In today's busy and noisy world how do you stand-out and get noticed for who you are, what you can do? In this episode, I sit down with headhunter Nick Diprose to discuss a profoundly simple yet often overlooked strategy: authenticity. Join us as Nick explains why your CV is just the beginning and how building a genuine, personal brand can transform your career, allowing you to connect with recruiters and clients on a much deeper, more effective level.
I am very pleased today to be in conversation with Nick Diprose.
Nick started his career with British Steel working in large infrastructure projects, and has spent the last 20 years growing professional services businesses. He founded Holdsway in 2013 with the goal of promoting interim executives as the ‘expert game changers’ of the economy. Nick is a familiar guest on the podcast, his previous episode is one of the most popular called “Negotiate your day rate”.
· The CV as a Starting Point: Nick clarifies that while a clear and well-written CV is essential, it's merely a starting point. In a "busy, noisy world," a professional needs to go beyond the resume to truly stand out.
· Defining a Personal Brand: A personal brand isn't just a name or your last few assignments. It's about a person's identity: who they are, what drives them, what they do, and how they do it. It's a "you brand" that helps others instantly recognise what you stand for.
· Relationships Over Transactions: The conversation highlights a common misconception among interims that the recruitment process is a transactional, numbers game. Nick argues that a successful approach is built on relationships and mutual investment. Recruiters are busy people, but a proactive interim should seek to build a genuine connection rather than just tick boxes.
· Nick offers concrete and practice advice for interims. He emphasizes the need to know yourself first, understanding your motivations for being an interim and your core value proposition. This self-awareness allows you to be clear, confident, and genuine when engaging with recruiters. He encourages interims to be prepared, proactive, and accessible, focusing their efforts on a select group of recruiters who align with their style and market.
· The Benefits of Building Relationships: The tangible benefits of investing time in relationships with recruiters include expanding one's network and gaining access to opportunities faster. Nick also highlights that these relationships are a two-way street; a good recruiter will invest in you, helping to refine your CV and providing valuable feedback, while you should also invest the time to get to know them.
· Authenticity and Consistency: The episode concludes with Nick's core message: be you. He advises that a person's brand should be their authentic self—"warts and all"—and not a polished, inauthentic facade. Being genuine helps a person attract the right work with the right people at the right rate. Nick asserts that if you're not authentic, you're "acting," and this can lead to unfulfilling work.
Referenced: Tony Martin, Robert Cooper, Al Hall, Tim Fawkes, Mark Cooper, Kevin Patten.
