One of the aspects of my work as Global Career Company’s Events Director that I enjoy the most is the opportunity to be in constant touch with our clients and candidates. My team arranges all of GCC’s Recruitment Summits which means we coordinate 70-100 companies and 3000-4000 candidates across our events over the course of each year.

At GCC, we value clear communication and inclusion and these are key aspects for a successful event. From when a client joins a Summit or a Recruitment Day and from when a candidate is selected to attend them, a good part of my day is dedicated to listening to their requirements and expectations and ensuring they enjoy a positive and fruitful experience. It is not just my team that has this approach – this is a clear way of working within and across all of GCC’s functions.

Organising the number and scale of Recruitment Summits we hold on an annual basis is not a job for the fainthearted. Choosing the right venues, working around the world, across time zones, maintaining good relationships with our suppliers and ensuring our events are flawless and of the quality required to meet GCC’s high standards is a demanding but rewarding job.

And then I have the opportunity to travel the world to see and enjoy the fruits of my work. Tiring perhaps but it is such a privilege to explore so many different cities and feel the buzz of one of our Summits as it is underway. We know we are doing some great work – matching clients who are seeking top talent with high calibre candidates who are looking to return home to progress their careers.

The role of Talent Acquisition Manager at Global Career Company is full of challenges and a great sense of achievement. My job comprises research and analysis, relationship building, negotiating with partners and third party vendors, planning and implementing recruitment marketing campaigns and candidate relationship management.

To ensure we can help our clients meet their objectives we, in the Talent Acquisition Team, take the time to understand colonisation, immigration, census information and education data history, trends and forecasts. By working with the context of the past and keeping abreast of new developments, we are fully conversant in talent markets across Sub Saharan and North Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Once we have achieved a clear picture of a particular talent market, we identify the different channels and media that best engage and communicate with them. These include but are not limited to universities and business schools, embassies, professional associations and societies, job boards and CV databases, job fairs, print and digital media and social networks, etc.

When the appropriate channels have been identified, we work with our BD and Recruitment teams to design and implement suitable talent sourcing and attraction plans to meet our clients’ requirements. The sense of achievement when we successfully place a candidate back in their home country really motivates us; we are not just helping them progress their career, but also helping them change their life too.

My particular role’s focus is on the Asian talent market across UK, Europe, Australia and North America. We usually spend the morning either talking with clients and other GCC teams to ascertain a particular Asian recruitment requirement, or contacting our partners at universities and business schools or third party vendors to determine how to best promote a specific Recruitment Summit, campaign or various positions.

In the afternoon, we will focus on internal meetings and discussions, research and analysis, drafting acquisition plans and proposals as well as undertaking the implementation of our campaigns. In addition to a normal day in the office, we spend time attending many different types of recruitment events, job fairs and delivering presentations to attract and network with target talent.

Prior to joining Global Career Company, I gained 10 years’ recruitment experience both agency-side and in-house, from campus recruitment to executive level. Leading my team to attract and source top Asian talent across the world and find individuals bright career opportunities in their home countries is such a fantastic job. I would also be hard pushed to find a role elsewhere that would allow – and actually require – me to engage in deep study to understand different Asian cultures and customs.

I think being a Recruitment Consultant here at Global Career Company is by far the most exciting role in the company! Our team oversees the entire recruitment process from start to finish, from the point when our clients come on board to when a candidate gets placed. Similar to the Business Development team, we work closely with HR Directors, CEOs and Country Managers, and we additionally hold strong relationships with associations, universities, our partners and, of course, our candidates.

On a typical day, our work is based on delivering world class service for our clients, be it for a Recruitment Summit, Recruitment Campaign or any of our other services. A large proportion of my day is spent building and maintaining relationships with partners, clients and candidates. This could be through arranging interviews, sourcing talent or locating, securing and maintaining valuable collaborations.

I am typically involved in various projects within the business, including attending and hosting events, client management, delivery of suitable high calibre candidates, attraction campaigns for on-going recruitment drives, etc. I begin my planning for the day ahead based on the previous day’s results. I then get on the phone and begin communicating with candidates and clients both in the UK and around the world, continuously spreading the word about our services and initiatives. After my calls, I work on attracting the best candidates for our clients.

I conduct interviews and screen candidates for specific roles in the afternoon, taking up the bulk of my day. I may also be involved in conference calls and meetings where the team constantly shares ideas and solutions to make sure we are all at the top of our game. To end my day, I prepare all my reports and documentation of the day’s activities. This is important for the business to track how our efficient and productive the processes we undertake are in practice.

It has to be said that the most exciting time for a GCC employee (and anyone who is involved), is being part of a Summit. My first experience was nearly three years ago and I still love the buzz. We expect over a 1000 candidates to attend our Summits over a three day period. We welcome on board more than 30 clients from all over a region – companies such as Shell, Barclays, Exim Bank, Nigerian Breweries, Eskom, Unilever, Lafarge, just to mention a few.

From the time the doors open on the Friday evening to when we sadly close shop on Sunday afternoon, I cannot begin to define the amount of excitement and adrenaline that one experiences throughout the weekend as we help match clients and candidates for their mutual benefit.

I believe that the foundation of our business is our diverse team. My colleagues are from all walks of life and come from many different countries. I am South African and my colleagues are from Poland, France, Portugal, Spain, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, Angola, Brazil, India, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. We each specialise in the countries/regions in which we have lived. Our cultural understanding really helps us work with a huge variety of candidates and companies but our diverse mix definitely creates a buzzing and vibrant team that makes coming to work even more satisfying