Comments on: Recruiters, don’t despair, recessions end!

By: Gaynor Lowndes

Gaynor Lowndes — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:57:55 +0000

Thanks Greg for this article. Luckily I missed the 1987 crash as I was still at uni but as you know I felt the full force of it in the UK during 90-92. I joined Recruitment Solutions in 1993 and one of the most important things I learned from you was that persistence pays. Never, ever give up. You took a good solid recruiter and made me a great recruiter and I thank you for that.

By: CrisBetewsky

CrisBetewsky — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:00:15 +0000

It’s a pity that people don’t realize the importance of this information. Thanks for posing it.

By: Craig Michilis

Craig Michilis — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:38:49 +0000

Encouraging words and at the right time. I love the blog and will be back.

By: KattyBlackyard

KattyBlackyard — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:21:08 +0000

The article is usefull for me. Iâ€™ll be coming back to your blog.

By: Francesca Arcuri

Francesca Arcuri — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:21:44 +0000

Oh what sweet memories, yes sweet because from all that worry and stress came success. Your continued persistence with us at Recruitment Solutions and talking up the situation (with the occasional warning that we could end up at home watching daytime TV) worked! We were encouraged to persist. One thing I distinctly remember is that for a long time we had dozens and dozens of fantastic candidates on our database and suddenly, just as the end of the recession was almost in sight and the job orders had started to increase, confident that we could fill every single order, there was a severe candidate shortage! Go figure! Keep up the personal contact, it beats the electronic gizmos all the time. Cheers.

By: Erica Westbury

Erica Westbury — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:52:54 +0000

Great to hear your optimism. I look around my team (albiet a smaller team) and see outstanding performers now. The downside of course, to the “Golden Age of Recruitment” means agencies (yes mine too) had to quickly put on job fillers and call them Recruitment Consultants. That’s all gone now thank goodness and a lot of our competitors are gone. Those that will survive now will be far better quality and the reputation of our industry will come out better for it.

By: Lesley Horsburgh

Lesley Horsburgh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:29:25 +0000

It’s been a week so far tinged with glimmers of positivity and this Mr Savage, tops it off! Working on a trade publication that thrives (or not) from advertising revenue means we cannot dodge a downturn and believe me, your pain is certainly ours! But if there is one thing I have learnt in the last 12 years it’ s how negativity breeds negative results, none less so than that fueled by the media. Attitude counts for everything in business and trusting, as Greg says, that there is an upturn on the horizon can help to focus on the future. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t for a second gloss over the reality that has hit us all firmly between the eyes in recent times, but the only way now really is up! The question is who’s ready?

By: Elizabeth Varely

Elizabeth Varely — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:56:38 +0000

Good morning Greg,

Thank you for you blog. I read your story with fond memories of those, as I call them â€œhalcyon daysâ€ of recruitment. You know the ones – when clients returned your calls, candidates turned up for interviews, accepted the job offer and then stayed longer that the guarantee period. Oh bliss!

I wonder if I have some contribution to our industryâ€™s woes?. Spooky coincidences or not; 1987 – I was in the USA, 1991 – I was in South Africa, 2001 – I was in Portugal, 2008 – I was in Italy. Do you get my drift? Maybe the solution to all our troubles would be if I surrender my passport and stayed home and minded my own business.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Cheers,
Liz

By: Clare Fletcher

Clare Fletcher — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:22:14 +0000

Tough times never last. Tough people do.

By: Stephen Wright

Stephen Wright — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:52:42 +0000

Hi Greg,

I receive your first blog on a gloomy London morning with the city enjoying yet another tube strike, in typical WSR form we are all in the office super early to enjoy a rather ‘over the top breakfast’ and take advantage of the fact that many of our competition are standing around on train platforms, generally upset that they are doing the same thing they did yesterday but with a wholly different result.

I feel much of our industry has had the same reaction to our current challenges!!!

To date I have had little ammunition to use when putting forward my sometimes unshared positive outlook on the opportunities that are available to businesses who do the tough yards in the current market. Very happy to receive some positive words.

I know my business is now leaner, more focussed and with clearer objectives than anytime since it’s conception in 2001