20 Years, 5 Lessons, and a Hell of a Lot of Coffee: A Recruiter’s Survival Guide for Construction & Property!
It’s April 2025. I’ve officially been in recruitment for two decades!! That’s 20 years of dodgy CVs, nearly 4000 candidate interviews, around 1500 client meetings, panicked Monday morning phone calls, clients asking for “unicorns but on a budget,” and candidates ghosting like I’d just asked them to help me move house on a long weekend….
Inside the Mind of a Recruiter: 20 Years of Lessons, Lies & Laughs
Recruitment is a funny old game. I’ve spent 20 years placing high performers into top-tier construction and property companies, witnessing hiring trends come and go, watching businesses thrive (or implode), and listening to more job-hunting stories than I care to count. In that time, I’ve come to one unavoidable truth: people don’t always tell the…
Stop Whining & Start Winning: Why Leadership (Not Complaints) Will Make or Break Your Career
If I had a dollar for every time a hiring manager complained about ‘entitled’ employees, I’d be on a yacht right now, sipping something expensive. But instead, I’m here to tell you why leadership—not whining—is the real game-changer. Ask any hiring manager in construction or property what’s frustrating them, and chances are they’ll tell you:…
Unlocking Potential: A Recruiter’s Guide to Spotting It and an Employee’s Guide to Fulfilling It
Potential. It’s that magical word sprinkled over resumes and whispered in boardrooms. Employers claim they want it, candidates say they have it, and recruiters like me? Well, we’re often the ones tasked with unearthing it like archaeologists digging through a desert of generic CVs. But what is potential, really? It’s not just a buzzword or…
AI in Recruitment: A Blessing, A Curse, or Just the New Normal?
AI is everywhere. From helping us navigate morning traffic to crafting Instagram-worthy captions, it’s revolutionising industries, and recruitment is no exception. But as the saying goes, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Especially when it comes to letting AI take the wheel on your CV or cover letter. In this light-hearted dive into…
The Hidden Costs of Chasing the Money
The Hidden Costs of Chasing the Money There’s been a lot of noise on social media lately, debating whether Gen Z is wrong for changing jobs early and often, all in pursuit of higher pay. Some say this is the natural way of the world now—why shouldn’t they be chasing the coin? After all, we…
Perspective Discrepancy – What Employers Really Think About Your Reasons for Wanting to Change Jobs
Introduction One of the most common questions employers ask when I present a candidate for a role is, “Why are they open to a new opportunity?” As a recruiter, I’ve learned that the reasons candidates give for seeking new roles often differ greatly from how employers interpret those reasons. Many of the candidates I work…
The Law of Attraction (in Recruitment): Are You attractive “Top Talent”? Is your business attractive to Top Talent?
How Attractive Are You? Attractiveness in recruitment is far more than skin deep. When I talk about being attractive in the recruitment process, I’m not referring to physical appearances or superficial traits. Instead, I’m talking about the broader concept of attractiveness in the recruitment world, which involves a three-way street: candidates, employers, and recruitment companies….
Think Not What Your Employer Should Do for You, But What You Can Do for Your Employer (and Your Career Development)
As a recruiter, I often hear the same questions from ambitious professionals: “How do I make a more successful career?” “What do I need to do to get that promotion?” “How do I stand out from my peers?” Having thought about these questions and reflected on conversations I’ve had with business leaders and high achievers…