Recruitment Mentors Podcast

You can check out the online personal branding course for recruiters by clicking this link:

https://azzouzbrandingcourses.teachable.com/p/personal-branding-course-for-recruiters

This week I’m joined by Mark Baker, Director and Co-Founder of Claremont Consulting.

He started in recruitment before I was even born (1990) and has grown an extremely successful recruitment consultancy that has been going for 18 years! 

With international offices, and over 50+ in headcount, Mark is someone I was buzzing to have on the podcast. I love having recruiters who have experienced drastic changes in economy, technology and seen the industry evolve - and Mark is one of those people.

During these times, I think it’s important to have guests on the podcast who have been through adversity previously and can share life experience and guidance to listeners.

For recruiters who are wanting to learn about growing a business internationally (and winning clients overseas) then this one is definitely for you.

For the junior consultants out there, this is an excellent podcast to hear about how recruitment has evolved, and what you can do to stay relevant and keep your relationships strong.

This is a meaty podcast, and slightly longer than others, but I feel that the value this will bring to all of you will be exponential!

Timestamps of the episode:

How did Mark Baker enter the world of recruitment [2:27]

How long have you been in recruitment? [6:24]

Why did you start your business? [7:19]

What year did you start your business? [8:34]

What were you surprised with starting your own business? [12:49]

When did you start stepping things up? [14:03]

Did you start adding people to your business? [15:42]

When did you think about scaling this business? [17:36]

What did your growth plans look like? [20:20]

What was your niche? [22:44]

How did you make your business less reliant on UK business? [25:42]

What's your advice for people that are looking to expand their business to Europe?[28:20]

Where do you see a lot of people go wrong? [30:02]

When did you stop billing? [31:20]

How did you start transitioning [33:37]

How did your role evolve? [36:08]

What are the core responsibilities of an operations manager? [39:13]

Growing the business [40:33]

Apprentice scheme within the business [44:45]

What is your onboarding process? [48:12]

Would you say that external providers are important? [51:40]

Hiring triggers [54:08]

Growing headcount internationally [59:49]

How have you got better at communicating to different parts of the business? [1:03:36]

Challenges in an operational role? [1:07:06]

What else do you think would have helped you on this journey? [1:10:02]

Recruitment in the future [1:15:11]

What would you say to the people? [1:17:31]

You can connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbakerclaremont/

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 🙌🏻👊🏻

Watch the video replay here :

https://youtu.be/gADtogNiSTs

In this special LIVE podcast, I'm going to be joined by a full Australian based panel and be hosting this podcast on AEST time.

With me due to come over to host an in-person podcast event in June which will no longer be happening, I wanted to make sure I do my part for the people of Australia!

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.

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 Azzouz

If 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-recruiters

Make sure you remember to use the special Recruitment Rollercoaster listener discount code - 'Podcast' to claim your exclusive discount.

This week I’m joined by Paul Kelly, COO of Strictly Recruitment.

He initially started his recruitment career in the 90s, after deciding that working in the club scene wasn’t going to yield him the money he desired. 

From calling through a phonebook, to then running his own business, I feel like Paul's experience is what recruiters need to be listening to during this time as it’s positive and full of useful information!

For recruiters who are wanting to learn more about thinking outside of the box when it comes to BD during Covid-19, this one’s for you as Paul talks extensively about the 2008 crash and what he did to innovate and survive through that time.

For the junior consultants out there, again, this gives a lot of practical advice on how to make the most of this time and strive to be the best you can given the current circumstances.

