Helen Sanders

For me, there are only really two types of recruiter ... 'Sideline' recruiters and 'Embedded' recruiters. Sideline recruiters - generally on the outside, looking in. Will refer to themselves as ‘specialist’ but are too transactional in their approach to build a network of any substance. Will often make short-term decisions due to fear of missing targets and will ultimately burn bridges. Embedded recruiters - you guessed it - are embedded within their industries. Part of the ecosystem. Their knowledge of their market goes way being able to recite the ‘science’, 'the tech' or 'the leading companies'. It’s knowing whose hiring and why/when/how they hire. Having your finger on the pulse with long-term partnerships prioritized above all else. Both types of recruiter are able to make placements and score fees. I know this first-hand as I regretfully started my own recruitment career way more 'sideline' than 'embedded'. It's these experiences that have helped shape the way we approach recruitment at Metric. So much so that we made 'Partnerships' a company value and doubled down on training everyone in the business to be fully embedded within their industry. Laser focused on building a meaningful network and long-term relationships. Tenure within your industry certainly helps. However, where we really stand out, is our track record of developing $600K - $1M+ billers in their very first full year in recruitment. Something that is completely unheard of in our industry. Why am I telling you this? We are actively hiring across our Metric Bio and Metric Geo brands. Sophie Whiteley is leading our experienced hiring - so if you want to join the standout recruitment business globally - make sure you're connected with her! #execsearch

53

This is one of my favourite parts of #climb24 and one of the reasons ClimbUK created #climb24

3

If I were a Head of Talent Acquisition, here are the 8 tactics I’d develop asap; - Weaponised candidate experience - Leadership Personal Branding - Guerilla employer branding - Content Library (Ungated) - Pipeline, pipeline, pipeline - Talent Market Research - Show under the hood - Talent Communities HR and Talent peeps, what strategies are you focusing on for 2024?

203

58 Comments

👏Female-Led Recruitment Start-ups - Top daily motivational tips👏Your pricing strategy can significantly impact your agency's success. Download our free guide to starting your new recruitment venture: https://lnkd.in/ezM2rmWV Consider these points: 💰 Competitive Analysis: Understand your competitors' pricing to position yourself effectively in the market. 💰 Value-Based Pricing: Set prices based on the value you provide to clients, not just market rates. 💰 Flexibility: Be open to negotiating and adapting your pricing based on client relationships and project complexities. Helen says…'If you start off low, it’s impossible to hike up the price further down the line. If you set your bar relatively high from the outset of your business and build a great proposition and rationale behind it, you are sure to secure great quality business with quality clients' #whynotyouwhynotnow #professionalwomen #recruitment #entrepreneurship #motivation #innovation"

3

🔎 A sign of how the Tech and Digital market is currently doing as we head into a fresh new month. We sat down with 2 of the region's biggest tech players this week; 🌟 One has plans to hire over 100 this year in Tech alone 🌟 The second is looking to hire 100 over next 2-4 months, across all areas of the business What's interesting is that these will be a combination of head office hires, satellite offices and fully remote positions. One client will be pushing for contract hiring and the other prefers to make prem hires. The beauty of partnering with a Talent Solution business like Discovered MENA is that we are a one-stop shop and cover both long term and short term hiring. We really can tailor solutions to meet our client's needs and we have a brilliant team of Talent Partners and Scouts who are speaking to the best Tech and Digital talent daily for a rapid turnaround. In fact, we are that agile we managed to submit a proposal to a Group Head of Talent, within 2 hours of the request, which they could present to the Executive team the same afternoon, in regards to a 50-position hiring project. May is looking very positive for those looking for a new opportunity and for clients looking to secure great talent to drive the business forward. #disruptingthefuture #talentsolutions #perm #contracthiring

