Kerri O'Connor

14/01/2022

Kindness is everything.

A heartfelt “thank you” means the world to me (both giving and receiving them). We can all do better amongst friends or in work and corporate situations when it comes to the heartfelt “thank you.”

I've had a wonderful start to 2022 placing a candidate that had had some previously challenging health issues and was concerned this would affect employers taking them seriously and what they can bring to the table.

Well didn't we prove my candidate wrong!

I've got a high-quality client that explored the health issues to understand any complications and how they need to be supported. This rare talent was hired and will add significant value to their business.

I had an open mind and was prepared to listen and understand as was my client. We've made a really wonderful placement with a candidate that will work hard and go above and beyond and add significant value.

It is a lesson and reminder - Don’t make assumptions, listen and understand.

Getting back to kindness, my candidates sent a beautiful thank you gift and a card. What a humbling and glorious start to 2022. My heart is full.

Lesson - there's nothing like being appreciated for the work you do. My client knows that, my candidate knows it and I know it.

Agree?

10/01/2022

Always stand out for the right reasons.

Great Resume
Great follow up (return phone calls as quickly as possible)
Great ability to articulate your value at interivew
Great ability to show ownership of your role and work collaboratively

Always tell the truth.

Great recruiters know a lot about you before they pick up the phone to speak to you. Your resume tells them a lot about you, they know market rates for the role you do and can assess if you are at the high or low end of that market rate. You can’t hoodwink a great recruiter, HR Manager (or line manager with lots of experience for that matter).

Act with integrity and expect those you meet to do the same. Walk away from recruiters and companies that don’t return serve when it comes to integrity.

From discrepancies to disgruntled referees, here are the slip-ups that could stop you from making a great impression to employers and landing the job.

21/12/2021

The biggest of thanks to our many followers here on LinkedIn, our clients, candidates, suppliers, contractors and employees.

We’ve had a tough but incredibly rewarding year. We’ve grown personally and professionally because of the twists and turns of 2021. I could not be prouder of our team.

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to see what 2022 holds for us. 💚

Bring it on! 🙌🏼

25/11/2021

Everybody can sniff out a faker, can’t they?

There's always something that doesn't sit quite right with somebody that is trying to be somebody there not. This is magnified when you're in a leadership role; the one thing you must be is authentic. People can see through you when you pretend to be somebody you are not.

A leader doesn't have to have all the answers, but they do have to be resourceful and authentic when they ask people to come to the table and bring their answers with them to a strategic problem in the business.

24/11/2021

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯.

Many people have learned through COVID that there is more to life than your job.

Every candidate I speak to is asking for flexibility and work from home opportunities. We have discovered that there is joy in taking the dog for a walk, or experiencing the joy when your kids light up when tackling a new concept at school.

We are more than our jobs. We are friends, we are homemakers, we are husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, grandparents, and community members. The corporate world is coming to terms with our identity being more expansive than just a work colleague.

22/11/2021

𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

An interview can be like a blind date - it's simply a quest to get to know each other, find out if you like each other, and figure out if you can work constructively together. So relax, take your time and enjoy the conversation!

22/11/2021

❞𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐱 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫.❞

Speaking to a handful line managers and GMs in the last month, it is still not so obvious to them. More than one leader has opined that we need everyone back in the office saying "we have a great culture, how do we keep that culture if everyone isn't in the office?"

You don't keep your old culture, you 𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. You 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

If you don't embrace flexible working two things will happen. The people that want flexible working in your office will leave and get the culture and flexibility they want somewhere else AND you'll struggle to replace that person with someone that doesn't want flexible working. I fear how long that desk in the office will sit vacant and alone.
90% of candidates speaking to me would be delighted with one day at home. Because it makes them more productive - they can do that quiet deep diving without interruption AND they get the balance to take the dog for a walk, drop or pick kids up from school and put on a load of washing.

The company WINS, the employee wins and the family wins.

Explain the problem to me with flexible working again and your culture? I don't get it?

Agreeing clear work hours and supporting health and wellbeing will help to keep employees at the top of their game

22/11/2021

❞𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏❞

Within your network, there are gold nuggets that need to be nurtured and polished up. I might have a huge network, but there are some people that are more important to me than others. The classic 80:20 rule applies to your network too.

Who are the most important people in your network and how are you polishing up that relationship and treating these people like gold?

Who are your key mentors and door openers, who are your sounding boards and safe places to land?

Keep polishing those relationships; in person and on LinkedIn. Is there someone you could post a recommendation for to keep that relationship polished?

18/11/2021

Perfection is no standard at all because perfection can never be met.

Get started, get a basic plan in place; start taking steps forward towards your goal. Why wait to take action next week when you can get started today?

17/11/2021

You MUST have a clear employer value proposition.

The ball is firmly in the candidate's court; they are being constantly chased by recruiters, so if they are willing to put their hat in the ring and speak to you, they want to know WIIFM – What is in it for me?

What makes you an exciting place to work, why should I choose you over another company, why are they choosing you even though somebody else is willing to pay them more money?

You MUST stand for something.

What are they signing up to be a part of? How are you going to nurture their career path, how will you stretch and grow them, who will be their mentor? How much fun are they going to have working with you? Go beyond fruit bowls and birthday cakes. For starters have a clear flexible working policy. 90% of my candidates are asking about this.

Go hard and 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. Be the clear choice for your candidate.

09/11/2021

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There is no better way to network at speed than via 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧. It's a great way to put your best foot forward and have a great one-two punch – Your resume AND a fabulous LinkedIn profile.

Make sure you comment and congratulate a former colleague that's just accepted and up can’t underestimate the value of your comment on an article that resonates with you - it shows who you are and what you value. This is a great way for a recruiter or future employer to understand who you are and what you value.

Get active for 20-30 minutes at least once a week on Linked. You can network in your pyjamas or while eating your lunch, or in the coffee line in the morning. You don’t even need to leave the house, get dressed up and hand out a dozen business cards at an event for nobody to call. LinkedIn is instant and it works!

07/11/2021

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

A true test of character is how you show up when nobody is looking.

Working from home is a classic example. Many employers have been surprised by how productive and how hard their teams have worked. Maybe they shouldn't be so surprised, so many people take their jobs seriously and want to do well.

They want to contribute. They want to thrive. They want to make an impact.