Debbie Thrift has more than 20 years in the UK recruitment industry. She is the owner of People Connect Recruitment in Kent and takes great pride in connecting the right people to the right opportunities. Most people would take diagnosis with an auto-immune disease as a set-back. But Debbie Thrift took it as a challenge.
Realising that the best way to deal with her health situation would be to be her own boss, she took this as the push she needed to go out and set up her own recruitment consultancy.
Twenty years as a top London recruiter and a very hearty dose of self-determination stood her in good stead, and by starting small and making good use of her connections Debbie was able to make a clear profit of £20,000 in her first year. No mean feat for someone that many companies would consider ‘unemployable’, not to mention that the UK was deep in the recession in 2008.
Debbie only regrets that she didn’t do it sooner.
And she has one other small regret: that she didn’t trust her abilities from the beginning and reached instead for the safety of a recruitment franchise first. Unfortunately this was not an arrangement that progressed well. However, with her self-described dog-with-a-bone determination she was able to overcome this unsuccessful diversion by going fully independent just nine months later.
“A franchise opportunity may be good for others but unfortunately for me it was not what I personally required.” Her advice to anyone considering a franchising ‘opportunity’: “Do your background research, speak to other franchisees, and look very closely at the licensing fees. Also, get a lawyer to look at everything.” And go and see their offices – they may be only virtual!
After finishing her O-Levels Debbie went straight to work, starting out as a telex operator in Redhill. Her first brush with recruitment came when she signed on as a receptionist at Robert Walters Associates. At that stage it was still a one-office enterprise, equipped with second-hand furniture, and not the multinational recruitment consultancy of today. Debbie worked as PA to Robert Walters himself, and it was from him she received the encouragement that set her on her career path.
Her first position as a recruiter was at Drake International in 1989 where she believes she gained the insight into recruitment that has made her exceptionally good at what she does. “Vicki Klunyk taught me how to recruit at Drake International and inspired me to become the Top Performing Consultant in the UK -She made me the recruiter.”
What Vicki taught Debbie was the Australian approach to recruiting: a recruiter must know their client exceptionally well, and must earn their trust by providing top-quality suitable candidates. And finding those candidates is not about sifting through CVs: at the end of the day, a CV doesn’t tell you very much about a person.
Debbie believes that more than 80% of people are hired based on their personality alone. And she does not see personality on paper. Her approach is therefore very personal – she needs to speak to people and get to understand them and their work history properly. Only then can she repay her client’s trust with well-suited candidates.
Following on from this, a lesson she also learnt through experience is that people buy the services of your company based on the personalities of the people behind it. In the early days of her business she now realises, she needn’t have spent money on PR and marketing, because almost all of her clients have come exclusively through recommendations or previous connections. Having chatted to her, it’s not hard to see why. She asks as many questions as I do, and seems genuinely interested in the answers.
Debbie’s advice to women making their way in their chosen field is simple: “Follow your dreams, and believe in yourself. Sometimes you will have to jump high to cross the dangerous rivers, but if you believe in yourself and you are determined enough you will get there. Life is what you make of it. Always has been. Always will be.”
Debbie will be one of the speakers at the Smart Opportunities for Women event in Dartford on the 4 May 2010. Book now to attend the Exclusive Mid-day Boost session.
Here at Smart Opportunities for Women we are confident that the UK has an extensive pool of talented women who are keen to get connected to forward-thinking employers. In 2010, we will be hosting a series of events focused on advancing the professional development of women and supporting employers to effectively recruit, develop and retain female talent.
So, if you would like to attend or sponsor any of our events, we would love to hear from you. Contact us today.
Are you keen to invest in yourself, and develop personally and professionally? Then why not book to attend our 'SMART workshops' (starting in April 2010).
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