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The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth PodcastSeason 9 | Ep13 Pete Watson: 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec in Australia (and why he'd never do it again)Pete Watson: 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec in Australia (and why he'd never do it again)Pete Watson is the longest-serving boots-on-the-ground Rec2Rec in Australia.22 years running Mint R2R. Thousands of placements. A recognisable name across the entire Australian recruitment market.But 18 months ago, he was at the gym when he asked himself one question:"Would I do it all again?"His answer was immediate: "A fast no."Not because he failed. But because of what success actually cost him."Even though...
2026-01-141h 10
The Retained Search ShowYou’ll Never Walk Alone (sorry Pete!) - Pete Watson’s Vision for Uniting RecruitersPete Watson, founder of Mint R2R and Recruitment United, offers a refreshingly honest look at the realities of Australian recruitment today. With over 21 years building Australia’s longest-serving Rec to Rec business, Pete brings a unique perspective on how the industry is evolving and why community might be the secret ingredient most recruiters are missing.Pete's journey from running pubs in Manchester to becoming a recruitment entrepreneur began with a simple phone call from a friend boasting about an £11,000 monthly bonus. That call sparked a career spanning two decades and continents, culminating in multiple successful ventures des...
2025-09-2344 min
The Recruiter's Recruitment PodcastEP210: Pete Watson, Founder of Mint Recruitment R2R - Putting The Recruiter World to RightsThis week, joining Lysha from down under is Pete Watson - a fellow Rec2Rec and podcast host! Pete started his recruitment career within IT recruitment, before entering the r2r world in 2004, when he set up Mint Recruitment R2R! He also is the host of “Recruitment Journeys” podcast and runs The Recruiter's Wagon which he speaks more about during the episode In the episode, Pete speaks about: The world of R2RThe Australian market The Recruiter's Wagon Advice for those who are sober curiousConnect with Pete here - https...
2024-01-3038 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 69: Sandra Rowlingson from Bluefin ResourcesWhat’s is it like to join a company as one of their very first employees, then go on a 17 year journey with them through GFCs, recessions, pandemics, sale of the business, highs, lows and everything in between?
And how does it shape you as a professional?
Well, we ask these questions (and more) of the wonderful Sandra Rowlingson from Bluefin Resources, in this week’s episode of “Recruitment Journeys”.
2023-12-0456 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 68: David “DJ” Jackson from the S-Core Group and the Beneficial Beer CoFor most Recruiters, it’s a giant leap of faith to start one recruitment firm… Let alone three or four!
But this is exactly what serial recruitment entrepreneur David “DJ” Jackson has done over his his 20+ year recruitment career. (And that’s not including the ones that maybe haven’t been so successful!)
Dave doesn’t like the word “entrepreneur”. He says that title is a little bit cringe.
But, like it or not, that’s exactly what he is. He’s undoubtedly a man who takes risks, and turns opportunities and dreams into business realities.
And that has been proven again most rece...
2023-11-211h 01Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 67: James Ward from Clarity R2RHow many of us can truly say they’ve made Recruitment work for them?
Well, this man certainly can!
Swapping the illuminations of Blackpool for the palm trees of Miami, James Ward has had a glittering career in the industry that we call “Recruitment”.
From top billing contract Recruiter at the SThree Group, to international Rec2Rec, Wardy has seen it all.
And it was lovely reconnecting with James after all these years, and talking through all things SThree, Rec2Rec, and just recruitment life in general.
Those of you who know Wardy will know he’s one of the industry...
2023-11-141h 14Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 66: Jay O’Brien from Redpath PartnersJay O’Brien worked for Hays, a global recruitment company for over 13 years.
Then, he decided to spin his career completely on it’s head and go and work for privately owned specialist, Redpath Partners.
Every element of his day-to-day worklife would now be completely different! Or would it?
We chat with Jay around his reasoning to immerse himself into a completely different working culture and environment, the pro’s and the con’s, the key differences, and ultimately, if the move has paid off.
This career pathway (from “global” to privately owned specialist) is not unique to Jay. Many have done it...
2023-10-241h 11Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 65: Paul Hallam from Six Degrees ExecutivePaul Hallam is an absolute stalwart of the Australian Recruitment Industry, enjoying a career spanning well over a quarter of a century.
As one of the three founding Directors of Six Degrees Executive, this is a career spurred on by one key ingredient: Passion.
Paul has many passions and drivers in his life, all of which are talked about in this episode of “Recruitment Journeys”, recorded live at the RCSA Shape Conference on Hamilton Island.
I learned a few things about Paul that I didn’t know, having known him for at least 15 years, such was the openness of the conver...
