The Head of Research
At the time when I met Paul, I was doing a stint at a well established agency as a resourcer, having graduated that summer with a 2.1 in Mandarin Chinese. Although recruitment, or rather, search and selection, was what I really wanted to do, I felt restricted in my position as having plucked the ‘grapes’ from the vine, I was not allowed to go on to develop them into fine wines, and as a result, they just rotted.
So when Paul and I became acquainted, and he told me of his plans for Broad Oak Solutions, I felt that his approach was the breath of fresh air that I had been waiting for.
I joined as Head of Research, heading up an initially small but growing team of freelance resourcers, and it is a position which I thoroughly enjoy. I guess I act as a counter balance to Paul; he’s the salesman, the aggressive, pushy, one; I’m the more serene presence in the office, finding him the bullets which he uses to shoot at his targets, which he very seldom misses.
My job isn’t to sit in front of a computer combing through the job boards day after day. Headhunting is a proactive search, which, to use a cliché, requires more ‘out of the box’ thinking. I always find that the best candidates aren’t the ones who are looking for a move, you have to go in and pull them out of their comfort zone and make them realise that a career move is the right move. And it’s not always easy, but I’m not one to shy away from a challenge.
I’m really looking forward to the next few years, expanding our client base and increasing our ever expanding networks of professional relationships. The first few years have been fun, and I can only see it getting better. |
