As a Stockport recruiter celebrates over 20 years in the industry, we ask “what is the key to your success?”
Marketing Stockport member Cathy Bates, MD at Essential Personnel, is a popular character among the Stockport business community. Here, Cathy her expert opinion and experiences of the world of recruitment.
Recruitment has been the love of my life. I was lost until I found it and when I did I never looked back. We were meant for each other!
My blog is aimed at aspiring recruitment business owners. You may be able to learn from my mistakes.
I was useless at every job I did until I accidentally fell into recruitment. On the day of my second interview with City Staff Bureau I called to cancel.
“Does it involve telesales?” I asked. “I’m no good at this,” I said.
Mike the Branch Manager twisted my arm. I went for the interview, was offered and started the following week.
That first Monday three of us started… And by Friday only two of us remained.
One had disappeared never to surface again. The second lasted for about 18 months and then didn’t hit her targets so was dismissed.
So I was the only one left of the new starters and also of everyone that was there when I started!
And so it has been. I have watched my peers crash and burn, grow and thrive, rise to dizzy heights, set up their own firms, go bust and make millions. It seems a lottery as to the chances of success – or is it?
I started off in the recruitment in 1991. I started in a recession and I think this is what has guaranteed my success. It was hard. We had to canvass hard.
Yes I’ve read loads of articles recently saying cold calling is dead blah blah, but you know what? It’s the best way. It’s the way I always get my business. For the last 26 years I have canvassed every day.
But I’ve had big learning curves/landmarks on the way.
“2008 The worst recession ever. I survived while lots of firms closed.”
I survived because I knew how to get new business.
However, I listened to the press. I got scared – I scaled my business down. I was petrified. But you know what? I should have stopped reading the news. It was scare mongering. I survived. I won’t ever listen again. There is plenty of business even in a recession to keep afloat.
Another thing I learned is to get a coach. But it needs to be the right coach. Ian is my third coach and he is brilliant. The other coaches weren’t right for me. The first just was very average. The second hadn’t worked in recruitment. The third has a track record in recruitment, is an NLP practitioner and is the best thing that has happened to me and my business.
The hardest thing in recruitment is to scale up a business. I’m at 8 staff at the moment and I’m trying to grow. I’m constantly learning, constantly achieving, constantly evolving and improving. I still love my role. I’m entering the hardest part of my career to date and it’s been a long one.
Thanks to Cathy Bates for providing today’s Expert Opinion