14]What was your first year like? [8:29]Why did you pick it up quickly? [10:50]Positives looking back? [13:24]Leadership responsibilities [17:00]Biller to manager [19:37]Hiring triggers [21:53]Career at Oscar [23:48]Evolving your role [25:11]What do you wish you knew about management? [27:38]What was important to you in a new role? [31:21]What things did you try to look for before choosing that role? [33:20]Being a manager in a new business [37:17]First year in new role [39:00]Seeking help [41:27]How did using EBITDA help you and your team? [44:13]Pitfalls in business development [45:28]Building relationships [49:45]Pitfalls that prevent recruiters taking themselves to the next level [51:27]Winning retained work [53:29]How has a brand helped you? [55:56]Running events and how they helped [57:30]Toughest challenges [59:56]How do you think Covid-19 is going to affect the industry? [1:02:43]What are you excited to do post Covid-19 [1:04:48]What would you say to the people? [1:06:35]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review. Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌f7DZ5tdaGDvUWtiPFwJx

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunteds annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersOn this episode I’m joined by Justin Pearson from Hyve, a boutique management consultancy focused on the recruitment sector. He previously founded, scaled and exited Human Capital, a global search business.He initially entered the world of recruitment after trying to secure an Accountancy role via Michael Page, and started as a consultant there which formed the foundations of his career. After founding his own recruitment training business, he decided to focus on setting up Human Capital, which for 14 years he built, scaled and exited and became chairman in January 2017. This is by far one of the best episodes I’ve ever recorded, as the breadth of knowledge, the experience that Justin has enabled us to do a deep dive on all the questions that recruitment owners want the answers to.For recruiters who want to learn how to build a successful recruitment business that has a high value to potential buyers, this one's for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is a crucial podcast for you to listen to, to not just develop your approach to recruitment post-COVID-19, but how you can arm yourself to be more than just a CV matcher and become a true consultant in your market.You can connect with Justin here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinpearson/Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [4:09]Michael Page in the 90s [5:29]What was it like working for Michael Page? [7:03]Progression at Page [8:47]Why start Human Capital? [9:18]Did you start up on your own? [12:55]Relationship with your investors [13:57]Why do you think investors saw potential in you? [16:03]Human Capital [18:13]Milestones to help carve the market [20:10]Being niche [22:40]What did the business look like after 5 years? [23:39]The difference between search and contingent [29:55]The power of saying no to a client [37:00]Recruiters are solution providers [39:40]What other solutions can you bring? [41:05]How did that mindset enable you to scale the business? [43:15]Exiting the business [51:22]The journey of being bought - the process [55:24]Common misconceptions on management buyouts [59:38]What have been the positives from an MBO route? [1:04:38]Pitfalls that hold recruitment business owners back on their equity value [1:10:05]Do you need to know that you wanted to scale for the start? [1:15:17]Future of recruitment businesses [1:16:48]What are you excited about with Hive? [1:21:48]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunteds annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersOn today's episode, I’m joined by Sam from That Recruitment Company.He fell into recruitment after initially working in car sales, and since starting as That Recruitment Company’s first employee. He has watched a successful business grow whilst also developing himself over the last six years. I felt really inspired after having Sam on the podcast, as his sheer determination, resilience and positivity is something that a lot of listeners probably need right now in the current climate. Also, he’s clearly a hero for cycling nearly 1,000 miles for charity. For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about working in a small growing business, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to get an insight into a fool-proof day structure that will increase your billings.You can connect with Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-holloway-2ba43084/You can watch the video replay here - https://youtu.be/T8kWAxl3nn0Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [3:55]Why did you join Chris? [6:41]A rec job in a smaller business [8:30]First year in recruitment [10:20]What was the focus in your first 6 months? [13:00]How did you do BD? [14:21]What went on in your next 6 months? [17:15]Resilience and mindset [18:33]Go to advice for people in their first year [19:55]Best year [23:15]What does your day look like? [25:55]Preparation process [29:33]What have been your learnings (international recruitment) [32:27]What does BD look like for you now? [34:21]Why do you think you’ve become a cornerstone of the business? [40:44]What have been some of the biggest challenges for you? [43:42]What prevents recruiters from taking their billings to the next level? [46:31]What advice would you give to your old self [48:00]Journey with your finances [50:58]Motivation when having children [53:55]Fundraising [54:44]What are you excited to do post-Covid? [57:04]What would you say to the people? [58:10]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunteds annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersOn this episode this I’m joined by James Blackwell, CEO of Ronald James Group.After carving out a 5 year sales career, as well as launching his own coffee shop at the age of 21, his entrepreneurial mindset landed him in recruitment slightly later than planned - at 27! Spending 4 years as a biller then led him to want to create his own recruitment company; yet not in the conventional way we usually hear about on The Recruitment Rollercoaster Podcast. His story is unique and well worth a listen - so I won’t give too much away.For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about automation and VA’s (virtual assistants) - this ones for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about mindset, personal development and elevating yourself to the next level as a consultant.You can connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskblackwell/Plus you can subscribe to his youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmpoGTKBv56LZO-qA1Me15gTimestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [4:15]Opening your own coffee shop [6:08]Perception of recruitment [9:50]Time at Nigel Frank [11:18]What else contributed to your success? [14:39]Starting your own business [16:50]What was your game plan? [20:18]End of year 1 [26:00]What was the pitch that made businesses give you a chance? [29:07]Things you wish you had done? [34:30]Best piece of tech you’ve invested in? [35:44]VA’s [39:35]Making a VA a part of your recruitment business [44:50]Most common misconception of a VA? [46:00]Strategy to grow [48:01]Learnings from making mis-hires [53:00]Taking a step back [56:00]What things did you change going into year 4? [59:30]Where are you now? [1:06:09]Productization of your services [1:08:45]What are the common challenges that you hear in recruiters? [1:10:46]What are you most excited to do post-Covid? [1:14:26]What would you say to the people? [1:18:38]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

