QUICK FIRE 10 with Glen Roberts
"You have to care about what you do and treat people with respect."
"You have to care about what you do and treat people with respect."
I had a few questions to ask Glen Roberts, partner and director of the London office and he shared some insight on his success and advice for people in the recruitment industry.
1. How did you get into recruitment?
I failed the numerical tests for every major blue chip company I applied to…just kidding…well actually not. I worked in telesales at Uni and really enjoyed it and got peppered with entry level recruitment roles via Milkround so applied to a few and was lucky enough to get offered a role.
2. What is your advice for someone just getting into recruitment?
The first 2 to 3 years is a hard slog but completely worth it once you have a name for yourself and market you have some credibility in. Too many people come into recruitment looking for quick wins or easy money and sometimes, yes, you get lucky but for the most part it takes a good few years to build your patch. You just have to focus on the medium to long term.
3. What is it about recruitment that has kept you in the industry?
The unpredictable nature of how each day, week, month or quarter will turn out. I thrive on the craziness of the recruitment roller coaster coupled with the money and high earning potential. I’ve always also loved seeing my team progress and develop, both professionally and personally. This gives me more of a kick the longer I stay in recruitment.
4. What is your proudest moment in your career to date?
Building out a team and office for my old company in Sydney between 2010-2012. I was 28 when I arrived home to Australia and being given that responsibility and autonomy so early on in my career was incredibly rewarding and fun. Lots of mistakes, lots of lessons learned that stick with me to this day.
5. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career so far and how have you overcome that?
Now…COVID-19! I control what I can control and motivate myself to focus on the positives. Routine and discipline are key as well to maintaining focus.
6. What is your number 1 secret to success?
You have to care about what you do and treat people with respect. I have always strongly believed that self-motivation comes from caring and having a passion for what you do and if you combine that with an honest and respectful approach to building relationships with candidates and clients, you’re more likely to have a sustainable and successful career in recruitment.
7. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever been given?
You don’t have a business or stand for anything unless you can say ‘no thank you’.
8. What are you driven by and how do you stay motivated?
Earlier on in my career I was entirely focused on earning enough money to buy a house and have financial security. Nowadays that’s still important too but I’m far more motivated by hiring, building and investing in my team and seeing them exceed expectations, develop and grow into formidable recruiters.
9. How do you keep a work / life balance?
Having children has definitely helped…weirdly! I’m just far more organised and efficient with my time and I try where possible to make sure I stick to certain tasks at certain times of the day. Leaving the office by 6PM is a must-do and I’d be lost without my phone enabling me to clear a lot of email and basic stuff on the run.
10. People would be surprised if they knew...?
I speak a decent level of Welsh (thanks Dad!) for someone who was born in Australia.
#TeamEames #WhatDrivesYou #QuickFire10