The Recruitment Mentors Podcast

On this episode I’m joined by Joe Head from Mark James. He fell into the world of recruitment at the young age of 18, and seven years later is now an Associate Director, specialising in Cyber Security. Joe initially started his career as a contract recruiter, but after coming in to his own after switching to perm, it has seen him build two new markets in his tenure. Joe’s story may sound familiar to a lot of other junior recruiters out there, and his openness and honesty to share his learnings (even at board level now) is going to help a lot of those listening to the episode who may be feeling demotivated in the early years of their recruitment career.For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about the structure of building out a new desk in a boutique business, then this episode hits all of those markers. For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to learn more about day plans, and overcoming the multiple hurdles that a career in recruitment can give you!You can connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joehead1/Timestamps for the episode:How did Joe enter the world of recruitment? [2:29]What was Austin Fraser like when you joined? [5:32]Not doing a deal for 10 months [9:15]Asking for help [13:39]What would you have done differently? [14:23]Biggest learning in two years [18:58]Getting to senior consultant [24:43]‘You just put an ad on a job board’ [28:04]What did you say to clients in your pitch? [29:15]Having self worth in what you do [31:40]Billings and performance [32:16]KPI’s [35:20]What your day looks like [39:24]A daily must-do that has changed? [45:14]What would you say are the benefits are in a large vs small consultancy? [48:38]What was your game plan in a new business? [51:55]How did you get jobs? [58:46]What are you measuring to check that you are doing the right things? [1:01:24]Resilience [1:09:58]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 week I’m joined by Chris Stringer from That Recruitment Company.Initially starting his journey as a double glazing salesman, Chris fought his way into recruitment without a degree. Thirteen years later, he’s now a proud business owner of That Recruitment Company which has been going for six years. Operating exclusively in Europe, Chris has got a breadth of experience in building relationships across the pond, and reveals some common mistakes that recruiters make when breaking in to the EU. For recruiters who are keen to learn more about European markets and how business development differs, this is definitely one for you. Similarly, for those looking to set up their own recruitment company, Chris shares a lot of key takeaways on marketing, branding and internal communications such as mental health and company culture that I think is crucial.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to refine your approach to business development as well as being able to openly communicate your struggles to your colleagues and managers.You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisstringer/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 week I’m joined by Sophie Allen from Venatrix.Fresh out of university, Sophie began her recruitment journey in a 180 candidate facing role in Manchester. Fast forward to now and she’s done a complete 180 (pardon the pun) and is Venatrix’s Business Development Director. An unusual switch in the recruitment world, but an interesting one nonetheless! Sophie has developed her experience in a start-up environment, which we all know can be even tougher than an established consultancy. In this episode she is sharing her journey (and tips) on being successful in a BD role.For recruiters who are keen to learn more about the 180 model and how Sophie has developed her role over time, this is definitely one for you! For the junior consultants out there, this episode really delves into candidate work KPI’s and ‘the basics’ for being successful; so give this a listen if you’re looking for a little inspiration.Timestamps:How did Sophie enter recruitment? [1:58]The assessment day during the interview process [3:38]Perception of recruitment [4:21]First year in recruitment [5:32]The challenges [8:22]Building the London business [12:06]Cold business and the difficulties it can bring [13:39]Cultivating resilience [14:39]What makes a successful BD call? [16:33]Communicating advice to those early in their career [19:00]Billings [20:40]Are you motivated by money? [24:49]Biggest learnings [27:02]Transitioning to a start-up [31:00]Mindset on client development [36:25]Day structure [39:22]Billings this year [42:35]Working with graduates [47:25]Generating content and the response it gets [50:10]The 180 model [51:33]What are the common things you see that prevent people from doing well at BD [53:48]We go again! [57:20]Resilience [59:00]What is Sophie excited about? [1:00:33]One last piece of advice… [1:01:54]You can connect with Sophie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophievenatrix/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 week I’m joined by Tom