Career Journeys in Talent Acquisition: Dom Fletcher

Thanks for reading! This series is designed to shine a spotlight on Talent Acquisition professionals and highlight their career journeys and learnings so far. Today, we're joined by Dom Fletcher. If you'd like to be next, please reach out to a TTC Community Manager.

Introduce yourself:

Hello! I’m Dom, a Talent Acquisition and Recruitment expert with over 12-years’ experience within the industry. Based just outside of Leeds, I’m currently working as a Talent Acquisition Manager in a contract role which is coming to an end soon, and I am now searching for my next permanent role.

Can you walk us through the key milestones in your career in the talent acquisition space? What were some pivotal moments or decisions that shaped your journey?

My journey in recruitment began back in 2013, after making the transition from working as an Account Manager for the previous 5-years. I started at a Healthcare agency in the town I grew up in, Harrogate in North Yorkshire, working the temporary and contract Occupational Therapy market across Yorkshire and the North-West. The market was vibrant and jobs were aplenty and I quickly settled into this new fast-paced environment. The healthcare market was and is a busy, challenging industry, especially through the winter months but I embraced the difficult times and really felt like this had been a fantastic starting point for me which would set me up for what was to come. A couple of years down the line, I made the move across to the Marketing sector for an agency called EMR where I started to cut my teeth in the creative sector. It was a rather turbulent year and things didn’t exactly pan out how I’d hoped and expected and the office in Leeds subsequently closed.

This saw me take my first leap into the world of internal recruitment and back across to the Healthcare sector where I worked for a company called Orchard Care Homes. I had responsibility of recruiting for a number of the care homes within the organisation’s approved homes, as well as recruiting staff at the head office which included everything from; HR administrators, customer care advisors, marketing directors and many more. It was a really varied role which always kept me on my toes and was interesting and challenging at the same time.

A couple of years later, it was time for me to return to the agency world and back into Marketing, and I made the move to a fantastic agency in Leeds called Network Marketing. Here I partnered with integrated marketing agencies across Yorkshire and the North of the UK to help find them the best marketers in the land. This was a fantastic role and I think the role that really started to define me as a recruiter. Unfortunately, the dreaded COVID struck and like many others, was made redundant which was a huge blow and set back, but it was a sign of the times.

I was fortunate enough to land a role with a great digital agency called 6B Digital who I joined as their internal Talent & Wellbeing Manager. This role saw me take full responsibility for all recruitment, onboarding, HR, culture and wellbeing incentives as well as helping out with overall strategy. Having gained some fantastic insights into the inner workings of marketing agencies during my time at Network Marketing, this was a fantastic role for me to take as it meant I could come in with fresh ideas from a different perspective and really put my own stamp on things. Within my first 12-months with the business we had been awarded for the prestigious ‘Great Place To Work’ certification, along with being shortlisted in the Leeds Digital Festival Awards in the ’Growth Agency of the Year’ and ‘Best Tech Place to Work’ categories respectfully. During my time here I recruited the likes of; Marketing Director, Business Development Director, Head of Delivery, multiple Accounts Managers, multiple Developers (.NET, React, Laravel etc) along with many others.

I was then head-hunted by an old manager of mine to go across to work for Page Outsourcing on a RPO project with a new client they had brought on board, Jaywing, who actually happened to be an old client of mine back whilst I was working at Network Marketing. It was nice to work with them again, this time from an internal perspective and work on trying to entice some really great people into the business as well as working on the wider EVP of the business along with DE&I incentives, early careers programs and lots more. Ultimately, the needs of the business changed, some internal changes took place and the contract wasn’t extended due to a big drop off in hiring volume requests.

For the past year I have been working as a Talent Acquisition Manager for a company called ABL 1 Touch Group who are an automotive company which is very different to what I have been used to. I have full recruitment responsibility for 15 of the companies garages and have also taken the lead on opening 2 new sites and staffing them from scratch and I also recruit for the contact centre, keeping headcount up with customer service advisors. My contract is coming to an end shortly so I’m now on the lookout for my next role. I have a keen eye for marketing, digital, tech and software and would like a role that is really going to present a challenge as well as looking to step into more of a managerial type position. Ultimately, I like talking to people, learning about them and their business and placing top talent into their business to help them grow, improve and be the best they possibly can!

In this rapidly evolving industry, what strategies or practices have you adopted to continuously enhance your skills and stay ahead of the curve? Do you have any resources or learning methods you'd recommend to others?

When it comes to trying to stay ahead of the curve and improving myself, not just as a talent acquisition specialist/recruiter, but also as a person, there are a number of resources I tend to lean on and utilise.