2023-10-0446 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 64: Jo Ward & Kat Docherty from MAYDAY RecruitmentIt took me about two years to get these particular recruitment leaders behind microphones, and I reckon they only agreed because the tropical holiday vibes were in full effect.
Recorded live on sunny Hamilton Island at the RCSA Shape conference, Kat and Jo from MAYDAY Recruitment gave me a full, authentic and often amusing insight into how MAYDAY came about, and how they’re growing their company.
The conversation was of course super sensible and business-like, but there was also quite a lot of chat about things like raving and pole-dancing.
The MAYDAY Founders are a breath of fresh air, an...
2023-09-1341 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 63: Stu Holmes from The Green Collar Brigade and previously Co-Founder of Smaart RecruitmentStu Holmes comes from a loving and privileged family, and went to one of the best schools in the land, where his Father was the Principal.
But sadly, despite this blessed start to life, life did not quite pan out for Stu the way it was possibly supposed to.
Stu found himself in prison, which was a sad conclusion to a life (at the time) in a downward spiral.
Without a shadow of doubt, this is the most honest and indeed confronting podcast interview I’ve ever conducted.
I’m so grateful to Stu Holmes for agreeing to tell his stor...
2023-09-051h 06Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 62: Debbie Davis from Sirius PeopleShe doesn’t like talking about it too much, but Debbie Davis from Sirius People was recently awarded CEO Monthly Magazine’s “Most Influential CEO Award” for the IT recruitment industry.
So we were chuffed and honoured that Debbie agreed to hop onto the Recruitment Journeys podcast to tell us how this farm girl from country New South Wales, and once budding Olympian, found herself to be the recipient of such a coveted award.
Hope you enjoy the episode!
2023-08-2345 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 61: Nina Mapson-Bone from Beaumont People and the RCSANina Mapson-Bone is a busy human! She’s a Mum, an MD, Chair of the RCSA, sits on charity boards, and is now also an author!
So high profile is her life, her colleagues affectionately refer to her as their very own “D-list Celebrity!”
Nina crams a lot into her life, and she does it all with a very cheery disposition.
But the subject of her new book “Meaningful Work: Unlock your unique path to career fulfilment” really caused me stop in my tracks and think about my own life… In a good way.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
2023-08-0254 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 60: Erin Evans from Intelligen, and previously of FiresoftThis is not a story that you often see play out in our industry.
Erin Evans has just parted ways with her business partner of 11 years, and has sold her stake in the company that they started from scratch together from a small two desk office, to start all over again, on her own.
They have mutually, and amicably, agreed to continue their entrepreneurial journeys separately, accepting that sometimes, things just don’t work out the way you planned.
They originally had two businesses together (Intelligen and Firesoft) and they are now both 100% owners of just one of these companies.
As...
2023-07-1858 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 59: James Farrey from Just Digital PeopleHow does a self-proclaimed flame-haired, larger than life Geordie-Jock go from literally bearing all in a kilt on national TV, to becoming the almost respectable Managing Partner of a leading digital recruitment company in Australia… But doing so without compromising his big personality and his zest for life? We ask James Farrey from Just Digital People that exact question, on todays episode of Recruitment Journeys.
2023-07-0351 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 58: Kristan De Sousa from Six Degrees ExecutiveMost Recruiters don’t join a company and think to themselves, “Great, that’s me sorted for the next 16 years!”
Most Recruiters, when they get that 7 year itch (or even 2 or 3 year itch), jump ship, or start looking for that greener grass.
But what if you didn’t have to?
What if the company you worked for allowed you to constantly evolve, constantly grow, be constant challenged, and be long-term happy?
So that’s Kristan De Sousa’s story at Six Degrees Executive.
2023-06-2042 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 57: Ephram Stephenson from Collar Group.Ephram Stephenson epitomises the “recruitment entrepreneur”. In his 22 year career, he has successfully launched, scaled and sold more recruitment companies than most of us have had recruitment jobs. But with Collar Group, he seems to be achieving something a little bit out of the ordinary. Collar is less than 2 years old, but already has 13 offices, and 100+ staff, with close to 1000 temps running. What is the magic sauce that is helping Ephram achieve such crazy (early) successes? And what does the future look like for a business that’s achieved more in 2 years, than most do in their whole lifetime?
2023-05-291h 00
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 56: Ryan McCabe: “The Failed Engineer Who Pioneered VideoTech For The Recruitment Industry”Ryan McCabe was, in his own words and own admission, a failed engineer, then a failing Recruiter.
But during his brief-ish foray into Recruitment, he has a lightbulb moment.
With a wife seven months pregnant, zero evidence that his idea would work, but blind and unwavering belief, he founded Odro, and pioneered video-technology for the recruitment industry.