75

8 Comments

🌟 Success Story 🌟 We recently partnered with a new FinTech client at AMP People. They had previously been working with another agency and hadn't made a single hire after 16 interviews.  Rather than seeing this as a red flag, we saw an opportunity. After meeting with the team and understanding what went wrong, it was clear their intentions were good, but the previous agency had let them down with a 'spray and pray' approach. Within 4 weeks of working with AMP, we filled their role! Here’s how we do things differently: 🔍 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲: We bang on about this, but we spend hours getting to know our clients and understanding their needs, pain points, and goals before reviewing a single profile 📝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: We don’t rush. We document everything, create detailed candidate information packs, and build scorecards to ensure we’re matching the right skills, personality, and motivations. 🤝 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: By understanding our clients deeply, we can also coach our candidates through the process. This builds trust and makes the offer stage smooth and enjoyable. Recruitment agencies often get a bad reputation, but amazing things can happen when you build a true partnership with a recruiter and invest time in that relationship. #Recruitment #FinTech #SuccessStory #Partnership #HiringExcellence #AMPRecruitment

11

📢This is the second release of a Multiple hire Partnership, solely focused on Growth Product Management. In Product is partnered with a Scale-up business who are growing sustainably in the Health & Wellbeing space. 🌱This business is funded by some of the UK and Europe's top investors, they are looking to elevate the growth of their business through a Product Leader who can identify and execute on Product growth initiatives. We are looking for a Senior Growth Product Manager who is ambitious and looking to grow a business through a high growth period. ✅ You will be working with a highly experienced product, leadership and commercial team who are looking to be challenged and inspired with your ideas. ✅ You will have worked in a growth focused role, where you will have an experimentation and testing approach to Product in order to identify key growth opportunities for the Product and execute at speed. I would love to chat to my those in my network who are working in the B2C space specifically in growth/innovation roles, you can check out the full JD in the comments 👇 #growth #productgrowth #productmanager #hiring #london #b2c #startup

11

2 Comments

👏Female-Led Recruitment Start-ups - Top daily motivational tips👏 Developing a robust sales strategy is crucial for your agency's growth 🔥 Download our free guide to starting your new recruitment venture: https://lnkd.in/ezM2rmWV Here’s how: 👌 Identify Your Target Market: Clearly define who your ideal clients are and understand their needs. 👌 Develop a Unique Value Proposition: What makes your agency stand out? Communicate this effectively. 👌 Build a Sales Process: Create a structured approach to acquiring new clients, from initial contact to closing the deal. Helen says…'Early on in my business I developed a solid and consistent sales strategy to only target SME’s with certain criteria, e.g. PE investment or funding and/or founder-led with significant growth plans. Building an engagement plan week on week with those firms meant that we were able to not only secure multi-hire clients but build predictable income' #whynotyouwhynotnow #professionalwomen #recruitment #entrepreneurship #motivation #innovation"

1

Going through a shitty sales process… It's one best way for founders to learn how to sell. It shows you how NOT to do it. I've learnt so much from doing this over the years and always encouraged anyone who sells to do this. I went through one last week, this is what it looked like: - Took them 22 hours to come back to my inbound - Joined the meeting 2 mins late - Asked basic questions (including “are you a DM”) - Started doing a demo after about 4 mins of disco - Didn’t follow up Obviously I didn’t watch the demo I just carried on working… I really think it’s really important for anyone selling to try and buy another product. It teaches you so much about the prospect experience that you can only learn when you have been through it. Sometimes you will see how NOT to do it but there will also be examples of how TO do it! So my advice is to use a buying process to refine your sales process. Have you tried doing this?

7

Shout out to my mate Neil Wittensleger here who changed the future of two Tech companies this week by leading them through Hiring Two Mission critical roles in Engineering and Product. Both these companies are on the cusp of their next big move but the only way they're going to get there is with the Talent to contribute to their products. These hires Neil makes directly impact the future of companies at this size and scale. I watch Neil bite off these seemingly impossible tasks, expertly guide these founders through how they're going to get the best of the best and then he delivers all the way through to their Day 1 and beyond. Big week for Neil, but not out of the ordinary for him either. Startups talk about competitive edge - product features don't make up for having the best and brightest talent in the team. For Neil's clients - he is their competitive edge because he builds winning teams.