You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkelly01/

Timestamps:

How did Paul Kelly enter the world of recruitment? [2:27]

How did you meet your business partner? [7:44]

The 08 recession [9:16]

How can people now see opportunity (Covid-19) [12:38]

How were the first and second year of business? [16:34]

The old school approach [19:40]

Creating an awards ceremony [22:14]

How important was it to have a niche? [22:42]

What happened in your first couple of years that you didn't expect? [24:49]

What pieces of the puzzle did you find difficult? [26:22]

How did you approach the business growth in the right way? [31:34]

How long was your transitional period? [34:05]

Do you wish you made those decisions earlier? [35:45]

What did the business look like at the beginning of 2018 [37:10]

How did you approach that year of transitioning? [40:18]

How have you got better at trusting the people around you? [44:00]

What did you start focusing on? [46:04]

What does a typical day look like for you? [48:28]

What were the key things that made you successful in your market? [50:53]

What did your average day look like? [53:01]

What are the mistakes you see people make? [55:55]

What do managers need to be aware of when coaching and developing recruiters? [1:00:40]

Journey with mental health [1:03:18]

How did the end of 2019 look? [1:07:01]

How do you see recruitment changing with covid-19? [1:08:39]

What would you say to the people? [1:13:41]

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 🙌 

In this special LIVE podcast, Neil has kindly agreed to come onto the show to answer your questions.

I'm also going to be joined by Tony Bates who is going to co-host this show with me to ensure the questions you want answered get answered.

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.

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 Azzouz

If 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 is the audio version of a personal branding webinar that I recently hosted.

If you want to watch the video version of this personal branding webinar - https://youtu.be/mRRGCMaVkPg

PLUS if you wanted to check out the personal branding course that I'm launching next week then check it out here - https://azzouzbrandingcourses.teachable.com/

Building your personal brand as a recruiter has become more and more important to compete in a crowded market place.

The most successful Recruiters already have a reputation within their market.

It’s probably one of the most valuable assets you can have as a successful biller.

What’s changed over the last couple of years is this, the reputation that just used to remain in the ‘offline’ world is no longer enough.

Successful billers in the past have let their reputation remain in the one on one meetings, phone conversations and networking events.

Which means 'online' a lot of recruiters look the same.

Every recruiter now has the HUGE opportunity to take their reputation ONLINE with their ‘personal brand’ and have the chance to reach thousands with their message.

In difficult times like today building your brand, remaining at the forefront of your market and delivering value with your content will give you the best possible chance of being remembered during these 'unprecedented' times. (Would love to know how many times this word has been said on the TV over the last 2 weeks haha!)

It's safe to say Linkedin is probably the nosiest it has ever been in recent times and it makes sense as a huge percentage of the global workforce is working from home.

Everyone all of a sudden has more time and a big chunk of this time will most definitely be consuming content.

But once you have done the 'This is my working from home set up' post what do you post next?

OR once you have posted about your group video call session with your colleagues, what do you post next?

What you do know is that everyone is talking about the coronavirus and you don't want to blend in with the noise.

In this webinar, I went over the proven process I have taken 200+ recruiters through when helping them build their personal brand which will equip you with the fundamentals to stand out in a very noisy market.

I gave the audience some practical ideas that you can action tomorrow that will help you cut through the noise.

I finished this webinar off with an interactive Q&A session.

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 Indi Pahl from Oakwell Hampton.

He initially entered the world of recruitment by - you guessed it - falling into it.

Beginning his career with SThree, Indi quickly realised that recruitment was going to be his long-term passion, and after 8 years split across two businesses he started Oakwell Hampton.

Indi’s journey as a recruitment business owner is slightly different to those that I have had previously on the podcast, as he grew a recruitment business as a non-biller, and put emphasis on how hiring the correct people enabled him to scale his business.

For recruiters who want to learn more about hiring the right people, hiring triggers and starting a business as a non-biller, this ones for you.

For the junior consultants listening, I think this is an amazing podcast to listen to if you are looking to achieve consistency with your desk, as Indi talks about how he measures this with individuals in his own business.

