The Recruitment Mentors Podcast

This week I’m joined by Zeth and Shaun - founders from Plexus Resourcing. Both have had stellar careers in recruitment and worked together at G2, before joining forces to create their own consultancy. This podcast covers a lot of interesting touchpoints such as scaling a business, implementing a delivery model alongside consultants as well as developing their niche. For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about scaling a business (revenue and headcount) then this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about the types of options that are out there for delivery focussed roles, especially if you are looking to take a step away from BD. Timestamps:How did you both end up in recruitment? [2:01]Were you guys good billers? [6:59]Starting your own business[10:38]Learnings around getting investment/not getting investment [14:20]Breaking down year 1 [16:36]How did you get clients? [19:32]Challenges in year 1 [23:32]Growth plans [30:25]Year 2 & the importance of hiring an ops expert [31:32]Hiring challenges [34:32]Year three and hiring the right people [39:20]How have you cultivated your culture? [43:38]Relationship between the two of you [46:42]Delivery model [51:00]Hiring the correct delivery consultant [55:49]The stresses of having your own business [56:31]Getting advice from people [59:29]What does resilience mean to you? [1:01:03]Instilling resilience in your teams [1:04:05]What are you excited about [1:05:50]One piece of advice… [1:07:16]You can connect with them both on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zethcouceiroplexus/https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunpottsplexus/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 🙌🏻👊

We're all experiencing unprecedented adversity right now within the recruitment industry.I wanted to make sure I played my part in helping us come together and get through this as an industry.Having sat down with numerous successful recruitment professionals when hosting the recruitment rollercoaster podcast I wanted to try and bring the right people together who can share their own experiences having been through adversity themselves.On each episode of this LIVE podcast webinar series, we will be digging into what the panellists are doing today in their businesses to weather the storm of Covid 19 but also how they have learnt from adversity in the past.In this episode, I was joined by Sean McCleary, John Gaughan & Louise Davey.I don't want listeners relying on me to ask the correct questions so a HUGE part of this is going to be interactive Q&A with the panellists.I want to make sure you get YOUR questions answered!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 🙌🏻👊🏻

**THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED ON THE 24TH OF MARCH**On this episode, I’m joined by Kodie Rogers and Chelsea Gannon from Ashley James Consulting. It’s the first online podcast that I hosted as COVID-19 has meant we’ve switched things up a little. It was great to hear about their two unique journeys into recruitment as well as talking about the current state of the Rec to Rec market due to the global pandemic we are all in.They also shared their learnings around content and standing out as Rec to Rec’s!For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about the Rec to Rec market RIGHT NOW due to the current climate - I urge you to give this a listen.Timestamps from the episode:How did you both enter the world of recruitment [2:06]What drew you into a two person business? [9:01]Is it important for small businesses to communicate where they are going? [11:06]Typical misconceptions of a R2R [13:56]Personal journeys as recruiters so far [19:28]Transitioning to recruiting remotely [27:49]Touchpoints as a manager during remote working [29:43]What are you focusing on right now to get you through this time? [34:16]Redundancies due to Covid-19 [37:15]Recruitment landscape currently [40:58]Putting out content on LinkedIn [43:31]Where do you think people get content wrong? [46:09]Conversations with employers so they can weather the storm [51:54]What are you doing to keep mentally sane during this period? [54:36]Other things that are helping so far [58:15]One piece of advice to communicate to every single recruiter… [1:00:00]You can connect with them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kodie-rogers-8a1a6a173/https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-talent-guru/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 🙌🏻👊🏻

On this episode, I’m joined by Lily Shippen from Lily Shippen - Secretarial and support recruitment. Lily started her journey at Robert Walters, gaining top biller status after being in the business for three years. After feeling burnt out and wanting a new goal, she made the decision to set up her own recruitment consultancy. I love Lily’s journey because it’s not like most founders’ that I’ve had on the podcast. Her first three years of business were tough, and there are a lot of key learnings here in particular for those who are considering setting up on their own.For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about growing a business without managerial experience, this one is definitely for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn about burnout and essentially spot the signs early on to ensure that you can be kinder to yourself when building a desk.You can connect with Lily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilyshippen/Time Stamps:How did Lily enter the world of recruitment? [2:18]How did you come across recruitment? [5:52]Working in a big business [8:04]Who were you surrounded by?[10:00]Billings [12:08]Why did you start your own business? [15:46]How do you structure your goals? [20:28]First year in business [22:12]What was your two year plan? [26:44]Winning clients with biscuits [29:40]How did you go about investing more in your website? [30:57]In hindsight, how do you think you would start things differently?[34:38]Switching off [41:10]How do you sell your business? [44:47]Year three [49:14]Mentality of your business going in to year four [54:51]Connecting with people and networking [58:41]How easy is it to forget where you were? [1:02:03]Best decisions in year four and psychometric testing [1:03:08]How did you approach clients? [1:07:39]How do you structure your day now? [1:09:28]Piece of advice to someone starting their own rec business [1:14:53]What are you excited about? [1:17:03]Final advice to the people [1:18:43]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 🙌🏻👊🏻