69

7 Comments

Pinch, Punch, First Of The Month! I'm not quite sure how it's August already; it feels like only yesterday that 2024 started and I launched Kioni Talent. 2024 has been an emotional rollercoaster, and as the calendars turn to August, it can feel like the end of the year is fast approaching. Try not to panic. Break your goals down into smaller chunks and trust that the process will work out. There's still plenty of time in 2024: - 5 months - 22 weeks - 152 days - 3,663 hours - 219,826 minutes Whether your goal is to find a job, better last year's performance, or deliver a project on time, stay positive. There's still plenty of time for it to happen in 2024! 💙 #Recruitment #Startup #JobSearch #Careers #Hiring

18

🚀 Controversial opinion: As a Startup Founder, your number one role is recruitment. Disagree? Let’s talk! 👇 Over the years, I've worked closely with numerous early-stage founders, both in formal and advisory roles. Every founder I've met is focused on their idea, their vision, and the ‘next big thing’ they want to bring to market. But here’s the truth: those who succeed all recognize that building the right team is absolutely critical to turning that vision into reality. And for those who don’t see it right away? Well, after a conversation or two, it quickly becomes clear. Maybe I’m looking at things through a recruiter’s lens, but I believe this is the reality for anyone serious about growing a successful startup. Let’s get the conversation going—what’s your take? 👀

8

2 Comments

📢 Unlock LinkedIn's Full Potential in 2024! At iO Associates - UK/EU, we guide candidates to harness the incredible power of LinkedIn, which now boasts over 1 billion users. With targeted SEO strategies and expert tips, you can turn high-volume traffic into meaningful professional relationships and job opportunities. 💡 Key Tip: Max out your About section with 2000 characters to optimise your profile for visibility and engagement! Ready to supercharge your LinkedIn presence? Read Part 2 of our guide and start getting noticed today! 👇 #LinkedInTips #JobSearch #CareerGrowth #iOAssociates

HR Market Snippet As we've seen for the last few months ER/IR Heavy roles are in high demand one of the few areas of HR that almost hasn't seen a decline in ad volume (SEEK). The application per role is rising making it more competitive than ever. For those who are looking 🔎 One thing I do want to say is that this highlights the importance of networking and using LinkedIn to the best of your ability. What you see on Linkedin or SEEK isn't a true representation of the available opportunities. The increasing volume of applications is placing a toll on small-medium businesses that don't have a mature screening process and will look heavily to referrals or networks rather than traditional job postings. Connect with ideal companies, maybe even a couple in your local area, connect with your next potential manager and promote yourself! For those leading an HR Team 🏋‍♀️ Junior-mid HR talent especially in larger companies that may feel siloed, are typically on the proactive hunt this time of year. So check in with your team, open up discussion and keep them engaged! Here's to a promising H2 #hiring #leadership

22

1 Comment

Building a team & realising, “We’re going to need a bigger pipeline”? It’s not size that matters—it’s what you do with it. 😉 Whether looking for a Software Engineer, Digital Marketing Specialist, or Sales Rep, hiring needs differ by niche. Getting those nuances right can make or break a hire. Here’s what I’m seeing... 1️⃣ Sales Not all sales roles are created equal. In SaaS, adaptability is king—72% of companies push monthly updates, requiring reps to stay ahead. MedTech, sales cycles can last 12-24 months, needing patience & deep product knowledge. How to assess: ➔Asking candidates for niche-specific instances where they had to adapt quickly to significant industry changes & the impact on their performance. Relationship-building looks different across sectors too. In SaaS, trust is critical due to long-term contracts. In eCommerce, immediate rapport & quick turnaround are king. How to asses: ➔For SaaS, we look at extending role-play to multiple interactions that gauge long-term relationship-building. ➔For eCommerce, focus on a high-pressure scenario to test quick rapport-building & sales closure. Understand Market Saturation & factor it into the weighting of assessments. ➔A candidate hitting a 120% quota in an over-saturated market has a different weight compared to someone achieving the same in a niche market. 2️⃣ Digital Marketing: Automation & AI? Baseline now. But hiring digital marketers who translate data into strategy and connect with customers—that’s key. With UK digital ad spend topping £45B in 2024, we seek a balance between numbers & narrative. How to Asses: ➔Customer Journey Mapping: Especially in B2B, we value marketers who can chart out multi-stage customer journeys & optimise each touchpoint. ➔Cross-Channel Consistency: We also assess for consistency across platforms—paid, owned, & earned media. 3️⃣ Engineers Engineering is no longer about mastering a particular language—problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, & software architecture are what set great devs apart. Niche factors come into play, making adaptability even more critical. While Python dominates ML, Java excels in enterprise environments, & C++ remains essential for real-time applications. In data engineering, proficiency across languages (e.g., JavaScript to Rust) is highly valuable. How to Assess: ➔Adaptability Scenarios: Present candidates with coding scenarios requiring a pivot in language or approach ➔LeetCode & Codewars are useful, but deeper value lies in understanding a candidate’s problem-solving process, esp. in handling algorithmic complexity & optimisation. If devs need to pivot between languages, they can't be measured by years of experience in each. ➔ Measure by project outputs Want to discuss hiring needs? 👉 https://lnkd.in/eWYhqYRD Last minute Xmas gift for the team? 👉Free Talent Audits (Dec): https://lnkd.in/eEiZ4pn4 Thoughts? 👇 #DigitalMarketing #SaaSwithSaSS #Sales