In today’s candid chat, we chat with Ryan about the 7 year journey so far of launching a tech start-up from Glasgow, not the Silicon Valley, and how he set about getting the recruitment industry to start looking into camera phones all over th...
2022-09-1341 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 55: “The Recruitment Industry Advisor Behind All The Big M&A Deals” with Paul MastersPaul Masters is the recruitment industry advisor behind all the big, recent multi-million dollar M&A deals here in Australia.
Paul is the guy who quietly helps recruitment business owners realise the dreams they had many years ago when they started their little companies from kitchen tables or serviced offices across Australia.
Paul is the guy who brokers the deals, that helps these business owners become very, very wealthy, almost overnight.
But there’s a LOT that goes into getting the right deal for everybody. A lot of hard work, a lot of research, and a LOT of emotion. But Pa...
2022-08-2242 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 54: “The Recruitment Blogger With Big Opinions” with Ross ClennettRoss Clennett has been a recognised name in the Australian Recruitment Industry for many a long year. So it should come as no surprise that he was the 2022 recipient of the RCSA’s CEO Outstanding Contribution Award.
Before he was a recruitment trainer and blogger, Ross was a very successful Recruiter in his own rights, billing around a million dollars a year in today’s money.
In this chat today, he talks about his early years in recruitment, how and when he first encountered Mr Greg Savage, his views on the importance of strong leadership in our industry, and of cour...
2022-08-0150 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 53: “The R2R Special” with Grace Marlin (US), James Vizor (UK), Charlie Bell (AUS) and ME!For as long as I can remember, there’s always been a bit of a morbid fascination with what I do within the Recruitment Industry, namely Rec2Rec.
So why not get over 50 years of R2R experience together, on the same podcast, and lift the lid on what we do?
On this episode of “Recruitment Journeys”, we have a bit of a special one…
I’m simply calling this “The Rec2Rec Special”.
Joining me in this chat is Grace Marlin in New York, James Vizor in London and Charlie Bell in Melbourne, and I ask why the hell they entered s...
2022-07-111h 04Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 52: “The Recruiter Who Quit Drinking” with Paul Tulip.Paul Tulip was a Recruiter who liked a drink. He proudly maintains to this day that some of the best friends he met, and best memories he made, were with a beer in his hand.
He’d happily admit that having a drink was not only important to him, but a part of who he was.
Then on one standard Tuesday night, that all changed.
He woke up at 1.30am on a normal school night, drunk and hungover (yes, it’s possible to be both), and said “Nah, I’m done with this!”
That was 10 months ago, and aside from one (very...
2022-06-2750 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 51: “How to become the No 1 “Go To” Recruiter in your tight niche” with Chris Caiger-WatsonIn an industry that’s crammed full of small, niche specialists, all trying to cut through the noise, compete with the big boys, and make a crust… How do you stand out?
How do you ensure that you’re not only seen and heard, but ultimately recognised as the No 1 “Go To” Recruiter in your chosen super tight niche?
We asked Chris Caiger-Watson from Genius People, because I reckon he’s done exactly that.
Hope you enjoy this “Recruitment Journeys’ podcast titled “How to become the No 1 “Go To” Recruiter in your super tight niche.
2022-05-3144 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 50: “From Fit As A Fiddle Recruiter to (surprise) Quadruple Heart Bypass” with Niall ClerkinNiall Clerkin was, as he puts it himself, “fit as a fiddle”. He was running marathons left, right and centre, and living his best healthy life.
He was also a Recruiter by day, and had enjoyed a wonderful recruitment career, proudly listing “million dollar biller” and senior recruitment executive as some of his accolades.
Then, after a relatively inconspicuous visit to the doctors, he found himself, surprisingly, on the wrong end of a quadruple heart bypass.
With no clues for the cause of this life changing event coming from his lifestyle or family history, Niall had to seriously consider whether the stre...
2022-05-1044 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 49: “From Pro Footballer to Covid Rebuild Mastermind” with Paddy Flaherty from ExperisHow did Paddy Flaherty go from dreams of playing in the Premier League, to masterminding the rebuild of an iconic Sydney recruitment brand that had taken a bit of a hiding through covid?
In this “Recruitment Journeys” podcast chat, we speak to Paddy about his own recruitment career, the highs and lows, and what the “secret sauce” is that he attributes to the success of rebuilding Experis NSW almost back to its former pre-Covid glory.
2022-04-0441 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 48: Erin Devlin from People2People. Ballet dancer to recruitment leader to mother to authorErin Devlin has had a very jam packed life, and done it all.
From professional ballet dancer, to international cabin crew, to recruitment industry leader, to mother of (soon to be) 3, to author…
There’s literally no limits to Erin’s talents, and everything that she turns her hand to, she seems to do to the highest of standards.
