What is your title?
Associate Director, FARC.
What is your professional background?
I started out at a financial services company where I was responsible for fundraising for the US real estate market. I then did a short stint within IT recruitment, before moving to Oliver James Associates. I was the first external recruit at the Hong Kong office, joining a team of just five.
What attracted you to a career in recruitment?
I like interacting with people and I’m a big believer that the right job can change a person’s life, especially when we spend close to 70% of our time at work. On top of the satisfaction I get from helping others, I find the industry financially rewarding as well.
What are your biggest motivators?
Financial security and the lifestyle afforded to me by working at OJ.
What interests do you have outside of work?
I love travelling, normally taking one or two international holidays per year and a fair amount of short-haul trips.
How has your career progressed since you joined OJ?
I joined as a Researcher and have been promoted each year. Now, I’m well and truly on the management track as an Associate Director.
What does a normal day involve?
Arranging meetings with clients to understand what they’re looking for and then conducting a search for them by proactively speaking with suitable candidates in our database.
What challenges do you face in your role?
In recruitment, we deal with people and people are unpredictable. It’s easy to oversee an inventory or product, whereas people require more skilful management – especially, and understandably, when it comes to their futures.
What attracted you to OJ?
The culture. I had a number of offers on the table before I initiated the conversation with OJ. However, it was the energy, people and support given by my managers that attracted me to the business.
What three words best describe OJ?
International, energetic and lively.
What advice would you give someone considering applying to work with OJ?
If you’re looking for a transparent infrastructure from commission to promotion; a high-energy environment, amazing training, great team spirit and a place where hard work is rewarded, OJ is the right place for you. There are no ceilings here; the only ceiling is yourself.
How has working at OJ compared to previous employment?
Everyone works closely within teams, so we’re incentivised to help each other, rather than pitted against one another. This creates a real culture of togetherness, because the end goal is always the same: to fill our positions. We also have very tailored training in comparison to the standard agency.
What are you hoping to achieve in your career at OJ?
I’d like to reach Director level next, which would put me in the running to lead a new APAC office. This also aligns with the company’s plans for huge expansion over the coming years.
