Recruiting Trailblazers

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Meagan Murray, Head of People at Anduril Industries. Meagan previously held leadership positions at well-known brands such as Riot Games, Facebook, Cruise Automation, and Karat.

Meagan reveals how she got Covid in March - and how terrifying it was back then when we knew even less about the virus. Meagan is also a Cancer survivor which she shares too. Meagan details how Covid has completely re-shaped the way she views here professional life, personal life - and overall well-being, including taking up running again and losing 45lbs!

Listen in as Meagan discusses how COVID-19 has shifted the focus of every organization onto the health and wellbeing of its people, the foundational role of culture in every business, adapting to the virtual workplace, and traits that make up a great recruiter. Marcus mentions his Leadership Doctrine - The Big IDEA (Inspire, Develop, Empower, Appreciate)

Leadership, Remote work challenges, engagement issues - Marcus and Meagan cover a lot of interesting territory in this fascinating conversation.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:12] How contracting COVID-19 shaped Meagan’s 2020

●      [8:43] Meagan’s thoughts on companies now focusing on wellbeing

●      [11:25] Anduril’s mission and Meagan’s role at the company

●      [13:53] Culture is the bedrock of any organization

●      [14:52] Anduril’s core values and how they contribute to their culture

●      [17:03] Leadership-related challenges in 2020

●      [19:07] Keeping people immersed in their work while being isolated

●      [21:17] Measuring productivity in a virtual workplace

●      [22:28] Why vulnerability makes better leaders

●      [24:55] Highlights from working at Facebook, Riot Games, Cruise, and Karat

●      [29:34] Working in a hypergrowth company

●      [32:38] What makes a great recruiter?

●      [35:21] The consulting aspect of recruiting

●      [39:07] Does Meagan believe in recruiting “up-and-comers”?

Key quotes:

●      “As HR professionals, we always tend to put the needs of others before ours, but we actually really need to take care of ourselves first if we want to be effective leaders in the long run.”

●      “The best leaders I’ve seen are able to be vulnerable when the situation calls for it.”

●      “Selling your company’s vision to a prospective hire is about finding out what is important to the candidate and linking that up to what we have in the company.”

●      “I can’t stand it when people say that recruiting is sales. In fact, it drives me nuts. We’re not in sales. The best recruiters are the ones that aren’t trying to sell the opportunity. They’re trying to support the candidate to make the right decision—they’re trying to see if the organization is the right match for them.”

●      “Curiosity is the number one thing that makes a TA specialist or recruiter awesome.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Lucy Leonelli, Director of Executive Recruiting at Twilio, Inc and former Managing Partner at Wilton & Bain.

At one point in her corporate career, Lucy developed a hunger for adventure that inspired her to look beyond her job to see what else life had to offer. Upon returning to Wilton & Bain, her professional motivations were never the same. She references Frodo’s return to the Shire in Lord of the Rings, where Bilbo tells him, “You can never go home again.” As fate would have it, Lucy’s business partners reached out to her with plans for expansion into the U.S., leading her down a new path in Silicon valley.

Listen in as Lucy discusses her transition to the U.S., the differences in doing business between the two countries, best practices for building your network and nurturing business relationships, why you need to start making more phone calls today, how to evolve from recruiter to trusted advisor, and how a traumatic motorcycle accident completely changed Lucy’s trajectory in life. From expanding her network, to getting through the right doors, to understanding and strategizing around competitors, Lucy goes over the various challenges she had to overcome to get to where she is today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [2:37] Leaving Wilton & Bain and moving to the U.S.

●      [5:27] Lucy on living with vampires

●      [7:28] Lucy’s first few months doing business in the U.S.

●      [8:30] What Wilson & Bain offers

●      [11:48] How doing business in the U.S. is different from the U.K.

●      [14:51] Immediate challenges in getting the business off the ground

●      [17:24] Building relationships in the U.S. fresh off the boat

●      [19:35] Other networking activities

●      [22:33] The biggest misconception clients have about the search industry

●      [26:58] When Lucy knew that the business was finally getting off the ground

●      [31:09] A case for making more phone calls today

●      [32:00] Sending LinkedIn messages that get responses

●      [36:48] The power of getting introductions

●      [37:56] Interacting with British aristocracy

●      [39:27] Lucy on her motorcycle accident

●      [45:16] Creating your own happiness

●      [46:24] What Lucy is excited for in her new role at Twilio

●      [47:44] Lucy’s parting words of wisdom

Key quotes:

●      “In Silicon Valley, people are very open to meeting up with you over coffee to have a conversation. The challenge is closing business. In the U.K., it’s the other way around.”

