International Recruitment: Hard Won Insights From Placing People Around the World for 25 Years

If you’ve ever wondered what’s involved in running an international recruiting firm and placing people all over the world, here’s your chance to find out. You’ll enjoy listening to my interview with Abigail Stevens, founder of Think Global Recruitment, who has 25 years of experience assisting accounting and finance professionals to not only change jobs, but to relocate from one country to another.

I’ve known and admired Abigail for almost 20 years — she was one of my very first clients when I started my recruitment training business back in 2001. As you’ll hear, Abigail has been hugely successful, both as a top biller and as a business owner. But what was special about this interview is that Abigail talked not only about the high points, but the lows as well.  Having survived four downturns / recessions, she’s had some heart breaking moments. You’ll benefit from knowing what she’s learned along the way, and how these experiences have shaped her current strategy for growth.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [2:02] How Abigail kicked off her recruitment career: her journey from starting her own business at a very young age.
• [11:01] Abigail reveals her turning points that led her to where she is today.
• [14:00] Pioneering an approach to attracting and placing top talent via international recruitment conferences.
• [21:18] Taking the company through four downturns/recessions.
• [24:42] Abigail revealed things she would have done differently to retain key people during the recession.
• [25:47] Pearls of wisdom on talent retention.
• [27:30] Weathering the storm during the pandemic.
• [30:00] Thought process in expanding during the pandemic.
• [32:48] Think Global Recruitment’s new business model.
• [40:43] Best practice in the internal hiring process.
• [47:00] What’s next for Think Global Recruitment?

Think Global’s Wildly Successful Candidate Generation Strategy 

Abigail shared her fascinating journey including how she started her first business very young, then went travelling around the world, before falling into recruitment and eventually setting up Think Global Recruitment at the age of 28. 

You will enjoy listening to her best learning moments – as well as some of the innovative recruitment strategies she pioneered.  An example is how they used international recruitment conferences in the UK, South Africa, and Australia to attract top talent for consulting firms such as PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, BDO, Grant Thornton. 

Pearls of Wisdom on Talent Retention

The other part of our conversation is how Abigail was able to take her company through four economic recessions, including the current pandemic situation. The resilience and planning enabled her firm to withstand the difficulties. Of course, there are things that she would have done differently, which she humbly shared for the benefit of other business owners. One main takeaway was on retaining top recruiters. Abigail shared:

• Staff need to feel successful  
• Ongoing training and development opportunities are critical
• Don’t dwell on what worked it the past – move with the times!

Hear how Abigail elaborated on the above takeaways in our conversation.

Growing During the Pandemic

In the middle of the pandemic, Think Global Recruitment decided to expand. What makes successful companies such as Think Global thrive during this difficult time? Abigail explained, “Our thought process was, we know from the previous recessions that we’ve been through, that after recession usually there is a shortage of people,” she explained. “So we knew that there is going to be a high demand for our candidates at the end of all of this.” 

Indeed, being a step ahead and maintaining a growth mindset is definitely a differentiator in success.

Our Sponsors

This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®. 

i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained 

Abigail Stevens Bio and Contact Info

Abigail Stevens is the Founder and Managing Director of Think Global Recruitment, which she established in 2000. Abigail herself has 25 years experience as a specialist in global accountancy and finance recruitment. She has been assisting Accountancy & Finance professionals to secure new roles throughout the globe and employers to recruit the best accountants in the world, since 1995.

• Abigail on LinkedIn
• Think Global Recruitment website link
• Think Global Recruitment on LinkedIn
• Think Global Recruitment on Facebook
• Think Global Recruitment on Instagram
• Think Global Recruitment on Twitter: @ThinkGlobalRec

People and Resources Mentioned

• Nick Price on LinkedIn

Connect with Mark Whitby

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• TRR#36 Failing Forward: The Recruitment CEO Who Embraces Mistakes as Stepping Stones to Success, with Nick Price

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