What sector & roles do you specialise in?
Cross functional across FMCG, with a focus on the drinks industry. I have a strong network within and understanding of commercial, marketing, technical, supply chain & engineering.
What do you enjoy/find most rewarding in your role?
Headhunting and introducing great, relevant talent to good businesses. The most rewarding part of my role is picking up with candidates I have placed who are loving life in their new job. Likewise, when I speak to clients who are really pleased with how the candidate is getting on and are impressed with how much value they are adding.
How would you describe ‘Recruitment Excellence’?/What does ‘The future in recruitment excellence’ look like to you?
From my experience and feedback from the industry, recruitment can be seen as transactional and sometimes just a numbers game. For me, it comes down to open communication, in depth understanding of the role, business and market, as well understanding what candidates are looking for.
I pride myself on keeping up communication with candidates throughout processes as job hunting can be tough, I know this can help.
How would you describe the ‘ideal candidate’? What are the most important traits for any candidate?
Desire – they have to want the role in the business. This is fundamental to success when recruiting! They could have all the skills and experience in the world but if they don’t really want the job then you are fighting a losing battle.
Open communication – what do they want from their next role, do they have any concerns, what other opportunities do they have. These bits of information definitely help me secure them a role.
Ambition to grow and develop – I’m not looking for “bum on seats” types of candidates. We add value to our clients by finding them people who are looking to grow in their business.
In your opinion Top 3 things a candidate can do to succeed.
Make your CV a document of achievements, not a job spec. If you are applying for a role within your field/sector, any hiring manager will know what your day to day will be. They want to see your achievements in the role – what have you improved or implemented, what success have you achieved, how big are your accounts, etc. – stand out from the crowd.
Open communication from the start, we are here to help you and the more we know about you, the better chance we have to approach you with tailored roles that are relevant.
Engage with us before any interviews or presentations. We are free to use, so why not ask advice from the person who has qualified the role, understands what good looks like and has a good relationship with the business so knows what they like to see.
What is the most important tool in your role & why?
My phone. Without it I wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone. You don’t get all the information from a CV or LinkedIn profile so you need to engage with people, build that relationship and find out as much as you can about them.
Do you forsee and big changes or challenges in Recruitment?
Saturation of the market with too many “bad eggs”. Recruiters have a bad rep for being pushy or totally ghosting candidates if they aren’t successful.
One day a candidate could turn into a client so that is really important to remember!
How do you like to spend your free time? Any Hobbies?
Spending quality time with my family and walking the dog. I play for a local football team, however my ripe old age of 32 is creeping up on me now so injuries are lasting a little longer! Over the last couple of years I have joined a CrossFit gym so try to get there 3 times a week.
Do you have any upcoming events or Challenges you're taking part in?
I’m training for a event called Hyrox in March next year.
HYROX is a fitness competition that combines 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) of running and eight functional workout stations. It is an indoor hybrid fitness racing event that alternates running with functional exercises. It bills itself as "The World Series of Fitness Racing" and "A sport for Everybody".
A HYROX competition is made up of a 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) run followed by a functional exercise station that is repeated eight times for the eight different workout stations
Favourite cuisine? / Favourite tipple or drink?
Japanese or Thai are my go-to cuisines, I’ve been lucky enough to visit both countries and they are by far my favourites. Damm Lemon is my favourite drink in the summer, going into winter you can’t beat a good Bailey’s!
Favourite place to holiday? / Favourite time of year?
I love snowboarding holidays, not a massive fan of the heat so it’s an ideal mix of weather.
I like Autumn, getting into the dark nights but you still have the odd nice day and it’s the calm after the rush of summer and before the madness of Christmas.
To find a full list of Toby's current vacancies head to www.theovalpartnership.co.uk/vacancies and for a confidential chat please get in touch on
Tel: 07385 381 039
or
Email: toby@theovalpartnership.co.uk