●      “Automation can find the specific collection of experiences and companies that you’re looking for. But how you find that personality profile and level of experience that’s going to fit into your organization requires a high-touch, human element. You can’t replace that with an algorithm.”

●      “A real shortcut to success in a search is getting introductions from your connections.”

●      “We always think it’s the external things that make us happy, so we always put happiness off. Really, happiness is something that’s absolutely within your control. Always focus on celebrating the wins and don’t dwell on the failures.”

●      “Make a plan and move in that direction, but don’t be surprised when curveballs hit you, because I think we have a lot more of those to come in 2021.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Bree Silveira, who shares her experience as a recruiter up until COVID-19 led to her getting laid off from Glassdoor.

Bree describes her understandable feelings of disbelief and grief upon being laid off. She quickly regained her bearings, however, and decided to focus on the silver linings that the crisis presented. For one, Bree was actually a week out from a planned maternity leave when she was laid off. 

Listen in as Bree discusses lessons learned following her layoff from Glassdoor, best practices for job seekers on LinkedIn, maximizing precious real estate on your resumé in order to stand out, and what your frame of mind should be when you walk into that first interview.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:30] Bree on getting laid off from Glassdoor

●      [5:05] Planning for future job prospects while on maternity leave

●      [7:10] Bree’s background as a recruiter and her experience at Glassdoor

●      [9:41] The right mindset to adopt when going into a job search

●      [16:20] Starting a job search and effectively utilizing LinkedIn

●      [23:51] Setting up alerts on LinkedIn and finding job postings early

●      [25:34] Standing out among countless other job seekers on LinkedIn

●      [29:41] Other resumé writing tips

●      [33:51] Beyond the resumé: Connecting with key people at the company

●      [34:45] How recruiters can improve their processes during COVID-19

●      [38:45] Challenges that hiring managers are now facing

●      [39:32] Bree’s candidate experience so far

●      [42:20] Maximizing the candidate experience and the employee experience

●      [45:29] Advice for those going into their first interview

●      [48:31] Bree’s parting advice for struggling job seekers in 2020

Key quotes:

●      “It’s very easy to update the resumés of your friends and family while neglecting your own.”

●      “When going into a job search, you have to go in with confidence, and you have to be yourself. Anytime you feel like you’re losing that confidence is a good time to step back from the job search, take a breather, and do something else that you enjoy.”

●      “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be in the universe at this moment. You have to have faith.”

●      “You get exactly what you’re supposed to get when you’re supposed to get it.”

●      “At the end of the day, you’ve really got to put yourself out there and let people know what your circumstances are and that you’re looking for an opportunity.”

●      “Make sure that your experience is transferable to the position you’re applying for. If it isn’t, but you have the experience, then you need to change your resumé so that the person reading it can see a match immediately.”

●      “When going into your first interview, do not forget who you are, do not lose yourself, and do not try to anticipate what they want to hear. Just go in with confidence and be yourself. You should also interview back. Remember: You are offering something to your potential employer.”

●      “No matter what happens following the interview, you cannot let it affect your wellbeing or confidence, because at the end of the day, it’s just another person on the other side of the phone.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Lauren Jones, founder and CEO at Leap Consulting Solutions.

Lauren was in the unique and especially challenging position of being forced to deal with the COVID-19 crisis right after she founded Leap Consulting Solutions. Not to be deterred, Lauren decided to focus on what she could continue to do effectively even as shutdowns were taking place all around her: help those who were struggling to get or keep a job.  “Staying focused on what you can control and staying true to yourself,” says Lauren, “will always work out in the end, ideally.”

Leap Consulting Solutions helps companies simplify, implement, and integrate: 1) They help agencies simplify the overabundance of technology and make good business choices based on where they want to go; 2) They help with functional alignment and change management and adoption within the organization; 3) They help you implement your stack and evangelize that investment to the rest of the team. In short, Lauren helps businesses redefine how they are supporting the most important person in the world: the candidate.

