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

In this episode, I’m joined by an old colleague Laurent Bouvier, an executive coach currently working at The Zone. With Laurent’s experience and expertise, this episode will be of particular interest to executives that are on the move.

Laurent really cut his teeth in the telco industry, holding some very senior leadership roles, with probably the biggest telco in the world today. He then went on to scratch that entrepreneurial itch, having a couple of startups which proved to be good learnings, before becoming very much an executive coach that helps both businesses and individuals succeed.  During his work as an executive coach we collaborated whilst I was running an executive search business where Laurent became very much, in my view, the go to expert in the market in terms of helping newly placed leaders get up and running in their new roles.

Within this episode, Laurent talks about his current role at The Zone, where they are trying to bring humanity back into the organisation and the challenges that they are facing. He discusses how senior leadership can be a lonely place, and how best to approach a new job role, whilst giving an insight into the importance for a recruiter to not only assess a candidate as an individual, but also how they will fit in with the team and community. He touches upon the three most common mistakes that people make in terms of their career in general, as well as giving us an insight into his favourite books and what skills he is looking to develop. 

Links that Laurent mentions…

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/0743269519

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor https://www.shawnachor.com/the-books/the-happiness-advantage/

Connect:

You can connect with Laurent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-bouvier-9724589/

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 Maddie Alexander Grout, who, having worked in the headhunting and recruitment world for over a decade will be sharing plenty of insights for the job seeking community on that front.She has also gone through a number of business ownership faces, is very, very active on LinkedIn and champions being a mum.

After graduating from university, Maddy began working as a Training Advisor for British Gas, before moving back down South and falling into recruitment, with it being the only industry she felt she could put her sales skills to use without selling anything! After working for one company for five years, she spent the next few years job hopping, eventually setting up her own recruitment company before moving back into internal recruitment. Since starting a family she has set up a number of successful businesses including my VIP card, which has won 14 awards in the last 2.5 years and having just gone nationwide, has the potential to be worldwide in the next six months.  

In this episode Maddy talks openly about her mental health struggles, her passion for helping others and recently franchising out her business. We discuss the balance of work and family as well as touching on her time as a recruiter, including what differentiated those who were successful at interview and the importance of being yourself with a recruiter or potential client. 

Maddy is inspirational in her attitude and honesty and listening to her describe her journey is sure to stir some entrepreneurial brains, as well as provide some solid advice for jobseekers attending interviews. 

Links that Maddy mentions…

My VIP Card https://myvipcard.co.uk/

The E Myth by Michael E Gerber https://www.emyth.com/

The Reluctant Adult by Katie Kirby https://www.amazon.com/HURRAH-GIN-RELUCTANT-ADULT-HB/dp/1473662052

Turning on Your Profits Tap by Steve Jones 

https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Your-PROFITS-Tap-Generating/dp/0244397279

Connect:

You can connect with Laurent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-bouvier-9724589/

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

As the world goes into lockdown, with borders closing and companies being forced to close, it is clear we are entering an unprecedented situation. In this slightly different episode, I talk about the difficulties we are facing due to the Covid-19 crisis, and what I believe senior jobseekers should be doing in a downturn. I give my insight on how to target companies, how to position your CV, pain based statements and lessons learnt from the ’08/’09 global financial crisis. I also cover the importance of LinkedIn, having a content strategy and using this time for personal development. 

Connect:

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 Mark McMullen, Commercial Director at Ecocleen Services - a leading cleaning solutions company based in Oxford. 

I’ve known Mark for about 18 months and wanted to get him on the show as he’s got such an interesting background and has had some good news in regards to securing a great new role recently. 

Mark’s been in leadership roles for over 20 years, predominantly in retail and hospitality and thrives on being in challenging roles that require a leader with both commercial and people skills to get special results. 

But most recently Mark’s had a period of job searching, in what has been a very tough job market in very challenging times, and it’s his experiences of this job search and ultimate success, along with loads of great job search tips, that we dive into in this revealing and honest episode. 

Links that Mark mentions...

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Dr Steven Convery:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Anniversary/dp/1471195201/

The 50 Secrets of Self-Confidence by Richard Nugent: https://www.amazon.co.uk/50-Secrets-Self-Confidence-Confidence-Whatever/dp/1473617367/

Connect:

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/operationsdirector1/

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