Think Global Recruitment were recently in attendance along with with a host of other recruitment companies at the final Recruitment Leaders Connect of the year in Glasgow.
Recruitment Leaders Connect is the largest recruitment agency event series in the UK & Europe running eight of their events throughout the year. They combine industry leading keynote talks, interactive discussion sessions and relaxed social networking opportunities.
But if you missed it it isn’t the end of the world! We have written our own short reviews on each of the topics from the Glasgow event – including a video of our Managing Director’s talk.
Bleeding Green – Vincent O’Donoghue, COO, Social Talent
Talk description:
- What separates a good company from a great company? The answer is its people
- We all know that the war for talent is fierce, but just because candidates are in high demand, it doesn’t mean that organisations should ever have to settle for second best
- Vincent will discuss how Choice, Passion and Culture are the three key pillars for determining who the right candidates are for your organisation
- Vince will also cover how to integrate them into your Talent Acquisition strategy
Review: Vincent’s pitch to business leaders was to adopt a simple yet effective change of mindset, changing the focus from ‘how’ to ‘why’ your business does things. Then to share this ‘why’ with your staff, to create a shared purpose whilst expanding as a business. Vincent’s advice was to change the logical perspective people usually associate with work and try and tap into their ‘reason for being’. An uplifting start to the day which got the audience geared up for a day of great talks.
Surviving and Thriving in Times of Change – Julia Kermode, Chief Executive, Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA)
Talk description:
- The role of the recruitment industry is essential to the UK economy:
- Never before have we seen so many external changes affecting our sector; just surviving is not enough;
- We need to seize the opportunity, and adapt to ensure our businesses stay relevant.
Review: Julia’s informative talk discussed the changes in legislation and future hurdles to the recruitment industry. She warned employment practices are now at the forefront of the public’s attention after recent court cases with companies such as Sports Direct and Uber which could have far-reaching consequences to the world of work. Julia’s advice was to expect these changes and change tact from an ‘ostrich with its head in the sand’ to an ‘eager beager’ ready and willing to adapt to new legalisation such as the IR35 due out next April.
The Five Essential Leadership Skills for Hyper-Growth Businesses -Ian Knowlson, Director, Recruitment Training Group
Talk description:
- Examine the Five Skills you need to acquire
- How resilient is your business to change such as Brexit?
- Do you have a 21st Century ‘operating culture’ fit for purpose?
Review: Ian’s topic covered the highly sought after ‘hyper-growth turnover’ businesses which defines itself as a company with a year on year increase of 60% in turnover. Vision, passion and desire are required from leaders in order to utilise the latent energy which motivates your staff to put in that extra bit more to your business without direct financial reward. Inspirational leadership, developing people and taking risks were all key recommendations. Tips included simple practices like changing references to company ‘profit’ as ‘surplus’ to highlight that this money is not for personal gain but for company reinvestment. Vince said these changes can help make operating culture where staff become customer-centric and efficient and therefore put in more discretionary labour.
Brand Recruitment – 5 Ways to Increase Repeat Business & Referrals – Abigail Stevens, Managing Director & Founder, Think Global Recruitment
Talk Description:
- Discover five key ways to improve customer service
- As well as securing the easiest business available to you
- It’s simple but it’s not always practised!
Review: Having spent over 20 years in the industry, Abigail Stevens is no stranger to knowing what works in recruitment and how to make to make a business succeed. After recently taking over as Managing Director of Pivotal International Recruitment (formerly Pivotal Resourcing) her vast knowledge within the industry keeps on growing, but don’t take our word for it- watch the clip above!
Recruitment Marketing Meets Employer Branding – Clair Bush, Marketing Director EMEA, Broadbeam
Talk Description:
- How to adopt recruitment marketing best practices to find, attract and hire great talent
- How to leverage your employer brand to differentiate your organisation in a competitive, candidate-driven market
- How to amplify your company story by engaging those who know it best—your employees
Review: Clair’s enthusiasm and marketing experience was very apparent as she led the way in talking about the new innovative practices for the future. She spoke of how her company had handed the reigns of the company Facebook page to their entire staff (something that would scare most), encouraged staff by focusing a vision within the company by opening offices around the world and took a personality focused recruitment approach to ensure a ‘fit’ with the company – ‘the CV is 2D, face to face is how you really get to know what a person is like’.
We would like to say a huge thanks to all the staff and speakers who put on Recruitment Leaders Connect. We look to attending next year to hear more top tips from the best and brightest in the industry.