Hall of Fame (hôl əv ˈfām): an institution honoring the achievements of individuals in a particular activity or field.
We’re jazzed to welcome you back to the Impact Recruitment Hall of Fame! This is where we pay homage to the best of the best, the success stories, the mentors, the people who deserve to be celebrated for being just that wonderful.
Last quarter we introduced you to the undisputed all-star of administration, Vanessa Chin – if you missed that interview, have no fear, you can read it here! Yes, we rhymed on purpose.
Now we’re back, we’re excited, and we hope you’re ready to meet the legend himself – Michael Scott*! Michael’s VP of our building division and he’s involved in everything from training and development to future growth strategies – and just about everything in between.
*Yes, he knows he shares a name with a much-beloved television character, and no, he doesn’t want to hear another joke about it, thank you
Q: Prior to joining Impact, what was your most memorable job?
A: Back when I was still in Sydney, I spent six years working in a revived theatre called the Capitol. It seated two and a half thousand people, and in my role I did mainly back of house production work, though I got to spend time in front of house as well.
I worked in finance during the day, and at the theatre in the evenings. It was such an incredible experience, seeing shows like West Side Story or Miss Saigon come through, or acts like Bruce Springsteen or the Jerry Seinfelds of the world. This is another story for another day, but I actually got to hang out with Springsteen backstage for an hour or so!
Q: What?! You hung out with Bruce Springsteen? You can’t just leave us hanging like that.
A: He was there for a show and curious about what the back of the theatre looked like. He popped in to see how we did things, lighting decks and audio and all that. He was great, very cool guy.
Q: Okay, that’ll do for now. Next question is what (or who) inspired you to pursue a career in recruitment?
A: Funnily enough, an ex-girlfriend of mine was in recruitment, and it got me thinking that it might be something I’d like to get into. Plus, in the UK, it’s very normal to work with a recruiter whenever you’re looking for a new role, so I’d had a fair bit of experience with them over the years. It was always in the back of my mind as an interesting option, and things just sort of happened organically after that!
Q: What drew you to Impact, initially?
A: At that point in my life, I was feeling a bit jaded by some of the things I’d been seeing in the industry. I really wasn’t sure I wanted to stay in agency recruitment – in fact, I was thinking about moving in-house. One day, I applied to a blind posting that ended up being for a position at Impact Recruitment.
I’d known Impact’s CEO, Jeff Harris, for years – we were actually direct competitors for a while. We agreed to meet, and Jeff told me with absolute certainty, “Michael, trust me – I’m doing things differently, and if you want to be a part of it, that’d be pretty cool.”
We kept talking for a few weeks after that, but, long story short, I joined Impact and I’m going on nine years now. It’s been quite a ride.
Q: How has the company changed since you’ve been here? How would you like to see it continue to develop over the next few years?
A: Well, when I joined there were about five of us, so we’ve certainly grown in numbers! Back then, we wanted to do everything; today, we still want to do everything – but what’s different is that now we can take those ideas and break them down and say, “Okay, how are we going to make this happen?”
We’ve developed a formalized, scalable business model that supports our growth and ensures we’re working towards specific, defined goals, and we have the right people and processes in place to make those big ideas a reality.
Q: What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success in recruitment and why?
A: I’ve been involved in sports all my life, and that really taught me the power of hard work, stick-to-itiveness and determination. Those qualities have been incredibly beneficial for me during my career.
The other thing I’d mention is the ability to listen. In recruitment, it’s important to know how to listen more, and talk less. As a naturally curious person, that’s something that comes relatively easily to me, and, as a bonus, it means I come to work every day excited to learn something new.
Q: What’s a work-related accomplishment you’re particularly proud of?
A: When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I remember sitting down with Jeff and the executive team. None of us knew what was going to happen, but what we did know was that we wanted to make it through the pandemic in one piece, without downsizing. I communicated what was going on with my team and made sure we were all on the same page about what we had to do. They put their complete trust in me, and we put our heads down and put in the hours.
That year, 2020, wound up being the second most successful year in the history of building division. That’s one of the proudest accomplishments of my professional career.
Q: Amazing! Okay, and now on the other hand, what’s been your biggest challenge since being at Impact?
A: That’s easy – keeping up with Jeff!
Q: I think he’d say that’s more than fair!
A: Working with an entrepreneur means you should never get comfortable. Every day there are new challenges and new opportunities – plenty to keep you on your toes and keep things exciting.
Q: If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be?
A: I think it’d be really cool to become an expert in clean technologies.
Q: What – really? That’s a very unique answer, most people just say they’d want to speak fluent French or something.
A: Yes, really! Clean technology is very interesting to me. As a parent, I have my son in mind, and I believe these developments are vital for sustainability both now and for the next generation. It’d be incredible to better understand the advances that’ve been made to reduce environmental impact so far and what’s coming down the line.
Q: What’s a workplace skill you think everyone benefits from?
A: Again, I think I’ll have to say listening. It’s such an important skill and will prove to be invaluable throughout your entire career.
Q: What three words do you think your team would use to describe you?
A: I hope that they’d say honest, transparent and – is there a word for being confident in their ability to succeed?
Q: There must be, we could Google it.
A: Whatever that word is, it’s my third one.
Q: What’s your best advice for someone just starting their career in recruitment?
A: Being open to learning and not being afraid of asking questions. And I think that’s advice that’s relevant no matter what stage you’re at in your career. Go into a new opportunity ready to be a sponge and just soak up everything you can.