In this new podcast episode, we speak to Erin and find out where that drive comes from to keep reinventing herself, how she juggles her multi-faceted life, and what’s next.
Hope you enjoy this “Recruitment Journeys” podcast episode with Erin Devlin from...
2022-03-0138 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 47: “Reinventing The Week” with Shawn Twomey (Andersen) & Simon Hair (Precision Sourcing)In Episode 47, we look closely at a subject that’s been very topical in the recruitment industry of late, since the arrival of Old Mate Covid… And that’s “working from home”.
Or more specifically, the shorter working week.
A few recruitment businesses have pioneered the four day working week, or the nine-day fortnight with amazing results. And they haven’t looked back.
Today we talk to two such industry trailblazers… Shawn Twomey from The Andersen Partnership, and Simon Hair from Precision Sourcing.
And they tell us how they arrived at the potentially risky decision of giving all of their staff extra ti...
2022-02-0745 min
Talent BlazersS01 E21: Building a powerful personal brand with imperfect video W/ Pete Watson from Mint RecruitmentDo you want to start sharing your personal brand online but feel paralyzed by perfection?Pete Watson, Owner of Mint Recruitment, has some great advice to help you get over the cringe and embrace consistency. He also credits the many videos he filmed from the inside of his car to building industry familiarity and cut-through. #TalentBlazers #VideoTips #Recruitment #R2R #RecToRecFind out more: https://bit.ly/3s0j4zV
2021-10-2808 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 46: “When Body & Lynchy met Ryan”… “Start-Ups that have survived & thrived throughout Covid”Iterate and Creative Natives were two exciting Australian start-ups, that launched within a few months of each other, in 2019.
Both were set up for great early success, and destined to smash the lights out in their first full calendar year of 2020.
And then Covid hit.
Every single recruitment business on the planet struggled for a period of time. But the firmly established companies probably had a slightly easier ride than others.
But what was it like to be a brand new business, who were barely off the mark, fighting for survival and heading into the toughest economy the world has...
2021-09-1443 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 45: SPECIAL EPISODE: When I met a load of Recruiters who don’t drink!Welcome to a very special episode of “Recruitment Journeys”.
Today, we’re talking about something that’s been ever present in the recruitment industry since the beginning of time, and certainly since the beginning of my recruitment career. It’s as much a part of the fixtures and fittings of our industry as coffee and compendiums…
And that’s booze.
Seemingly, our industry can’t seem to function without it?
Or can it?
Well, today, seven Recruiters come together who have a very different point of view.
Collectively, we have 111 years of recruitment experience, and 45 years of being on the wagon.
And in th...
2021-08-021h 22Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 44: “When Shawn Met Verge”… “Why they decided to be a Mentor AND a Mentee in our industry”Collectively, Verge Das Neves and Shawn Twomey have around 30 years recruitment industry experience.
When we launched the Recruiter’s Mentor Project a month ago, it came as little surprise that these industry long-termers put their hands up to be Mentors. Why wouldn’t they want to share their experiences and learnings with others coming through, right?
However, I must admit I was a little bit taken aback when they both said they also wanted to be Mentees.
I was surprised, but curious, so invited them onto “Recruitment Journeys” to find out why they had decided to be both a Mentor AND a Me...
2021-06-0743 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 43: “When Rob Met Matt” to talk about “Extreme Goals & Recruitment”Between the two of them, Matt Cossens and Rob Millington have over 40 years recruitment experience.
They’ve also racked up quite a few extreme challenges between them... Things like ultra-marathons and MMA cage fights!
At some point in time, both Matt and Rob realised that their passion for setting extreme goals and challenges outside of work, could benefit them inside work.
In this chat, we talk to Rob and Matt about why they do what they do, and how their extreme pursuits help shape them as recruiters and leaders.
2021-05-031h 02Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 42: “When Anika Met Sinead” to discuss “How to overcome/avoid burnout” in Recruitment...Both Anika Stokes and Sinead Connolly have, in their careers, been brought to their knees by burnout.
They both managed it badly for years, refusing to acknowledge it, or accept it.
But eventually, both were left with no choice but to tackle it.
In this episode of “Recruitment Journeys”, Anika and Sinead chat openly, bravely, honestly and with great candour, around their battle with burnout, and how they keep it in its box nowadays.
This is vital listening for anybody out there who might be pushing themselves too hard and ignoring the warning signs.
Hope you enjoy it.