Claim your Hunted profile today with your exclusive and amazing offer which is only valid until the end of June!Use the code - ROLLERCOASTER50 to get a HUGE 50% off all of Hunteds annual subscriptions.https://www.hunted.com/employersThis week I’m joined by Andrew Dean, Director at Menlo Park Recruitment.After completing a degree in Archaeology, Andrew was on a different path for a few years before deciding to give the recruitment industry a go. He spent just over 5 years in his first role, which gave him the foundations and confidence to set up Menlo Park. Fast forward to now, and Menlo Park has been thriving for over 5 years with over 20 members of staff. Andrew’s journey is an interesting one, mostly because he has still been able to hire during Covid-19, and we cover his thought process on this during the episode. For recruiters who are looking to hire and interested in how to remotely onboard, this one’s for you. For the junior consultants out there, this is a good podcast to listen to purely because it covers a lot of content on Covid-19!You can watch the video replay here - https://youtu.be/L8WbkRfJ058 You can connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-dean-423a9147/Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [4:02]Natural progression in role [10:42]How did you progress so quickly? [13:14]How did you cultivate your mindset? [15:14]Have you always wanted to start your own business? [19:28]What was your game plan? [23:35]Building out markets [28:51]Perm or contract? [33:12]How was your first year? [33:35]Challenges or things you weren’t expecting [36:04]Advice to those starting their own recruitment business [37:44]Growth plans for the business [39:49]How did you get people to join you? [41:16]How did your growth pan out? [42:20]Internal interview process [44:11]Hiring triggers [48:11]What have been the decisions you’ve had to make during Covid-19? [52:48]What have been the key metrics you’ve looked at? [55:45]How have you made hires during this time? [59:20]Accepting an offer virtually [1:01:51]Long term effects of Covid-19 [1:05:51]What are you excited to do post Covid? [1:10:30]What would you say to the people? [1:12:14]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

You can check out the online personal branding course for recruiters by clicking this link:https://azzouzbrandingcourses.teachable.com/p/personal-branding-course-for-recruitersDon't forget to use your exclusive code to get a discount on the course by using 'Podcast' at the checkout.On this episode, I’m joined by Ed Steer CEO at Sphere Digital Recruitment.After finishing university and developing a taste for sales, Ed started his recruitment career at PFJ where he built a successful desk but knew he wanted more. Setting up Sphere and growing the business for him was less challenging than expected, but he was still faced with uncertain times and had to navigate through them!For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about retention and developing managers, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is a great podcast to listen to if you are struggling to meet your personal goals, and have struggles planning as this is discussed in this episode.You can watch the video replay of this episode here: https://youtu.be/bAmJyS322f0You can connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardsteer/Timestamps:How did you get into recruitment? [3:54]Why did you want to go into business with someone? [10:00]How did you come up with the name? [11:17]Differentiating yourself in the market [13:15]Planning to scale [14:48]When did you make your first deal? [16:42]First hire [18:30]Smaller businesses scaling in a competitive market [22:50]How profitable were you in year one? [25:42]A few years later… [28:04]How did you grow the business sustainably with headcount and revenue [32:55]Hiring triggers [37:35]Where are you today? [42:03]Why did you get people involved so much in your 5 year decision? [45:05]What else has got you to where you need to be? [46:40]Key learnings for people trying to grow a business [49:29]Managing managers, and managing expectations [53:47]Biggest challenges [54:27]What have been the common traits you’ve seen that make a great recruiter [56:50]Coronavirus [58:20]Decisions you’ve made [1:03:12]How do you see things changing? [1:04:42]Motivating your team remotely [1:07:00]What would you be saying to yourself earlier on… [1:09:09]What would you say to the people? [1:10:27]I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌Tags: RecruitmentCareersBusinessStartupSocial MediaRecruiting

