Already having a huge impact on business and company culture at IQ PARTNERS Inc., Adrian Robinson made a swift move from a marketing role to a headhunting role after being recruited by headhunters! Now, he makes perfect matches of people and jobs on a daily basis in this Friday’s YPDaily…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
As the Director of Client Services with IQ PARTNERS Inc., it’s my job to connect smart people with great companies. I run a 360 degree desk, so I am responsible for attracting new clients, developing existing clients, and recruiting top talent to fill exciting roles.
Marketing services is my primary practice area, with a specialty focus in digital. It’s an industry that is growing and evolving at an incredible rate and the pace of change is breathtaking. And of course growing companies need new people and I find the best of the best for my clients to hire.
Being a Headhunter is an intensely people-oriented job. My days are filled with meeting new and dynamic people. Every now and then, I meet someone really, really different, and this makes the ‘nutshell’ metaphor pretty accurate. But most often the clients and candidates I meet are the current and future thought leaders in their industries; they’re exciting people to know. I’m not sure I can do justice describing how exciting it is to meet people and clients that are literally changing our world.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
My first role post-University was in employment counseling, helping people chart their careers and being a real life problem solver. This has always been second nature to me and eventually I ended up managing a team of 10 talented employment counselors and support staff. In my current role I steer people to careers that play to their natural strengths, and my early success in this role demonstrates that this is effective.
After 5 years in that role, I made the move from Ottawa to Toronto and for a while explored my interest in marketing and advertising at Humber and then as a Marketing Manager. It was at this time that IQ PARTNERS recruited me to be a recruiter. It was an instant culture fit. Not all search firms are created equal, and IQ’s values around ‘passion for people’, ‘do the right thing’, and ‘continuous improvement’ resonated with my own personal convictions.
Recruiting allows me to combine my different skills, interests, and experiences and apply them in a role where every day is different, challenging and rewarding. I still get to meet and help people with their careers, and most of those people work in marketing and advertising. Worlds colliding, in a good way.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
It’s the people. They’re interesting, smart and creative and getting to know them accomplishes several things at a time. It helps to satisfy my curiosity about people and the world at large, it moves me closer to helping a client solve a business/hiring objective, and allows me to provide market insights that add real value to a candidate’s career goals.
The most challenging part is managing communication with active candidates and clients. In-person interviewing 1000 people per year means hundreds, if not thousands of phone calls and emails every month. I’m dedicated to providing a personalized and consistently high level of service; it is huge effort to ensure that I am diligently communicating with everyone in real time.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself as a Partner at IQ, leading a team of recruiters and account managers, and continuing to have a real, positive impact on the business and the company culture.
What does success look like to you?
Knowing I’ve helped; that people I’ve dealt with on a personal OR professional level are better off as a result of our interactions. I get a real kick out of directly affecting positive change in people’s lives and businesses.
Another measure of success to me is forward movement. I am constantly striving to better myself and grow as a person and as a professional, so setting and achieving goals is something I think about on a daily basis.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
I have been lucky enough to have had many moments during my career that I would consider milestones. In my current role, we set targets to achieve on a monthly basis. I recently set a company record, overachieving my target by the highest percentage ever in IQ history.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Great success is nearly impossible to achieve without taking some risk and really pushing yourself to go above and beyond. Don’t settle for the status quo, and think about ways to do more than what is expected of you. Expect a lot of yourself. And exceed those expectations too.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
The YMCA-YWCA and KidSport Canada. The Y is one of Canada’s oldest charitable organizations, they help build strong and healthy communities by providing myriad of programs and services that benefit individuals from all walks of life. KidSport is a great organization that provides kids whose families may have financial barriers, with the opportunity to take part in organized sports. Sports have such a great impact on health, socialization and personal development, especially at a young age, so I think the work KidSport is doing has a direct effect on our society’s future.
What to you is notable?
Competence, integrity, humour and the courage to go after what you really want in life.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
Are you asking, or offering? iPhone for me please!