At the start of March I was pleased to announce the launch of Vitreus Talent, a technology, projects and change recruitment consultancy formed with two decades of expertise in the recruitment industry.
I wanted to follow up with a more personal update about why I’ve created Vitreus Talent and the sort of business we plan to be. So, for those that don’t know me or my background, you can hopefully relate to my story and why I am so passionate about creating a business focused on candidate experience tailored to clients’ needs.
I started my recruitment career in 2004 with Computer People in Leeds. Fresh from university, I began working life as a junior recruiter progressing through the career levels to a senior consultant. I was fortunate to work with some talented people who helped me learn the qualities needed to be a great recruiter. We were professional, excellent at what we did and had a lot of fun along the way.
My outlook to recruitment was always different. There was no avoiding that in the noughties it was seen as a sales career, and unlike those who fell into recruitment, I had completed a HR degree and chose recruitment as my preferred direction. I remember fondly travelling to Leeds from Leicester with a broken ankle during my final exams as I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity with Computer People vs some of the other recruitment opportunities available in Leeds at the time. I loved the prospect of speaking to people every day and helping them find their dream jobs in IT – this was why I chose recruitment, it didn’t choose me!
I‘ve always been motivated by what I can do for candidates and clients, and from my early experiences really believed that recruiters help change lives. They help build careers, grow teams, create opportunities and support businesses to become more successful. Alongside the great pride you feel when you have matched a candidate with a great company, the role also required high levels of empathy and professionalism for the times it doesn’t work out, someone didn’t get the job or the client lost the candidate to another opportunity. In those early years I learnt the skills needed to have an authentic approach to client and candidate centricity, building long term lasting relationships in all scenarios.
After learning my craft in the north and midlands, I moved inhouse and spent the next 16 years working across all areas of recruitment, talent acquisition and resourcing for a number of highly successful businesses.
Having progressed from being a resourcing consultant at the start of my inhouse career, to leading a team of 100+ recruiters specialising in tech recruitment at the end, I was fortunate to be inspired by some great colleagues, leaders, managers, and stakeholders having many wonderful experiences which I will forever be proud of.
A few of my highlights include:
Travelling overseas to train TA teams in best practice
Leading large global TA teams
Creating successful recruitment strategies in all roles
Responsibility for early careers hiring
Creating talent management strategies to increase internal retention
Delivering large scale cost improvement projects saving £millions for the business
Leading two organisational redesigns enabling TA functions to recruit thousands of people per year by adopting more innovative ways
And finally, leading a companywide DEI recruitment project to upskill thousands of managers on recruitment best practice for a global PLC
I had always planned to move back to where I started, and 2024 was the year to take my experience in a new direction. This is why I decided to create Vitreus Talent.
I wanted to get back to working with a variety of businesses that interest me and truly partner with them to solve their talent problems. I wanted to focus on technology, projects and change – the areas I’ve always had the most interest in and see the greatest excitement for in the future. Finally, I wanted to work with a variety of candidates and have a part in growing their careers over time, making a difference to their lives, and seeing them grow.
I’m creating a recruitment business that will harness all the great experiences I’ve seen from being a junior recruiter at Computer People to a Global Talent Acquisition leader hiring thousands of people every year. We plan to bring the best from all these roles and operate with pride, credibility, transparency, results, and people at the core of what we do.
This was where Vitreus Talent was born from. We will become the recruitment business that changes lives, delivering for our candidates and clients, growing careers and businesses with our values at the core of our success.
But this is just the beginning, and I’d love to tell you more so drop me a message and let’s chat. We’re looking forward to working with you!
Mark
Director - Vitreus Talent
07900557982