White who owns Paratus People.After falling into the world of recruitment through starting his journey in phone sales, Tom has successfully built a recruitment business in four years with offices in Bristol, Amsterdam and Munich.With 13 years of recruitment experience coupled up with being a Founder and Managing Director, I think for all senior recruiters looking to broaden their knowledge on leadership, mindset and drive need to give this one a listen.For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to educate yourself further on how to maximise your desk through planning as well as using research to give you extra confidence and knowledge when doing those difficult BD calls. You’ll be surprised at all the different approaches I hear on each episode.Tom really was a pleasure to host on this podcast and without giving too much away, this is full of applicable ways to enrich yourself as a recruiter and leader. Timestamps:  “How did Tom White enter the world of recruitment?”  2.52“The rec to rec journey” 5.30“Best year for billings?” 8.06 “Success, being driven and motivation“ 9.45“Engulfing yourself in a market” 12.37 “Doing the basics right” 14.40“What did the typical day look like for you?” 16.06“Managing finances and not splurging” 22.35“Starting his own business” 23.41“First year in business” 28.10“Challenges in the first year” 31.59“What do I need to invest in if I'm starting my own business?” 35.00“Hiring right and looking for the correct traits” 42.03“How do you think you’ve got the best out of your people?”  48.10 “How has the journey been for you personally?” 50.35 “Profits taking a hit when growing a business” 57.27“What does resilience in recruitment mean to you?” 1.01.55“What can people do themselves to instill more resilience in to teams?” 1.04.32“2020 plans” 1.06.45“Final piece of advice…” 1.08.51You can connect with Tom White on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomparatus/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 futures 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 week I’m joined by Isobel Stevenson from Hunted. After falling into recruitment through starting her journey running a fine art gallery, Isobel has successfully conquered Executive Search, remote working and now R2R in the last five years. She has had a breadth of experience not only in recruitment but also working in Bali, Australia as well as diving into the world of remote working. For recruiters who are curious about the world of Search, remote working and Recruitment in Australia, you need to give this one a listen as it gets under the skin of all three of these topics. For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to educate yourself further on the path recruitment can take you on, as well as companies who embrace flexible working and the positives and negatives of it. Time Stamps for the EpisodeHow did Isobel enter recruitment? 2.16Search and selection 4.03Commission structure and peer reviews 7.39Difference between agency and search 9.55Dealing with senior candidates 12.34How much exposure did you get on pitching retainers 15.36Hunted’s model 17.39Any advice you wish you received? 20.42When did recruitment feel like a career? 22.28Perception of R2R 25.30 Working remotely 27.10A typical day… In Bali! 28.50International skill set 31.27The aussie recruitment market 32.30UK market vs Australian 35.44Australian life and work life balance 37.33Embedding yourself in the culture 39.33Best rec agencies in Aus 41.36What does resilience in recruitment mean to you? 44.07What can people do to instill more resilience in themselves? 47.19The future and what is exciting! 49.12One piece of advice 50.14You can connect with Isobel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isobel-stevenson/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 week I’m joined by Ryan Adams, CEO and Founder of Signify Technology.Like most, Ryan fell in to recruitment. After rubbing shoulders at football training with an S3 consultant, he wanted a slice of success, high earnings and the finer things in life, and got his first role through him. Since entering recruitment 12 years ago, he has worked his way up the career ladder to board level, and left it all to start his own firm four years ago.Ryan’s approach to starting his own business is different from most recruitment owners I’ve interviewed on the podcast, and we get a real insight into his methods and practices of growing a successful, niche consultancy on this episode. For recruiters who are looking to get a slightly different insight in how to build a successful, global business, this one's for you.Additionally, if you’re someone who is on the fence about bringing marketing into your business, or want to know how to make your team more diverse, this podcast hits all those markers.Time Stamps of the EpisodeHow did Ryan enter the world of recruitment? 