2021-04-1350 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 41: “When “JR” met “G”” to discuss “How do you effectively scale a recruitment business?”Grant Movzowitz from T+O+M Executive and Jason Roulston from Blackroc each head up businesses that are in full growth mode. And as we experience the official Covid “bounce back” period that we all prayed to the Recruitment Gods for for so long, which is creating almost unprecedented demand for Recruiters, it was great to sit down with these two notoriously upbeat and positive characters, and ask them the question that is currently on every recruitment leaders mind…. “How do you effectively scale a recruitment business”?
2021-03-3058 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 40: “When Paul Met Carts” to discuss “Is culture or recruitment excellence most important?”Between the two of them, Paul Hallam and Steve Carter, have almost 50 years recruitment experience. Most of that 50 years has been spent in recruitment leadership roles, with almost 30 of those years running two of Australia’s most respected recruitment brands, Six Degrees and Sharp & Carter.
So it was great to get these two long term acquaintances in the same chat to find out more about them behind the scenes, to hear a couple of funny stories from yesteryear, and to ask them the question…
When creating success in Recruitment, what is more important? Recruitment excellence or culture?
I asked them both...
2021-03-221h 07Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 39: “When Stella Met Andy”...”Has the role of a Recruiter changed in this post-Covid world?”Stella Petrou Concha and Andy McGregor are both young(ish), progressive thinking, innovative, “move with the times” recruitment leaders. They’re exactly the types of leaders that would have looked closely at what Covid did our industry, learn from it, and adapted.
They are exactly the right kind of people to ask the question, “How has the role of a Recruiter changed in this post-Covid world?”
2021-02-2349 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 38: “When Hone Met Hair” & discussed their “Learnings From Covid” (amongst other things)...Simon Hair from Precision and James Hone from Bluefin get together to chat about all manner of things like meditation, football fights, fishing, recruitment reality TV shows, and even the recruitment industry. The Yorkshireman and the Geordie... Sorry... Mackem discuss everything they learnt about their people, business and themselves during Covid19.
2021-02-0854 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 37: “The Recruiter Helping Other Recruiters Overcome Burnout” with Helena Nield-DumperBurnout is something that we Recruiters have fallen victim to many, many times over the years.
And it was no different for Helena Nield-Dumper, who as billing Team Leader at Randstad, felt burnout creeping up on her too.
But she survived, and moved on with her career.
Only down the track, when she was in a different role, and a very different headspace, was she able to acknowledge what she’d been through burnout.
Instead of shrugging her shoulders and just putting it down to life experience, Helena decided to tackle the problem head on through her work with Attentive Mi...
2020-12-0839 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 36: “The Recruiter Who Started A Failed Tech Co So Started Again” with James Jennings SourcrJames Jennings and his business partner, Chris Almond are a classic start-up story.
Fuelled by total self-belief, financed with money from friends and family, and pushed on by not only a desire to not let those people down, but also because they absolutely believe there is a need for their business and their product in the Recruitment marketplace.
In this chat, James is super honest about how they got Sourcr off the ground, what it meant to them and the sacrifices they had to make in their personal lives, and what they did when they were faced with the grim...
2020-12-0145 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 35: “The Recruiter Who Wants To Make A Positive Difference” with James Osborne from TRNJames Osborne went from scuba diving instructor on the Whitsundays, to launching and leading The Recruitment Network, an organisation that supports over 4000 Recruiters to help them get through tough times like Covid, but also flourish in the good times.
But why did he choose to take this path, and not the path trodden by most senior Recruiters (which is starting his own recruitment business)?
Well, in this chat, James tells us that it was a combination of what he saw happening in the Recruitment Industry (both good and bad), and personal tragedy that helped shape his view on business, recruitment...
2020-11-2445 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 34: “The Recruiter Who Successfully Started 2 Recruitment Firms” is Scott Horton at TroocooMost Recruiters don’t ever even start their own recruitment firm. And those that do, don’t usually create two.
Well, Scott Horton has been instrumental in launching not one, but two successful recruitment businesses.
And for reasons that he’ll delve into in this conversation, Scott tells us what drove the decisions, both business and personal, to start from scratch twice, culminating in the creation of Troocoo.
This is a fascinating insight into what made Scott Horton do the start-up thing twice, and what he learnt second time around.
Hope you enjoy it.
2020-11-1741 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 33: “The Recruiter Who Went From Failure To Merger” is Stella Concha from REO GroupStella Concha is an inspiration.
She started REO Group back in 2009, with her husband Marcelo, when she only had two years recruitment experience.
She forced herself to be successful through sheer will, determination, and self-belief that came as a result of being so well trained by Robert Half.
What followed was a decade of learning on the job, getting it wrong, getting it right, getting it wrong again and getting it right again, but making sure she embraced every failure, and learned from every one of them.
Today, after 11 years of trading, REO Group merge with Cox Purtell, and the...