Listen in as Lauren discusses the importance of investing in tools that will help you communicate and evangelize messages internally and externally, and drawing the line between automation and personalization.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:36] Why Lauren is proud to receive the Care Award

●      [2:56] Adapting to the pandemic

●      [6:21] Lauren’s background in the staffing and recruiting industry

●      [8:08] What Lauren offers

●      [9:32] Areas which are now ripe for tech innovation in the recruiting space

●      [11:17] How technology can help companies implement their core values

●      [16:27] Initiating the ATS vs CRM question

●      [19:37] Exciting advancements and new tools

●      [25:42] Using automation effectively

●      [32:21] How technology has helped companies navigate COVID-19

●      [38:06] Using technology vs an organic approach to engaging with prospects

●      [40:55] Lauren’s approach to change management

●      [48:39] What is Sense?

●      [50:06] Lauren’s “ah-hah” moments in building systems and solutions

●      [53:20] What Lauren is most excited about in 2021

Key quotes:

●      “We must make it easy for veterans to reenter civilian life, and as employers, we have the obligation to do just that.”

●      “Intentions and authenticity are everything, particularly when you’re starting a business.”

●      “People don’t buy features. People buy benefits.”

●      “You want your core values to be reflective in the technology that you leverage and how you leverage it.”

●      “There is no transformation without integration.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Consulting services focusing on the simplification, implementation, and integration of your tech stack: Lead Consulting Solutions

●      Connect with Lauren Jones on LinkedIn: Lauren Jones

●      Email Lauren at [email protected]

●      Customer Engagement Automation: Sense

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Henna Pryor. For 14 years, Henna was one of the top finance and accounting recruiters in the Tri-State area, and consistently in the 10% of performers at Kforce, including the number one spot in 2017. In 2019, she founded the Pryority Group, where she focuses on executive coaching and transformative training for high achievers. She recently developed a course aimed squarely at helping recruiting and sales professionals massively improve their outreach game; or, as she puts in, “write insanely effective emails that get results.”

Henna notes that the staffing industry, in recent times, has focused on quantity over quality when putting together messaging campaigns. In a globalized world where recruiters and sales professionals constantly need to cut through noise and ever-shrinking attention spans, it’s understandable and time-saving to simply rely on sheer volume and the law of large numbers. However, by taking the extra time and effort to personalize each message, you set yourself up for even greater success. Namely, you should strive for the ability to connect with and convert someone in such a way that they are compelled to respond to your outreach.

Listen in as Henna discusses the difference between a blueprint and a script; the power of segmentation and specificity when crafting messages; creating curiosity in your subject lines; and how personalization, warmth, and fun can encourage more engagement.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:59] Why messaging is paramount

●      [3:47] The key components to a successful messaging campaign

●      [6:16] How to connect with and convert prospects

●      [9:18] Getting and maintaining a prospect’s attention

●      [15:15] Crafting personalized messages using segmentation

●      [19:37] Incorporating your call to action in your message

●      [22:43] Good versus bad headlines

●      [26:26] The downsides of automated messages

●      [30:40] Creating commonality and fun in your interactions with prospects

●      [35:36] How Henna’s training has helped recruiters

●      [38:08] Focusing on benefits over features

●      [42:14] Approaching cold versus warm candidates and clients

●      [43:47] Advice on email sequencing

●      [47:03] Two tips to instantly increase the quality of your messages

Key quotes:

●      “90% of people screen their phone calls and don’t pick up an unknown phone number anymore.”

●      “Like it or not, people will instantly judge you based on the words that you use.”

●      “When you’re speaking to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.”

●      “People don’t buy features. People buy benefits.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      The world’s only sales messaging and copywriting masterclass for the staffing industry: Recruiter's Copy Clinic

●      Connect with Henna Pryor on LinkedIn: Henna Pryor

●      Email Henna at [email protected]

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Jonathan Kidder, otherwise known as the “Wizard Sourcer”. He is currently working as a tech recruiter for Amazon, and his blog, Wizard Sourcer, has become one of the leading knowledge resources for recruiters online.

