Talent Talks Podcast

Are you selling yourself short? In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with information how can you make yourself stand out to your next employer?

Andrew MacAskill, Founder of Executive Career Jump heads up this weeks’ conversation with over 16 years experience in the recruitment industry and having run his own business now for just short of two years. He talks us through the importance of personal branding, professionally authentic content and his thoughts on how the job market is going to pan out amidst these challenging times. 

Martin and Andrew also talk over: 

• How and why Personal Branding is important
• LinkedIn Hints & Tips 
• Differentiating and selling yourself
• Changes and trends in recruitment 
• Working around furlough

Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

Is your supply chain resilient enough to survive unprecedented times? A question many of us have learnt the answer to in the last few months with the outbreak of COVID-19. But with the pandemic far from over, what can you do now to make it stronger and rebuild it’s foundations more securely? In episode 13 of Talent Talks, Martin Smith welcomes Nick Wildgoose, Director of Procurement Advantage. Nick has an impressive career working with brands such as PwC, Virgin and Zurich, before becoming a well-known leader in supply chain resilience through his own procurement consultancy. They discuss the assessment of geopolitical, financial and technological risk, the development of digitalisation and why being second in supply chain isn’t good enough. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - Building a resilient supply chain - Embedding risk management within the sourcing process - Ethical sourcing - Understanding your full bill of materials -Effects on different industries - Digitalisation and big data in supply chain. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

As a purely bricks and mortar business, with no online services, Primark were one of the hardest hit industries during the COVID-19 lockdown. No-one could have ever imagined that their top line could become zero overnight. In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith, Founder of Talent Drive interviews Ross Grierson, Head of Indirect Procurement at Primark about how his role and team has adapted during the pandemic. Ross discusses building a new team remotely, who have never physically met each other, the importance of being considerate during supplier negotiations, and why you should “Be bold but be humble”. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - How retail is adapting - Building new teams remotely - Embracing new technology - Long-term impacts on the procurement industry - Valuable skills moving forward. Links and references at https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/ This episode of Talent Talks was sponsored by Bridge Procurement. Bridge Procurement helps companies of all sizes to reduce their operating expenditure whilst improving contract governance. They always provide a return on investment and a refreshing approach to outsourced procurement. For more information please visit bridgeprocurement.com  

How did the UK healthcare profession tackle unprecedented shortages and demands during a global pandemic? In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith talks to Andrew Jones, Owner & Director or Expert Procurement and current Director of Procurement at Aspen Healthcare. Andrew discusses sourcing PPE during a global shortage, the future role of adaptability in choosing products, collaborating across professions and key considerations for building a procurement team. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - Bringing people back into health care - PPE supply- Impacts of panic buying - Long-term impacts on the procurement industry - Adaptability in purchasing - Collaborating across professions - Building procurement teams. In this series of short bonus Talent Talks episodes, Martin Smith interviews leading procurement professionals from a range of brands about their views and experiences on the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

Founder of the world’s first online business network built exclusively for procurement and supply chain professionals, Tania Seary is recognised as one of the influential members of the industry. In this episode of Talent Talks, Tania provides insights into how different countries have dealt with resource issues, public perception of procurement and how to take advantage of its time in the spotlight and skills in demand in the aftermath of the pandemic. In this series of short bonus Talent Talks episodes, Martin Smith interviews leading procurement professionals from a range of brands about their views and experiences on the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - How different countries have dealt with resource issues - Developing local sourcing strategies - Public image and perception of procurement - Sustainable sourcing - Procurement skill sets - Developing a category strategy. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/ This episode of Talent Talks was sponsored by Bridge Procurement. Bridge Procurement helps companies of all sizes to reduce their operating expenditure whilst improving contract governance. They always provide a return on investment and a refreshing approach to outsourced procurement. For more information please visit bridgeprocurement.com  

How can procurement professionals find opportunities during lockdown to step-up, showcase value and get to the top table where perhaps they were struggling before? In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith welcomes Leigh Kopec, Head of Procurement and Contract Management at The Royal British Legion.