Timestamps:

How did Indi get into recruitment? [2:06]

Were you a good biller? [5:09]

How would you describe the SThree environment? [6:14]

Why did Indi get the opportunity to progress? [8:30]

Did you always want to have your own business? [12:28]

How were the first years at Oakwell? [14:49]

What was your strategy to make your company different? [19:55]

What are the clear parameters to let someone go? [22:52]

What was the biggest challenge in year one? [24:36]

Year one turnover and going into year two  [26:49]

What did you include in your interview process when hiring that has had an impact? [30:11]

What are the non negotiables for you when hiring? [33:40]

Hiring triggers [38:24]

What is your mentality to reactive and proactive hiring? [42:04]

Family and life with work [46:54]

Remote working [50:25]

How have you been able to achieve that growth? [57:50]

How much time do you invest in your employees? [58:34]

Training and development [1:01:34]

Knowing what you know now what would you do differently? [1:04:09]

What are your plans to grow now? [1:06:27]

What are you excited about? [1:08:47]

What is resilience to you? [1:10:32]

What would you say to the people? [1:12:29]

You can connect with Indi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indypahl/

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 Liam Wilson, Nathan Adams & Hannah Jarvis.

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 Azzouz

If 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 is the audio version of a webinar on how to start a podcast that I recently hosted.

If you want to watch the video version of this personal branding webinar - https://youtu.be/cEYuqy2OEow

Starting a podcast has had a HUGE impact on my career, and it has easily been one of the best decisions I have made over the last couple of years.

I think that recruiters are PERFECTLY positioned to start a niche podcast for their market.

Which is why I'm not surprised I have had numerous conversations with recruitment agencies over the last couple of months on how and why they should start a podcast focused on serving their market.

Creating THE medium where your candidates and clients can learn from some of the best people in your market just seems like an absolute no brainer to me.

Not only will it enable you to form some pretty special relationships with people in your market but the commercial upside can be huge.

A podcast could become your new best business development tool.

It could become your new best candidate engagement tool.

It can really help you stand out in a crowded market place.

Having a market-leading podcast for your market can help you in many ways as a recruiter, and they're enjoyable to record !!

You may be thinking how the hell do I start a podcast, isn't it complicated and challenging to get off the ground...

It's not, I started mine in my bedroom on a mobile phone and that was only two years ago.

I have learnt a lot over the last two years which I want to share with you all as I believe now could be a perfect time to take action and start your very own podcast.

What I covered in the webinar.

• Why Recruiters should be thinking about starting a podcast
• How to start a Podcast
• How it can help you win clients and candidates
• Live Q&A

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 James Mitra from JBM Executive Search. 

Initially falling into recruitment after wanting the London life, he carved the beginnings of his career at Michael Page before an injury from sport made him reflect on his true motivations for being a recruiter. 

His journey led him to set up his own Executive Search firm, and I love that his motivations were slightly unconventional to the ‘typical’ recruiter (which is often money).

We also speak about COVID-19 on this episode, which is great for anyone to listen to, regardless of what stage they are at in their career. 

If you are looking for a podcast that is positive, will make you laugh and uplift you during this time - this one's for you! 

James also gives some advice on how to still keep connected with candidates and clients during COVID-19, without offending anyone or damaging your reputation.

Timestamps:

How did James get into recruitment? [2:42]

How was Michael Page? [6:32]

First year billings [9:00]

Expectations and responsibilities [10:40]

How to get out of a bad headspace [14:06]

Looking back, why did your manager have such an impact? [17:29]

Thought process of starting his own business [19:57]

Blocking out the noise of imposter syndrome [24:27]

Strategy behind your business [25:45]

How was your first year? [28:31]

What would your advice be for people wanting to start up? [34:41]

Why did it take you two years to think you had a proper business?[36:11]

How important is it to start a business with other people? [40:42]

How did you plan to grow the business? [42:14]

Key mistakes people can learn from [45:00]

What was the best investment you made? [47:51]

Analysing clients as a two way relationship [57:07]

Live jobs that have dropped during Covid-19 [59:56]

What has Covid-19 taught you so far? [1:04:25]

What are you telling your team to focus on? [1:06:41]

What are you excited about? [1:11:11]

Advice to the people? [1:12:34]

You can connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mitra-b435aa16/

I hope you enjoyed the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - Hishem Azzouz

If 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 🙌🏻👊🏻