2020-11-1141 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 32: “The Recruiter Who Played Two Halves” with Martin O’Donnell from SustainabilityMartin O’Donnell and Pete Zonnevylle started Sustainability in 2008, just before the GFC.
Five years later, having conceded that things hadn’t quite gone according to plan, they found themselves having a bit of a heart to heart and trying to decide whether to downsize and essentially throw in the towel, or to fix a few things, roll the dice, and go at it again.
Fast forward to 2020, and spoiler alert, the Sustainability group is now 50+ people across four different brands. So try and have a guess as to what choice they made.
But, what forced them to almost throw in t...
2020-10-2741 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 31: “The Rec to Rec” with (me) Pete Watson from Mint RecruitmentOK, so this one is a bit weird, because I’m not the Interviewer in this episode, and I’m actually being interviewed about my own “Recruitment Journey”.
Over the past year or so, a few people have suggested they’d like to know a little bit more about my own career past. Maybe they were just being polite. Maybe they’ll wish they hadn’t asked.
But either way, I asked fellow Recruiter, ex-candidate, and fellow podcaster, Paul Tulip, if he’d be kind enough to step in and help me out with the podcast titled “The Rec to Rec”, in which I a...
2020-10-1955 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 30: RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY COVID MARKET SPECIAL with Charles Cameron, the CEO of the RCSA.Charles Cameron has been the CEO of the RCSA for almost five years. And in that time, he’s seen the good times, and the not so good times.
In this special episode, Charles tells us what the RCSA are doing to support it’s members through Covid, and how he things we’re doing as an industry during these challenging times.
Charles also tells us what he believes the future looks like for recruiters in Australian and New Zealand post-Covid, and why he’s so damn proud of the recruitment community.
This is a special episode, looking at the recruitm...
2020-10-1346 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 29: “The Recruiter Who Went From Global To Start-Up” with Ben Brown from Method RecruitmentBen Brown had a very comfortable and successful career with one of the biggest recruitment companies in the world. Life was probably pretty cruisey.
But, after the better part of a decade, he decided to walk away from everything that he knew, to enter the risky world of start-up recruitment.
In this podcast, Ben tells us why he decided to make what appeared to be a risky move, and what the positives and negatives were of coming from one the of the global big boys, to starting his own company.
This episode is called “The Recruiter Who Went From Global To...
2020-10-0242 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 28: COVID MARKET UPDATE SPECIAL with Greg SavageGreg Savage has been around a few years. Forty, to be exact.
So he’s seen a few recessions, and he’s seen a few downturns in his time. And guess, what! He survived them all.
So as we hit the 6 month mark, who better than Greg to tell us, the Recruitment Industry, where we are in the Covid recovery cycle, what other bumps in the road we can expect along the way, and what we should be doing to weather the storm.
In this special podcast episode, we’ll get some invaluable survival strategies from the man who’s been the...
2020-09-141h 05Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 27: “The Recruiter Who Wrote A Book” with Adrian PetrieAdrian Petrie went from Top Billing Consultant at a global recruitment business, to Best Selling Author, all in one giant leap of faith.
He took a brief hiatus from his flying recruitment career to pursue his goal and ambition to write a book on leadership, demonstrating a real dedication to achieving his dream.
But Adrian is very candid when he tells us that he almost didn’t make it, and saw his life heading in a very different direction, before he kicked himself up the proverbial backside!
This is a great story that reminds all of us Recruiters, that we do...
2020-09-0740 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 26: “The Recruiter Who Started A Tech Company” with Bernie Schiemer from Vincere.In 2009, after only seven years trading, Bernie Schiemer sold his recruitment business to Hays in a deal value totalling £75m GBP.
Still under 40, and nowhere near ready for retirement on the beach, Bernie kept scratching that entrepreneurial itch until he decided to enter the tech business, launching Vincere, an all-in-one CRM platform for ambitious recruitment firms, in 2012.
This one is for all the budding entrepreneurs and risk takers out there, who want to build something special, whether that’s in or outside of Recruitment.
Bernie has done it twice. And shares his journey with us here today. Not bad for a b...
2020-08-2948 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 25: “The Recruiter Who Followed His Vocation” with Adam KurdasThis is probably one of the most open and authentic conversations I’ve yet had on the “Recruitment Journeys” podcast.
Adam Kurdas is remarkably honest and lays himself wide open as he talks to us about why he seemingly walked away from an exceptional Recruitment career, the likes of which many of us could only wish for.
Adam was 13 years with Six Degrees Executive, and operating at Director level, when he decided to walk away from it all to pursue a whole new direction, and whole new purpose, with Tomorrow Man.
Adam talks openly about the factors that caused him to mak...