He provides insights into the tactics and strategies he has put into place to adapt to needs in a pandemic, including redeploying team members to other categories, collaborating with other charities to source PPE for their care homes and identifying and managing risk.

Leigh discusses leaving a “procurement legacy” after the lockdown, and using it as a time to evaluate contracts and suppliers, complete personal development training, and open up the pool of talent available to you as an organisation. 

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Leading the way in digital procurement technology in the charity sector
• Due diligence around PPE sourcing in the UK
• Adapting to virtual fundraising and finding new sources
• Reacting to demands within care homes
• Opportunities for procurement experts to step-up during a crisis

In this series of short bonus Talent Talks episodes, Martin Smith interviews leading procurement professionals from a range of brands about their views and experiences on the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

What skills will be in demand out of lockdown? Which industries will thrive and fall in procurement? How will outsourcing abroad change? How do I stay ahead of the game? In this series of short bonus Talent Talks episodes, Martin Smith interviews leading procurement professionals from a range of brands about their views and experiences on the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic.This week Martin welcomes Peter Smith, former CIPs President, with 30 years experience in procurement, author of “A Procurement Compendium" and Managing Director of Procurement Excellence. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - The effect of COVID-19 on different industries - Skills that will be in demand out of lockdown - Supply-chain risk management - De-Globalisation and outsourcing from abroad - Advice for those looking for work. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

Specialist supply-chain and procurement recruiter, Martin Smith from Talent Drive provides helpful insights to job hunters, in this unique episode of Talent Talks. He provides a deep-dive into how to stand out against the competition by being authentic, curating relevant content and showcasing the value you can add to employers. This episode of Talent Talks covers: - How to approach businesses you want to work for - Taking advantage of marginal gains through recruiters - CV writing tips - Building and nurturing your network - Identifying industries with demand in supply-chain professionals -Tips on negotiating your salary - Curating relevant and authentic content. Initially recorded as an online webinar as part of the #projectprocurement series, this podcast episode includes a short informative speech, followed by a Q&A led by a series of procurement professionals. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/ Get in touch: [email protected]

Are you looking for work in the procurement or supply-chain industry? In the midst of the coronavirus crisis the future is uncertain and job markets unstable. Martin Smith, founder of Talent Drive created this latest episode of the Talent Talks podcast to provide support and guidance to those wanting to stay ahead of the employment market.

He welcomes Alice Fewings, LinkedIn Trainer and Social Media Strategist to provide advice and guidance on building an online profile to improve your personal brand to appeal to recruiters and potential employers. Alice runs through the importance and value of Linked In, how to attract and engage your target audience, how to pull people through to your personal profile and how to get discovered on the platform. 

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Why LinkedIn is a really valuable tool for us to use right now
• How to create a professional profile image and banner image
• Four different ways to create an engaging headline
• Ways to ensure you’re contactable for employers or recruiters
• Keeping your profile up to date and descriptive of your skills

This is the first online webinar recording from the #projectprocurement programme which has been converted into a podcast. #projectprocurement has been created by procurement professionals, Martin Smith, Richard Struthers and Ricky Wallace, to provide support for those looking to get back into work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us at our next webinar by registering on our eventbrite page; https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/talent-drive-30144105948

Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/

Martin Smith, host of Talent Talks interviews two of the UK’s leading procurement experts whose experience spans across the IT and Technology sectors, leading procurement divisions for brands such as Babcock International, British Airways, IBM, Accenture, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic and KPMG. In this episode, Phil Clark and Matt Man discuss the variety of skills now required in an ever-changing industry to work in IT or Technology procurement, the rise of commercial danger zones, the need to raise awareness of the procurement profession to schools and universities and the impact of emerging technologies including 5G, IoT and AI. This episode of Talent Talks covers: The changing environment of the technology industry, The skill set required within technology procurement, Commercial danger zones, The implications of changes to SAAS and cloud based services, Working with suppliers and colleagues to understand data and privacy regulations, Developing a career within IT & tech procurement, The impact of 5G, IoT & AI, Big Data & Blockchain. Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/category/talent-talks-podcast/