Listen in as Jonathan unloads a treasure trove of advice on the current sourcing and recruiting landscape, including best practices to keep in mind when reaching out to potential candidates. He also gives us his favorite tools and platforms for prospect databases, customer engagement, and automation, as well as a primer on his own free browser extension, Recruiter Wand.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:49] How sourcing has evolved over the past five years

●      [3:45] Looking for candidates versus engaging with candidates

●      [4:52] Do all good recruiters make good sourcers, and vice versa?

●      [5:44] Is automation disadvantageous to the recruiting process?

●      [8:43] Jonathan’s process as a technical recruiter at Amazon

●      [15:30] What are some alternatives to LinkedIn?

●      [21:24] Why InMail is losing steam

●      [22:59] The best way to utilize texting

●      [26:00] Using video to connect with prospects

●      [27:26] Examples of candidate engagement platforms

●      [31:28] How Jonathan built his brand with Wizard Sourcer

●      [33:48] Jonathan’s other favorite platforms

●      [38:36] The four levels of automation and examples of automation tools

●      [40:39] What is Jonathan’s browser extension, Recruiter Wand?

Key quotes:

●      “Sourcing, as a whole, when it first started, was focused on lead generation. It’s changed in recent years as some teams do the full cycle process while others have sourcers and as well as recruiters to take over at some point in the process. More than ever, sourcers do now communicate and engage candidates and start them on the process.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      The most complete database of tech people: Human Predictions

●      Build better business relationships with video messaging: BombBomb

●      Candidate engagement platforms: Hiretual, SeekOut, Lusha, Gem, Lemlist, Interstellar, Sense

●      A new candidate interviewing platform: Honeit

●      Get matched directly with active talent: Hired, Vetterly, AmazingHiring

●      Automation tools: Phantombuster, IFTTT, Zapier

●      Jonathan’s free browser extension to create auto-filled emails: Recruiter Wand

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Maurice Fuller, founder and Conference Producer at StaffingTec, which began in May 2018 to meet the need for an up-to-date and reliable information hub and community dedicated to the world of staffing industry technology. Maurice is also the President of NewVector Group, a management consultancy and training company specializing in serving the IT staffing sector.

Maurice discusses the ever-evolving landscape of staffing technologies and, by extension, virtual communication as a whole. Obviously, COVID-19 has had a profound effect on the industry. He discusses how staffing companies will gradually be reducing their real estate footprints as they look for solutions to be able to work virtually. In addition, Maurice speaks about how staffing will be run more autonomously in the future, with humans only stepping in at times of exception or when their presence brings the type of value that automation cannot.

Many new technologies have emerged not only as the industry continues to change, but also as customers become more and more sophisticated with the staffing services that they purchase. While Indeed, Monster, and LinkedIn continue to serve as staples for recruiters and job seekers, companies that seek to stay on the cutting edge need to consider platforms that make the hiring process faster and more convenient.

A large part of Maurice’s role in NewVector Group is “helping companies identify technologies that will help them grow their revenues faster and improve profits. Also, I help them prioritize all the different options that they have in front of them.” For Maurice, a good strategy for the future of a staffing company depends not only on which tools and platforms they decide to focus on, but also on their taking into consideration how automation can be implemented into their system.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [1:30] StaffingTec’s digital transformation in recent years

●      [4:53] How the staffing technology landscape changed amid COVID-19

●      [7:19] The biggest ways technology has changed the recruiting process

●      [11:20] New technologies popular among recruiters aside from LinkedIn

●      [19:12] Potential downsides to automation in the staffing industry

●      [21:07] The role of new recruiting technologies in headhunting

●      [22:20] Promising emerging AI-driven platforms

●      [26:43] How staffing companies can implement marketing automation

●      [28:42] The current state of LinkedIn

●      [29:47] How staffing industry leaders must think about the future of staffing

●      [34:11] The role of blockchain in the staffing industry

●      [35:18] How Maurice helps staffing companies adopt new technologies

●      [39:29] What Maurice is most excited about going into the future

Key quotes:

●      “Staffing industry leaders should consider that customers are becoming more and more sophisticated about purchasing staffing services.”