2020-08-2445 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 24: “The Recruiter Who Went From A Caravan to Millionaire CEO” with Chris O’ConnellChris O’Connell experienced immense adversity in his childhood, from being abandoned by his mother aged three, being left alone in the caravan in which he was being raised, to spending years in the foster care system, to getting up at 5am every morning to accompany his Dad to work at his job on the railways…
From a very early age, Chris learned he had to fend for himself, and that life wasn’t going to dish out any easy passes.
But it was that raw survival instinct that made him the top global biller at the SThree Group, and a mill...
2020-08-1452 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 23: “The Covid Start-Up” with Mike Dickson from AXR.Mike Dickson is a very experienced Recruiter. And after a long and successful, stable and secure corporate career, Mike decided to launch his own recruitment firm.
So, on the 16th of March 2020, Mike joined AXR as Partner of their brand new Sales & Marketing business.
Only 3 days later, due to the Covid crisis, AXR closed their offices. Mike was then forced to not only launch a brand new business in the fierce grip of a global pandemic, but also do it from home.
The challenges that Covid presents to recruitment start-ups is quite unfathomable.
But, never looking back, in this candid...
2020-07-3145 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 22: “The Successful Recruitment Partnership” with Tom Dumper & Andy McGregor from D&B/PSP.How do you run a successful recruitment business in partnership with a mate?
Should friends even go into partnership together in the first place?
Or is it better to go into battle side by side with a complete stranger?
And what is the secret to a successful working partnership in recruitment?
All of these questions (and more) are answered in this very candid (and funny) conversation with the MDs of Design & Build and Public Sector People, Andrew McGregor and Tom Dumper.
The boys were open, honest, and very, very candid about their personal career journeys that saw them start their...
2020-07-1755 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 21: “The Specialist Recruiter Spinning Multiple Plates” with Kara AtkinsonKara Atkinson, AKA “The Sales Recruiter”, is a perfect example of a Recruiter not allowing Covid19 to slow her down.
She’s doing the opposite of waiting for the storm to pass. If anything, she’s getting busier. Not necessarily driving revenue upwards, but by challenging herself, and using this opportunity to get involved in other areas that she’s passionate about.
In this podcast interview, Kara tells us all about her early schoolyard foray into sales, selling her Dad’s socks to her classmates, to today, sitting on the boards of businesses and Not-For-Profits making a difference in today’s mentally cha...
2020-07-1337 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 20: “The Recruitment Industry M&A Expert” with Rod Hore from HHMC.Rod Hore is a bit of a household name in the Australian recruitment industry, and has been advising recruitment businesses, both buyers and sellers, on all things M&A related for well over two decades.
In this podcast, Rod calls on all of his industry experience to give us his views and insights into the impact of Covid19 on Australian recruitment businesses, as well as sharing some survival tips for new players and Start-Ups in the market.
2020-06-2940 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 19: “The Recruiter Who Became A Marketeer” with Sean Anderson from Hoxo Media.Three and a half years ago, Sean Anderson was trying to work out how to best see out his non-compete contractual agreements, before launching Hoxo Recruitment.
Sean had been a very high biller, billing upwards of 700,000 Pounds in his previous role, so there’s no doubt Hoxo Recruitment would have been a huge success.
However, during his non-compete period, he realised that very few recruitment businesses were producing authentic, targeted, innovative social media content.
And Hoxo Media was born!
In this podcast, Sean tells us his fascinating story of how he took a massive gamble to abandon his recruitment career, an...
2020-06-221h 06Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 18: “The Multi-Award Winning Recruitment Leader” with Sinead Connolly from Lotus PeopleIf this podcast doesn’t inspire you, then I don’t know what will. It was only 8 years ago that self-described introvert, Sinead Connolly, walked into a recruitment agency looking for a temp job. Then, roughly 5 years later, she finds herself single handedly owning and running one of the most successful business support recruitment firms in Australia - Lotus People. But it certainly wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were plenty of bumps in the road, and success came at a cost. Sinead is incredibly candid in this interview and we hope you enjoy it.
2020-06-2042 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 17: “The Recruiter Shining A Light On Mental Health in Recruitment” with Rhonda D’AmbrosioRhonda D’Ambrosio is a woman on a mission to tackle the lack of awareness of mental health in Recruitment, and to help remove discrimination and normalise conversations and action around mental health in our industry.
2020-06-0545 minRecruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 16: “Million Dollar Biller Strategically Surviving Covid” with Sarah Hay from Six DegreesSarah Hay is a million dollar biller, but today, we talk to her about the business strategies she usually deploys to become such a high performer, and how she’s redeployed them to survive COVID19.