You can check out the online personal branding course for recruiters by clicking this link:https://azzouzbrandingcourses.teachable.com/p/personal-branding-course-for-recruitersDon't forget to use your exclusive code to get a discount on the course by using 'Podcast' at the checkout.On this episode, I’m joined by Jemma Gajic, Managing Director of Elysian Search.Originally starting her journey at Harvey Nash, Jemma climbed the ranks as a successful contract recruiter before setting up her first recruitment business. Streamline Connections, 13 years later she then took the opportunity to start Elysian Search, which has been operating for just under three years. Her journey is an interesting one, as she didn’t take the conventional university route, and took the leap of faith to start her recruitment business at 24. For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about navigating through Covid-19, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is a great podcast to listen to if you have aspirations to set up your own recruitment company in the future, as Jemma talks about her key learnings from her experiences over the past 15 years. Timestamps:How are you finding things during Covid-19? [3:57]How did you enter recruitment? [5:22]What was Harvey Nash like? [9:31]Where did the confidence come from to start your own company? [11:02]Have you always been a contract recruiter? [14:13]How did you influence internally regarding your recruitment style? [15:15]Confidence starting with your partner [20:11]What happened during that journey that you didn't expect? [25:00]How did the business evolve? [27:28]What did you learn from that period that applies to today? [29:00]Starting Elysian [31:40]How much has having a niche given you an impact [36:55]Saying yes or no? [39:15]What were your challenges in year one? [40:54]Key responsibility from an operations manager that will help you [43:40]How difficult is it doing it on your own this time? [46:00]What have been your learnings? [48:00]Screening processes to make hiring slick [50:00]How have you been affected by Covid-19? [52:48]How do you think the pandemic is going to affect the recruitment industry? [56:02]What are you excited to do post-Covid [1:00:09]What would you say to the people? [1:01:08]You can connect with Jemma on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jemmagajic/I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌

You can check out the online personal branding course for recruiters by clicking this link:https://azzouzbrandingcourses.teachable.com/p/personal-branding-course-for-recruitersDon't forget to use your exclusive code to get a discount on the course by using 'Podcast' at the checkout.You can watch the video playback of this episode - https://youtu.be/b7_arGBsGdkOn this episode, I’m joined by Glen Walsh from Milk Education. He initially fell into recruitment after graduating from the University of Manchester and quickly realised that this was going to be his forever career. After working in New Zealand for a year, he took the leap in setting up his first recruitment business, which then stopped trading after just under three years. That didn’t deter him - and now Glen owns three recruitment companies operating in different markets. Glen’s journey is inspiring, and it’s clear that recruitment runs through his veins after recording this podcast.For recruiters who are wanting to learn about branding and how this can position you positively after Covid-19, then this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn about which behaviours will enable you to propel yourself forwards personally and professionally.TimestampsHow did Glen get into recruitment? [4:06]What happened in London that you didn’t expect? [6:03]Learning experience and advantages [8:53]Working in New Zealand [9:40]Where did that initiative come from? [11:44]What should people be doing to progress their careers? [15:47]When did you start your first business? [18:00]Why more than one business? [21:06]The crash [22:10]What did your life look like at that point? [23:15]Not worrying about what you can’t control [27:36]How did you identify that market and build on it? [29:05]Milk and how it came about [31:21]What did you implement and ensure you did correctly? [33:29]How has social media impacted the business? [36:58]How did you execute the brand and get buy-in from people? [41:10]Milk Education’s growth [44:40]How much did you invest into marketing? [45:37]How do you make sure your values are instilled into your employees? [49:10]Do you do anything to reward and motivate your consultants based on values? [52:10]Growing in terms of headcount [55:13]Have you had to furlough? [1:03:06]Keeping staff motivated during this time [1:04:54]How do you think Covid-19 is going to impact recruitment as a whole? [1:10:10]What would you say to the people? [1:13:25]You can connect with Glen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenwalsh/I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem AzzouzIf you would love me to cover certain topics with future guests please drop me a message. Finally, if you have been enjoying the podcast and you have two minutes then it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave a review.  Simply it will enable me to reach more people with the podcast, you can easily leave a review with the following link - https://ratethispodcast.com/rollercoaster 🙌