I am beginning to think that reading is beginning to take a disproportionate amount of my time; I suppose as a direct result of information overload and a revived passion for reading novels has not helped, so suggesting I would do a review of “How to be a great Recruitment Manager” by Dean Gollings, was asking for trouble and in reality has taken me longer than it should!
Nonetheless I managed to finish reading Dean’s take on what managing a Recruitment Business is all about, and I think therein lies the feel of the book. It is very much a personal account of running a recruitment business based on his excellent experiences, which is not surprising really.
I for one can certainly relate to his experience of working for a corporate recruitment firm and looking back, this book would have been a godsend in giving you a clear direction in what it was I should have been doing, or even what the management should have been doing come to think of it!
I cannot say I would necessarily agree with everything he stated, but I do feel he comes from my school of recruitment and thereby I managed to warm to his attitude to our business.
What is blatantly obvious is that he says it as it is, there is no middle ground and if you are looking to take your recruitment business or division to the number one spot, then by following Dean’s steps will undoubtedly show you the way.
One particular chapter on How to recruit certainly reflects his uncompromising attitude and I am not necessarily convinced he is right, if so he wouldn’t have recruited me, who just happened to be one of the best new business consultants ever at Austin Benn. I am not really looking to blow my own trumpet, but it goes to prove that we all do not fit into the same box.
Still maybe I am being too personal here and what Dean has done is stripped down all the processes to their component parts, and as such you have a bible to work with, which will ensure your do not make any mistakes, or should I say not so many!
Looking back and even today I find myself working to rules that worked; I certainly believe that once you have the basics which this book gives you, you cannot go far wrong. Obviously you may need to tweak them, but at least you have the fundamentals to work with.
All in all I do recommend this book, which is and easy read with plenty of humour and life examples to make it fun and easily digestable, now if you combine this with “The Rules of work” I reviewed not so long ago, then you have two books that must ensure your success in getting to the top in recruitment.
And just to finish off with what I think is a gem of a quote, Dean suggests that “when at a networking event keep one hand free, so you can make an offensive gesture to the competition!!!” for me kind of sums up the book.
