Mo Hanslod - Brewer Morris, London

Mo Hanslod – Associate Director
London – Interim team

Academic background
BA Hons Business Management

Previous work experience
Business Manager – Hays PLC
Recruitment Resourcer/headhunter – Macildowie Associates

Why did you move into recruitment?
I always knew that I was going to have a career in sales. After graduating, I had narrowed down my options into a possible three which where pharmaceutical sales rep, product sales manager and a recruitment consultant. After various interviews into these three areas, I eventually decided to choose a career in recruitment specifically in finance as it fully utilised my sales skills in a professional and rewarding market. With recruitment, it’s a true meritocracy – an individual’s progression is limited only by their own performance and ambition.

In addition, the UK recruitment industry is the largest in Europe, worth an estimated £24 billion and in a climate where skills shortages are still dominating the business landscape; employers need specialist help more than ever before. And that’s where a recruitment consultant comes in!

Why did you join Brewer Morris?
After spending 5 years at Hays and progressing through the ranks and breaking many regional, office and divisional records, I realised that no matter how far I got within the company, I would still be a small part of a large group regardless of my achievements. Also, the core business model for Hays which I felt was a one box fits all approach to recruitment did not work in a specialist area like Taxation.

After receiving various offers from recruitment companies, I eventually decided to join Brewer Morris. The main reason was due to Brewer Morris not having any rigid KPIs. It’s a mature and professional environment where you manage your own business and you just get on with it. In addition, the attraction for me personally was the challenge to set up a new division from scratch and knowing that I had the full support of the partners in order to achieve success was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

What is a typical day?
I can’t really describe a typical day as the role is so diverse. One day I could be looking for a Group Tax Manager for a market leading FTSE 100 business and the next I could be searching for a Tax Accountant to support a team of 10. It's all about finding the right person with the right skills but more importantly, the right attributes that fit with the right company - this can be a great challenge. I deal with a vast spectrum of clients and candidates which makes the job really interesting.

Some days I’ll be out of the office meeting and advising clients on their recruitment strategies. This involves getting to know their business, their culture and their needs and building relationships in order to better service their requirements.

A lot of my time is spent on the telephone and I’ll meet and interview candidates not only to ascertain their suitability for a role, but also to give objective career advice. I also have to write copy for recruitment advertisements, keep the recruitment database updated and manage issues such as the taking up of references.

Any downsides?
Due to the nature of recruitment being a people business, it is very unpredictable.

What do you think makes a good recruiter?
Someone who has a true appreciation that recruitment is a sales role and so is always commercially driven. In addition, someone who does the basics in recruitment exceptionally well and does not over complicate things. Recruitment is not rocket science!