Today we're excited to announce the launch of the 'Recruiter Interview Series' on Talentwolf - every week a different recruiter influencer is talking about recruitment and industry insights! The first one is Belinda Agnew from Foccus Recruitment Melbourne, the queen of video content!
She talks about how to bring value in your content and the importance of always networking.
Belinda, we know that many recruiters fall into recruitment, what was your story of getting into the industry?
In fact, I did have a connection to recruitment from early on in my career! It was due to my previous business ‘Open Education’ which was very much around recruiting students for our partners, which were major universities and Registered Training Organisations.
We are in the midst of a changing sector, which is accelerating at a rapid pace due to technology and AI. We have seen that you are a future-fit recruiter, who looks at trends to ensure you're growing and meeting challenges before they arise. What do you see as the main opportunities and threats to the recruitment industry over the coming years?
For us, we make sure to attend a lot of networking events and are super active on social platforms. This gives us the ability to take as much knowledge from our audience as to what they want to know and utilise this to our advantage in communication. In the end, it’s all about our audience and making sure you’re speaking to them on a meaningful level. To stay ahead of the game and capitalise on the growth in tech, you have to use these platforms to send more tailored messages.
We’re also always reading articles within our space, as AI and tech is our niche and what we love and adore, so it only makes sense for us to rise with them.
After learning so much over your career, what advice would you give to yourself during your first year in recruitment?
Be patient and live within the moments of your hustle as this is the most you will learn about yourself and the brand you are creating. Most of all, NETWORK!
What skills or behaviours do you keep an eye out for when hiring for your own team?
They have to be hungry, driven and a real go-getter...again most of all, super authentic to themselves.
In your view, what is the biggest misconception about the recruitment industry?
Most clients think that recruiters are generalists when in reality we are specialists.
What is your strategy for finding the strongest talent?
Not relying on Job Ads. The job seeker market is vast and there are many platforms to utilize when seeking not only active candidates but those who are passive and ready for the right opportunity to knock on their door. Networking and referrals are significant ones as well.
What piece of tech do recruiters have to start using more?
It has to be LinkedIn. Networking, connecting with new people and finding talent that aren’t on job boards. Make sure to personalise your messages and make sure they’re genuine, as the old copy and paste one only pushes candidates away.
A personal brand has become so significant in the industry, as hiring managers look to work with someone they trust and buy in to. It's great to see your use of creative videos with meaningful messages as a way to connect and share your experiences in the industry. What do you focus on when posting a new video?
We always focus on bringing value. At the start of each video, we make sure this is the purpose of the content, so that it’s impacting the viewers' lives for the better if it’s inspiring or helping them see recruitment in a new way.
What are your goals for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?
Lots of things happening within Foccus and always looking to expand our team and an online presence!
To end on a strong SAO question, what is your proudest achievement over your career?
For me it’s building a brand and making an impact online, not just offline.
Connect with Belinda Agnew