2020-05-2926 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 15: “The Successful Agency Recruiter Who Went Internal” with Andy Cross: Ex-MD Ambition ITAndy is a 20 year veteran of the recruitment agency world, and at the peak of his agency career, as a senior leader in the recruitment industry, Andy decided to turn his back on “agency land” and “go internal”. Today, we find out his motivations for making the transition, and how he found it on the other side of the fence.
2020-05-1551 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 14: “The Recruitment Leader” with Rob Millington from Greythorn.Rob Millington is a 25 year veteran of the IT recruitment game, and an incredibly respected recruitment leader. Today, he shares with us his story, and a few pearls of wisdom... All shared just before Coronavirus hit us.
2020-04-1342 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 13: “The Recruitment Entrepreneur” with Jason Roulston from Blackroc Talent.Serial recruitment entrepreneur, Jason Roulston, tells us how about the highs and lows of his first decade in recruitment, and why he’s launched not one, but two recruitment firms in that time. And how the valuable business lessons he’s learnt have shaped who he is today.
2020-03-1344 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 12: “The MD” with Claire Teden from Ethos BeathChapman.Veteran of the industry, Claire Teden gives us her honest, down to earth, and very funny view on leadership in Recruitment, and refreshingly, isn’t afraid to laugh at herself!
2019-11-0824 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 11: “The Global Agency Career Recruiter” with Simon Faircloth from Michael Page.Simon Faircloth has worked at Michael Page his whole career. Sixteen years, in fact! He tells us why it’s been great for his career, how the business has changed in that 16 year period, and why he dramatically quit after just two years!
2019-11-0430 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 10: “The Growth Mode Start Up” with Andrew Sully and Henry Gatehouse from Talenza.Talenza really are on a mission, with 30 staff on board in less than 3 years, they can be defined as a super-charged start up! Sully and Henry tell us all the why’s, what’s and when’s of their fascinating start up story so far!
2019-10-2556 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 9: “The Sole Trader” with Paul Tulip from Yorkshire Bridge.Recruiter turned Reality TV star, turned Recruiter, Paul Tulip, tells us why he decided to start his own small, specialist Recruitment business, and why he thinks it’s the best gig in the industry!
2019-10-1736 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 8: “The Recruitment Start Up” with Michael Boyd and Ryan Lynch from Iterate.What’s it really like to start a recruitment business? And what do you need to think about before you take that leap of faith? Michael and Ryan from brand new start up, Iterate, tell us about their journey.
2019-10-1335 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 7: “The People Manager” with Paul Donovan from Bluefin Resources.Experienced People Manager, Paul Donovan tells us you shouldn’t enter Management expecting everything to be “rainbows and unicorns”, but if you go into it for the right reasons, it can be super rewarding.
2019-10-0431 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 6: “The Contingency Recruiter Who Successfully Transitioned Into Executive Search”Verge das Neves, Partner at SHK, tells us how he made the bold yet unusual move from contingency recruitment with The SThree Group, to the world of executive search, with the No 1 search firm in the UK.
2019-09-2747 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 5: “The Million Dollar Biller” with Matt Cossens from Aurec.Matt Cossens tells us, in his very humble way, how he went from fishmonger to Million Dollar Biller, hitting that massive milestone year, after year, after year, and what his “secret sauce” is to achieving such great billing success.
2019-09-2237 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 4: “The Recruiter Who Built and Successfully Sold His Recruitment Business” with James Hone.An amazing chat with James Hone from Bluefin Resources, who started his own company, with only (just over) four years Recruitment experience, into one of the best known Recruitment brands in Australia... And then successfully sold it! He tells us how it happened, from beginning to end!
2019-09-1532 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 3: “The “Build and Sell” Specialist” with Greg Savage.This is a fascinating interview with a chap called Greg Savage, who’s been around a few years, and done a few things in Recruitment. (You might’ve heard of him). He lifts the lid on his 40 year career and tells us what we need to be focusing on if we’re going to get our Recruitment business “sale ready”...
2019-09-0844 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 2: ”The CEO” with Suzie McInerney of Six Degrees Executive.In this great episode, (new) CEO of Six Degrees Executive, Suzie McInerney, tells us how she went from restaurant owner to CEO in less than ten years, and the constant balancing act involved whilst simultaneously raising a young family!
2019-09-0142 min
Recruitment Journeys: The Podcast Series from Mint R2REpisode 1: ”The Business Builder” with Stephen Carter from Sharp & Carter.In this, our first episode in the “Recruitment Journeys” podcast series, Founding Partner, Stephen Carter, gives us a detailed insight into the unexpected reason that he started Sharp & Carter, and the values and strategies he’s put in place that have allowed Sharp & Carter to become not only one of the largest, privately owned recruitment firms operating in Australia today, but also, one of the most respected.
2019-08-2656 min