Katrina Collier Interview Spotlight

Jonathan Kidder

5 years ago

I had the opportunity to interview the legendary Katrina Collier from The Searchologist. She describes herself as an author, speaker, and facilitator. I would also add Wizard of Sourcing to the list. She is the author of: The Robot-Proof Recruiter: A Survival Guide for Recruitment and Sourcing Professionals. Which comes highly recommended by many recruiting leaders within our community (including me).

Tell us about your work experience in recruiting – how did you get your start, how did you progress, where are you at this point in time?

I, of course, fell into recruitment in 2003 when I moved to London. I saw an advert in the newspaper for a ‘trainee recruitment consultant’ and thought, “I can do that.” It turned out that company was completely dodgy but I did eventually land at Best People, which later became Spring Technology, and spent 5 years there.

In 2008, the recession hit and I saw it as a way out of agency recruitment and into my own business teaching people to use social media for recruiting and job search. It turned out 2009 was too early so I ended up spending 18 months in-house proving to myself that I could recruit directly without an agency. After that, I taught social recruiting and sourcing, and began speaking around the world.

In 2018, publisher Kogan Page asked me if I would like to write a book and on August 3^rd last year, The Robot-Proof Recruiter was published thanks to the contribution of 74 fabulous industry people. Now my work involves speaking and facilitating to energize human connection and improve how the people involved in recruitment treat people.

What are the unique talents you bring to the field?

My CliftonStrengths results state I am strong in relator, empathy, activator, positivity and strategic, Similarly the Fascination Report states that I am a catalyst. If you couple that with 17 years in the recruitment industry so I have seen the evolution of technology, I am someone who can easily see different sides to an issue, can place myself into the other person’s perspective, and I can inspire change. I am at my best when I am energizing others to develop better human connections, be that through my book, on stage, or running a facilitation session.

Share your biggest success story in recruiting so far?

What do we call success?

There are those moments I’ll never forget, like getting someone amazing back into work and that person becoming a good friend. My magical SourceCon keynote in 2017, when I witnessed 700 recruiters hug unprompted. Running my own business for over a decade and having travelled to 5 continents to speak. And, most definitely, the publication and subsequent recognition for The Robot-Proof Recruiter has been mind-blowing, I am incredibly grateful for the countless comments from people who have found inspiration in its pages.

What is the best advice you’ve received during your career path, and from whom?

“Follow the energy” from my former coach Laura Borland. Never say yes to any kind of work that makes you slump! For example, if you asked me to do some sourcing, I would unconsciously slouch because though I am great at it, I don’t enjoy it. But, if you asked me to facilitate a session with your hiring managers that would improve candidate experience, I’d sit bolt upright because this I love, and it plays to my strengths.

What’s your favorite recruiting tech tool?

The human brain. Tech tools don’t work unless recruiters combine them with their unique human qualities to not just find a potential candidate but to gain and keep the person’s attention through the hiring process.

What do you hope to achieve in 2020?

In 2020, I will continue to inspire the people in the recruiting process – be they recruiters, HR or hiring managers – to treat people better. This will happen through The Robot-Proof Recruiter Mastermind, which future-proofs recruiters’ careers by amping up human-first skills and through facilitation with recruiters and hiring managers to free, what I like to call, the human-made roadblocks people unknowingly add to their recruitment process.

What’s your favorite Boolean String?

Any that is on any other site than LinkedIn. 😁

What’s your thoughts on Covid-19? How should Recruiters should be responding to this crisis?

This pandemic is an opportunity for humans to see their impact on this planet we share. Already the Himalayas are visible in India for the first time in 30 years, there are dolphins in the canals in Venice, and here in London I am seeing the clearest skies I’ve ever seen.

Companies have an opportunity to change. Working from home is possible, it has been forced upon them. Companies can return to the ‘new normal’ with true flexibility and looking to reduce their impact on the planet. Perhaps they can have fewer employees commuting or operate from smaller, less-polluting offices? While they are having this forced time is the perfect time to pivot and get creative.

Recruiters have an opportunity to reduce their impact by embracing technology to deliver current or re-imagined services.

For recruiters who are still employed and quieter, it’s an excellent time to up-skill and to start workforce or talent pipelining to be better able to deliver a better recruitment process in the future. For recruiters who are furloughed get learning, get networking and adding value to the people you are talking to. For those recruiters looking for work, remember every time you received an application from someone that left a bad taste, do the opposite. Clean up your social media profiles and add value to those you’re speaking to. People like to help people who help themselves and others.

Tell me more about your recent Book? What’s it about?

The Robot-Proof Recruiter inspires readers to put the human first and technology second to deliver a better recruitment experience for recruiters, candidates, HR & hiring managers. I want anyone involved in recruitment to know that they won’t be replaced by technology if they develop their human-first skills – empathy, trust, self-awareness, active listening and so on – so I shared how this is done and how technology can support this. It is the gritty manual I hoped it would be and includes not just my thinking but those of 74 industry peers. It is best read with a pen in hand and post-it notes at the ready! The photos I see of it covered in notes and post-its make me so happy!

Importantly, I have donated the royalties to Hope for Justice charity, which aims to end modern day slavery, which impacts 40.3 million people globally. I have seen first-hand the impact of their work and every purchase helps save lives.

[Check out her website here]

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