11

1 Comment

There's a lot going on to talk about in market at the moment, so let's talk about the most exciting recent funding in AI across the EU & US. Parloa just raised $66M in Series B funding round led by Altimeter, marking the largest Series B funding round in the European contact center AI ecosystem Anthropic's impressive funding securing an additional $2.75 billion in funding from Amazon. Looking forward to seeing how they leverage this investment to drive innovation in AI and beyond. Scale AI's Valuation Surge: Scale AI is in discussions to raise a new round at a $13 billion valuation. xAI's Ambitious Funding Plans: xAI's in talks to raise $3 billion at an $18 billion EnCharge AI’s $22M in recent funding to commercialise its industry leading AI processor Cognition raised $175M at a $2B valuation, led by Founders Fund. QI Tech extended its $200M Series B to reach a $1B valuation, led by General Atlantic. FlexAI raised a $30M seed round with Alpha Intelligence Capital, Elaia Partners, and Heartcore Capital leading. Dropzone AI raised $16.9M in Series A, led by Theory Ventures. If you aren't excited by about the rest of 2024 & onwards in AI then prepare to be bored - the future is present!

19

2 Comments

Did you know HRGO Recruitment has been awarded £93,175 by UK Research and Innovation for AI research and development? 💡 Pretty cool. Do you know any other recruitment company (that isn't some massive corporate) that's doing AI R&D like this? 💪 We've been doing a £186,350 project with University of Kent to use Artificial Intelligence to develop models which match candidates to roles with clients. 🤖 Even better though, we're looking at how we deliver valuable feedback to every applicant so that we leave everyone better than we find them. ❤️ We think if we create lots of value for society, we'll be able to capture a bit more of it for us and develop competitive advantage in the industry. 🚀 Our clients are already benefiting from this research for FREE! 👏 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) aim to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills within the UK knowledge base. 👍

58

3 Comments

📢 4 x Placements across 3 clients last week. 🦄 2 @ Tech Unicorn - Despite working with other agencies and using a very large TA function for months, we delivered two AE hires in just 3 weeks! 🌐 1 @ SaaS Platform - From job spec to placement, only 2 weeks. 📲 1 @ Customer App Company - After searching on their own for months, we stepped in and filled the role in just 7 weeks. We are more than just a CV source, reducing time to hire and the number of interviews required. ✅ Our reputation and established network allows us to engage candidates that are not actively looking ✅ The trust we have built in the community also enables us to bring the best candidates to the table, often who have already rejected or discounted the same position they had seen advertised. ✅ We get the data flow and business context involved, allowing us to technical screen our candidates and reducing the number of interviews hiring managers conduct. We have a lot of case studies now. If you are hiring Data or Analytics Engineers then we would love to explain why so many of the UKs top brands are trusting us to make their data hiring easier for them. ☎️📧 Cognify Search

18

4 Comments