Recruitment lessons from an ex-rockstar

If a business is putting its cash into the hands of a recruitment agency, it’s safe to say they want a rockstar consultant and not a one-hit wonder.

It’s no secret the industry has a bad reputation. Businesses are fed up of spending too much money for too little reward, left with bad matches and shoddy communication. But that’s not how we work here at Revoco. Especially since we have our very own real life ex-rockstar, who brings a few valuable tricks he picked up from the music industry to his recruitment efforts.

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about someone who drinks on the job, wears sunglasses indoors and can’t remember large parts of the 90s. We mean someone who knows how to handle the knockbacks and throw everything he has into getting the best results for our clients, each and every time.

How to have a rockstar mentality

Our senior consultant, Ben Morgan, knows a thing or two about having a rockstar mentality, having played in a band ‘back in the day’. When your mum hangs out with the managers of Duran Duran, why wouldn’t you take the opportunity to live in a sweet Devonshire mansion and make beautiful music if it’s offered on a plate?

That’s how Ben came to be the keyboard player in Meeky Rosie, living with his band-mates in a stunning eight-bedroom home-slash-recording studio for several years, under the guidance of Max Heyes (the music producer with credits ranging from the Doves to Massive Attack).

But in between rubbing shoulders with Paul Weller and narrowly missing out on his chance at hitting the big time with EMI, he picked up a few lessons that transferred neatly to his new life as a recruitment consultant:

Be passionate about what you do. 

The music industry is a competitive one, but we’d say recruitment gives it a run for its money. While a career in recruitment is one many ‘fall into accidentally’, a healthy dose of passion can often take you further than qualifications in this line of work. At its core, recruitment is about working with people and matching them with the right roles. If you don’t have a genuine interest, why would anyone want you on their team?

Take the knockbacks in your stride. 

The music industry is a tough nut to crack and if you can’t hack the knockbacks, you’ll be off the horse in a heartbeat. The life of a recruitment consultant can be similar, with promising candidates dropping out last minute and clients knocking you back. It’s all about having that rockstar attitude, keeping your cool and rolling with the punches – it’s all part of the process.

Long term relationships are the key to success. 

Damn you EMI, you don’t know what you missed! Just kidding, we blame Mariah Carey and Robbie Williams for deciding the time was nigh for a couple of major flops, rendering the label unable to take a risk on a bunch of bright, young hopefuls. The point is that long term relationships can bring success in the record business, and the same goes for recruitment. That’s why at Revoco, we put the time and effort into our customer relationships so they know they can rely on us for the long haul.

Keep your eyes on the prize. 

The promise of making truckloads of cash and being recognised for your fantastic music is the dangling carrot for those trying to live their best rockstar life; it’s not so far from recruitment. We’d be lying if we didn’t admit the drive for financial reward is obviously a great incentive, but we know it’s our reputation for being great at what we do that gives us longevity. So, those that work with us need to be driven by making high-quality matches and relationships that endure too.

It’s got to be perfect. 

Any rock star worth his salt won’t be satisfied if the music is anything other than perfect. We feel the same way about recruitment. If you don’t put your perfectionist hat on when sourcing candidates and communicating with clients, you jeopardise the quality of your service; there’s no surer way to lose fans.

If you’re looking for a rockstar recruiter that can do all this and more, Revoco might be your perfect match.