2.26What do you think are the contributing factors of your success at Consol 6.12Being proactive with being a shareholder 8.25Having your own business 9.55Signify journey 12.20End of year one 14.21How Ryan acquired clients 16.23Getting through the tough times 19.38Ending year one on profit 23.37How niche do I need to go? 25.18Hiring right 26.11Marketing in his business 29.51Year two 33.20Cultivating drive in the team 38.00Year three and working the US market 43.05Acquiring clients in the USA 48.02The benefit of hosting events 49.30Drilling down on the big challenges 53.34LA lifestyle 58.58How can we change the perception of rec 1.02.36What advice do you wish you were given at the beginning of the journey? 1.04.05What does resilience in recruitment mean to you 1.06.25Excitements for 2020 1.10.20One last piece of advice… 1.11.55You can connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryansignify/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 Lloyd Hulme who works for a digital recruitment agency called Trust in Soda who are part of the Trinnovo Group.Lloyd has worked in the industry for 3 years and in his time so far at Soda he has climbed the ranks to his recent promotion, Head of Design.We really break it down in this episode how he has managed to achieve this in such a short period of time.What's clear is that Lloyd has REALLY applied himself in the last two and a half years of his recruitment career, putting in the work, learning from some of the best billers around him and in turn building a personal brand within his market which has massively helped him win business.We discuss his management learnings so far, how he got given the advice 'keep shaking the tree' from the high performers around him, how and why he started building his personal brand, the impact sharing content has had on his recruitment desk and much more.You can connect with Lloyd Hulme on Linkedin - Lloyd HulmeLloyds infamous videos that we discuss in the episode:Halloweenhttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6463674047304732672/ Christmashttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6481445000835137536/Valentineshttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6633998817236779009/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 futures 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 one of the founders of Logical Resources, Tom Cokill.Tom started his Leeds based recruitment business with his business partner Sam Ellam in 2015 since then they have scaled their agency to circa 20 people.Having been to their office I absolutely love the young, vibrant and forward thinking culture they have built in this time.We discuss in detail the challenges, learnings and strategies Tom has gone through scaling his recruitment business over the last couple of years.It's safe to say Tom's passion for the recruitment industry and the people in his business really shines through in this episode.Great story so far and I'm really excited to see what the business looks like in a couple of years!You can connect with Tom on Linkedin - Tom CokillI 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 futures 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 one of the most down to earth agency owners I have ever met in Lloyd Stoke.Lloyd started his own recruitment business from home in 2015 in order for him to be closer to home when wanting to start a family.In this conversation Lloyd is completely transparent with us on how his recruitment business has evolved from just being him in his home study in year one to now employing 5 people with one of the employees being his wife!We discuss why Lloyd put together a business plan before he started his agency, the tools he invested in, how he has achieved more balance in his life, the learnings from working with his wife, focusing on building relationships and the challenges with growing his business.Anyone who is early on in their recruitment business journey will relate to this episode and for those of you thinking about starting your own business Lloyd is completely open with us on his journey to date.You can connect with Lloyd Stokes on Linkedin - Lloyd StokesI 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 futures 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 🙌🏻👊🏻

In this episode I'm joined by a very humble and hardworking recruitment manager in the name of Shaun Taylor.Shaun has worked for the Premier Group for nearly a decade and in this time he has progressed to divisional manager.In this time Shaun has really knuckled down and put everything into his recruitment career.We have a real honest chat on how Shaun has managed to take his recruitment career from strength to strength.We discuss early on in his career when it wasn't easy for him, what he learned from the best people around him, how he broke the £200K billings mark, his transition into management, mindset and the learnings he has taken from becoming a better manager!So many great insights shared from Shaun on his journey to the team of the year within a global recruitment business.I'm excited for you all to listen to this episode!!!You can connect with Shaun on Linkedin - Shaun TaylorI 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 futures 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 🙌🏻👊🏻