In this episode, I’m joined by Craig Elvin, Director at Executive Heads - a leading executive search firm based in Southampton. 

I know Craig well from when we ran an executive search business together for a number of years and his experience of the SME market will be of particular interest to our listeners. For senior job searchers who are wanting to learn more about getting the most out of working with a head-hunter, this one is definitely for you.

Craig spent ten years in the British Army as a Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineer, before meeting his wife and deciding to settle down in the UK to have a family. Through his network of contacts, he was offered a job as a recruitment consultant and quickly found himself promoted into managerial roles, moving up the corporate ladder and working for some of the industry’s biggest names. Sixteen years on, Executive Heads was born, in partnership with two of Craig's former colleagues.

Within this episode hear Craig talk about his journey and the importance of your network, attitude and relationships. He also provides tips and tricks for your CV, discusses how you know when it’s the right time to leave your job and gives his opinion on the three most common mistakes candidates make on the job market.

I love the honesty in how Craig describes his journey, the expertise and insight he gives into this industry and the snippets of gold dust that the listeners are sure to take away.

Links that Craig mentions...

Close to the Wind by Pete Goss https://www.amazon.com/Close-Wind-Extraordinary-Triumph-Adversity/dp/0786707410

Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed https://www.matthewsyed.co.uk/resource/rebel-ideas-the-power-of-diverse-thinking/

Traction by Gino Wickman https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837

The Go Giver by Bob Burg & John David Mann https://thegogiver.com/

The Barcelona Way by David Hughes https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barcelona-Way-Create-High-performance-Culture/dp/1509804420

Connect:

You can connect with Craig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/directorrecruitment/.

I hope you enjoy the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchcoach/

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, it would be great if you could leave a review on iTunes, it's really appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew MacAskill

In this episode, I’m joined by good friend and colleague Louis Cross, now Director at Collabz - an in-house talent company that helps small businesses play big in the talent market.

Louis has spent a decade in the recruitment industry, spending all of those years working for one company, but across six different positions, three distinctly different brands, and three different models, starting with an agency, moving to RPO and lastly in house. Each move has seen him start from the bottom and work his way up in that particular field, gaining insight into the good and bad elements of each sector and the hurdles encountered, enabling him to have a broad perspective of the industry itself. Taking everything he has learnt and, in his words, ‘mashing it all together in his own proposition’, Collabz was born. 

In our conversation, Louis touches on his decade in the industry,and the attributes he looks for when interviewing people to work for him or his clients, particularly discussing traits that perhaps are not always at the forefront of people's mind or interview preparation. He covers the best way to get in touch with a potential company or recruiter and why hiring feels like such a dysfunctional process to so many people. As always, CV’s and LinkedIn profiles are a hot topic of conversation, with Louis giving his thoughts and tips to make yours stand out.  

Louis brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table in our conversation, and I love his openness to touch upon characteristics that he identifies as important in an interview that many may try to hide. For anyone looking to make an impact, this episode is definitely for you. 

Links that Louis mentions…

Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestly

https://www.amazon.com/Oversubscribed-How-People-Lining-Business/dp/0857086197

Traction by Gino Wickman https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837

Podcasts: Master of Scale (Reid Hoffmann), Knowledge for Men, How I Built This

Blinkest https://www.blinkist.com/ (recommended by Andrew)

Connect:

You can connect with Louis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiscross/

I hope you enjoy the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchcoach/

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, it would be great if you could leave a review on iTunes, it’s really appreciated :) 

Thanks,
Andrew MacAskill

In this episode, I’m joined by Becky Webber, the Regional Director at Tate Recruitment. With over 20 years recruitment experience, she gives us an insight into the types of things her team look for when placing candidates. 

Starting her career at Thomas Cook, Becky fell into recruitment a little by accident back in 1998, taking a job at a privately owned company, which later became Tate Recruitment. Becky has stayed with the company through different ownerships, evolving through lots of change and different ways of working, which for her has been really exciting. She currently works as the Southern Regional Director for Tate Recruitment looking after eleven different offices of recruiters. A couple of years ago, Becky also set up a side project called the Positive Career Advice website, which is designed to help job seekers on the move understand what they want,how to get it and how to go through that transition.

Becky gives some great advice in this episode on how to embrace and deal with change, giving insight into the journey she has been on with her team at Tate Recruitment. With a passion for using the knowledge she has gained over the last twenty years, she delves into the importance of good leadership, and why your networks are so important. Becky also opens up about what she really looks for in a person during an interview, giving us an in depth insight into the skills that recruiters desperately want you to show during initial conversations and interviews. We talk about the importance of getting yourself noticed from other candidates, but also knowing the client. 

This podcast episode is filled to the brim with take home messages and gold dust advice for both recruiters, leaders and job seekers. 

Links that Becky mentions...

Positive Career Advice Website: https://www.positivecareeradvice.com/

Start with Why by Simon Sinek https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Thought-Different-Biography/dp/125001445X

You Were Born To Speak by Richard Newman https://www.amazon.com/Were-Born-Speak-Richard-Newman/dp/191645920X

Connect:

You can connect with Becky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/operationsdirectorbwebber/

I hope you enjoy the episode, the best place to connect with me is on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobsearchcoach/

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, it would be great if you could leave a review on iTunes, it’s really appreciated :) 

Thanks, 
Andrew MacAskill