We're all experiencing unprecedented adversity right now within the recruitment industry.I wanted to make sure I played my part in helping us come together and get through this as an industry.Having sat down with numerous successful recruitment professionals when hosting the recruitment rollercoaster podcast I wanted to try and bring the right people together who can share their own experiences having been through adversity themselves.On each episode of this LIVE podcast webinar series, we will be digging into what the panellists are doing today in their businesses to weather the storm of Covid 19 but also how they have learnt from adversity in the past.In this episode, I was joined by Matt Collingwood, Kalpesh Baxi & Liam Thomas.I don't want listeners relying on me to ask the correct questions so a HUGE part of this is going to be interactive Q&A with the panellists.I want to make sure you get YOUR questions answered!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 🙌🏻👊🏻

Just a quick message to say we can all get through this SH**T time TOGETHER.If you're struggling, I'm struggling and trust me you're not alone.If you have had to make difficult decisions as a leader you're not alone.If you have been made redundant you're not alone.I'm going to do my utmost to continue to provide value with my content in these difficult times.I have started the LIVE podcast webinar series which you can check out here:https://www.bigmarker.com/azzouz-branding/Cultivating-resilience-and-going-the-distance-amongst-adversityhttps://www.bigmarker.com/azzouz-branding/Recruitment-Rollercoaster-LIVE-Cultivating-resilience-and-going-the-distanceIf you want to join the Recruitment Rollercoaster CHECK-IN then drop me a message on Linkedin but it will be every Thursday.I hope you + your families are all well and healthy.Anything I can do to help please just get in touch with me, the best place is on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishemazzouz/

On this episode, I’m joined by Lauren Langstaff-Roberts from SW6 Associates.She initially entered the world of recruitment as a graduate, working a 360 desk in a boutique consultancy in Mayfair. After realising that the role wasn’t what it cracked up to me, Lauren entered the wonderful world of Rec to Rec. Lauren’s journey is brilliant, as there are often a lot of misconceptions about Rec to Rec which we debunk on this episode. We also discuss the power of content and how she has used it to propel her career forwards.For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about the Rec to Rec market and how candidates and clients are treated at SW6, this one’s for you.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about what is out there in the recruitment world, as well as how to spot a good commission structure and benefits package.You can connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenlangstaffrobertssw6/Time Stamps.How did Lauren enter the world of recruitment? [3:03]First role in recruitment [7:30]SW6 Associates [9:27]Do you think you would have stayed in recruitment despite bad experiences? [10:41]First year at SW6 [14:00]Do you think grads have changed? [15:16]How do you sell recruitment? [19:06]How much can recruiters earn in their first year? [20:55]Non-negotiables in a good candidate [24:06]Talking about money [29:19]Achieving in London [32:55]What does a good commission structure look like? [34:22]What are the employee benefits that grads want? [36:26]Hiring manager challenges [41:23]Red flags to consider [43:56]What’s your advice on me soaking up the culture [47:13]Big vs Small companies [48:55]Linkedin content [50:45]Negativity [55:40]The effect of content [59:47]Changes in the industry [1:02:51]What are you excited about? [1:06:13]One piece of advice [1:08:44]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 🙌🏻👊🏻

On this episode, I’m joined by Kristian James from Hawkwood.Being entrepreneurial from a young age meant that he was one of few who chose recruitment as a career path, and his trajectory has enabled him to be a founder of his own agency for the last four years.Kristian has experienced both sides of the coin in recruitment: ‘top biller’ status as well as struggling to keep his desk thriving and going through some pretty tough times. From being an Associate Consultant to now running a very successful firm is testament to the mindset and hard work that Kristian had to embrace to make it work.For recruiters that are looking for some open dialogue on humility, ego and mindset, this one is definitely for you. Whether you are at the beginning of your career or looking to educate yourself on how a successful agency is built, you won’t be disappointed by this one.Junior consultants, I really urge you to listen to this, especially if you are having a good first year in recruitment (you’ll know why once you listen!).You can connect with Kristian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristian-james-669b892b/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 🙌🏻👊🏻

On the 19th of March, we hosted the very first LIVE Podcast Webinar!This episode is the audio from the LIVE podcast.We discussed cultivating resilience and going the distance in Recruitment which couldn't be more topical in today's current landscape.I was joined by Rhonda D'Ambrosio, Andrew MacAskill and Oliver Perry.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 🙌🏻👊🏻

Get your questions answered and join in on the LIVE Podcast conversation with this link:https://www.bigmarker.com/azzouz-branding/Recruitment-Rollercoaster-LIVE-Cultivating-resilience-and-going-the-distanceWe had to postpone the LIVE event in London due to the coronavirus however I'm so excited to bring you the first-ever live podcast panel discussion ONLINE.The theme is going to remain the same and likewise with the panellists.I think what is happening in today's world right now discussing resilience couldn't be more of an important topic to be discussing!I will be joined by Rhonda D'Ambrosio, Andrew MacAskill and Oliver Perry.We intend on having as much audience participation as possible so I will be asking a couple of questions but a lot of the discussion will be from the audience's questions!I will see you all there. Stay safe and keep healthy 👊🏻