●      “More than anything, it’s important to have a vision of what the future looks like. And once you have that clear vision of what the future staffing firm is going to look like, then you can build toward that vision. That vision is going to constantly evolve into the future, but it’s highly, highly automated across all areas.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus interviews another Marcus, Marcus Sawyerr, Global Head of Digital Partnerships at the Adecco Group. 

Marcus Sawyerr details Adecco are adapting to the new economic landscape, and evolving digitally as the recruiting space continues to mature. He also examines the importance of developing essential diversity and inclusion practices. 

What you’ll learn in the episode…

• [02:37] How Marcus sees both daily operations at Adecco as well as his role as the global head of digital partnerships
• [04:42] Adecco’s role in other digital organizations, developing the future of HR Tech operations
• [05:00] How successful digital partnerships operate at Adecco, and about their recent education partnership
• [07:37] Where  Marcus  sees the future digital transformations in the staffing industry
• [09:01] How Marcus thinks that role of recruiters will have to evolve as a result of this transformation
• [10:19] How the organizations Marcus and Adecco work with are refocusing on diversity and inclusion 
• [13:17] Why education is such a pivotal factor in promoting positive diversity and inclusion initiatives
• [14:29] The mutual dependance of both diversity and inclusion, and how one factors into the other
• [17:27 How inclusive cultures can make companies better, stronger, and more agile in confronting the challenges that the future might bring
• [19:12] How the digital transformation in the staffing industry is affecting this push for diversity and inclusion
• [23:20] Where Marcus  sees opportunities in the future of recruiting
• [27:10] The values of niche marketing, and how niche approaches can serve as future proofing in the midst of uncertainty
• [28:30] What goes into the process of verticalizing a brand like Adecco
• [31:58]  Marcus’ thoughts on the opportunities in subscription models for the industry
• [35:58] The impacts of Covid-19 and the paradigm shift  Marcus is seeing as a result
• [38:48] How Adecco was able to react rapidly in the face of the coronavirus, moving 30,000+ employees to remote work at the drop of a hat
• [43:20] How the spirit and culture at Adecco has affected  Marcus, and how he looks towards the coming years of Adecco

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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This week on RT - Marcus shares a blueprint for implementing an impactful corporate culture that is both binding and progressive - and the key driver for Recruitment and Retention of the talent you need.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus interviews Roopesh Panchasra, Global Head of Executive Recruiting and Employer Branding, Vice President at SAP. 

Roopesh details how he and his team approach the multi-faceted challenge of finding great talent at SAP, from designing better candidate experience to building out a high-tech talent intelligence operation. He also examines the key differences between in-house and agency recruiting. 

COVID’s Effects

With the events of early March and global lockdowns, Roopesh and his team had to remain agile and creative to continue their consistent operation. Nobody was laid off in RP's division. This agility and creativity led Roopesh to reevaluate his assumptions on the ideal assessment of candidates, learning that video can be relied upon. 

What you’ll learn in this episode

• [01:27] What kind of problems Roopesh and his executive search team are grappling with
• [06:21] How the team at SAP adapted to the coronavirus crisis, and the shift to digital-only communication
• [08:45] Having to rely on video interviews to make a proper assessment of candidates
• [11:14] The silver linings and positive discoveries Roopesh has found in light of the coronavirus
• [12:57] How candidate experience is improving, and changing to focus on proper fit rather than creature comforts
• [15:15] How SAP and Roopesh’s team are able to give candidates responses within 48 hours
• [17:03] The way SAP approaches building their employer brand to attract top candidates
• [23:11] What SAP does, and how Roopesh is able to make it attractive to candidates
• [31:53] Building out a talent intelligence team that contextualizes talent to SAP
• [37:04] The tools and tricks the talent branding team at SAP uses to find and attract top talent
• [39:29] Creating branding events in an increasingly digital environment
• [42:12] The big distinctions between in-house and agency talent operations
• [51:02] Using AI and ATS systems to find candidates that might otherwise have been over looked.

A self-confessed Talent Trailblazer with experience of successfully leading multinational Talent Acquisition teams for nearly 20 years, Roopesh Panchasra is currently the Global Head of Executive Recruiting & Employer Branding, Vice President at SAP where he’s been for ab out 5 years and previously directed TA teams at Workday, Expedia and VMware.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/