First and foremost, whatever industry or sector you work in, I find it useful to spend a bit of time researching some of the most popular publications and subscribing to their magazines and/or newsletters. These resources serve multiple purposes for me. First and foremost, they tend to report on the most up-to-date and relevant news stories whether that’s a particular topic of a certain company that may have just launched a new product or a new piece of technology. Whatever it may be, it’s a learning point, a potential topic of conversation with a business owner or a candidate. They may also report on certain people moving to a new business, they could be a new hiring manager for you to contact. Does their old role need back-filling which could then become a new contact for you to reach out to try and strike up a relationship with them and talk to them about what you can offer. There are many ways to spin these kinds of things. Get creative, get talking to people, make those connections and see where things go!

I also spend a lot of time listening to podcasts and listening to audiobooks. These are both personal interests but I also find that some of them can be very relevant to the world of TA and recruitment. Interviews with certain people, life stories, anything like that is also a great source of knowledge for me and I like to try and take away at least 1 thing from each podcast that I listen to that I can implement into my working day, or in my personal life.

Finally, which kind of lends itself to my first point, is researching and finding networks and groups of people working in the same kind of job or industry as you. Connect with them, network with them, build relationships with them and you never know what might come of a conversation. A potential new client? A potential new candidate? A potential new job? Who knows, so get yourself out there and get talking to people! Places like The Talent Community are an absolute goldmine of people, connections, sources of knowledge and information so I feel these kinds of communities and networks are essential, whether you’re in the market for a new role, or just looking to make new connections.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your career in talent acquisition, especially when you were actively seeking work? How did you overcome it, and what advice would you offer to others facing similar hurdles?

I think the biggest challenge at the moment is purely the amount of talent out there in the market who are looking for work. There are some great people out there and there are a finite amount of opportunities. You could see a new job get posted to LinkedIn an hour ago yet they’ve already received over 100 applications. Granted, not all 100+ are going to be relevant but it starts to get a little off putting once you see a large number of applications as it gets you thinking about how much time that recruiter or team of recruiters is going to have to spend sifting through them all. It makes you wonder if your application will even be seen and considered, even if you tick all of the requirements that they’re asking for. It’s a difficult time at the moment in the TA world for those of us that are actively seeking work but I am trying to spend a large proportion of my time reaching out directly to business owners to try and strike up conversations that way. Rather than waiting for the opportunities to present themselves, I’m trying to present myself and taking myself to the opportunities.

I also think that the lack of feedback from businesses is a real sticking point as well. Yes, they’re probably going to get inundated with applications but the sheer amount of copy and paste email rejections that are sent out is mind-blowing. I’m sure everyone knows the emails I’m talking about. ‘Due to the number of applications we’ve received, we’re unable to provide any specific feedback.’ Does that ring any bells…? I’m sure it does! There are a few exceptions to this and when I say a few, I really mean a few. Some businesses that I have applied to have actually come back and given some real detailed feedback as to why they don’t feel I’m a correct fit for the role. One company actually listed each requirement for the role that they had listed in the advert and then commented on each to say what was good and what wasn’t quite right about my experience. I’m by no means saying that this should be the norm and I fully appreciate the effort that went into doing this given that the role also had received over 200 applications, but even though I was rejected from the role, it left me feeling relatively positive and upbeat because it was so unexpected and out of the blue to receive such an email. When it comes to thinking about Employer Branding and the ‘candidate experience,’ something like this would make it more likely for me to reapply to this business if a relevant role was to open again in the future.

Saying all this however, my point to anyone facing the same situation at the moment is don’t give up, don’t give in, no matter how tough it is or how tough it may get. Use your connections, use your networks, get talking and get out there!

The recruiting world can be fast-paced and demanding. How do you strike a balance between your professional commitments and personal life? Are there specific routines or rituals you follow?

However fast paced the working day and the industry gets in general, I always like to try and accomplish a number of things during the day, away from work to keep my mind clear and my body healthy. We have 2 dogs at home so 3 walks a day minimum is always on the agenda. It’s great to spend time with them, get some fresh air and take in the views and just switch off, even if it’s for 20-30 minutes at a time. I’ve been working pretty much fully remotely since COVID so I think for anyone in the same situation, getting away from your desk and away from your screen is a big must a number of times throughout the day. Some days can be hard if you have long back-to-back meetings, but it’s important to try and get away from it every now and again. Try and break your day down, block out some time to focus on your work then get up, move around, even just for 5-minutes, make a coffee, do whatever you need to do so that when you do sit back down, you can fully focus again and tick the next objective off the list.

I also like to get the gym first thing on a morning before I even walk the dogs. They could sleep all day if they wanted to so I’ll at least get an hour or so to myself before seeing to them. Getting in the gym, going for a run and lifting some weights helps me to feel like I’ve already achieved something for the day before I’ve even turned my laptop on. It’s also great for the mind and of course for the body. Even if you can’t get to the gym or you aren’t a gym lover, maybe try going for a walk before you start your day to get yourself in the frame of mind that you need to be. Keeping fit is massive for my mental health as well. It helps to keep me balanced, focused and energised for the day ahead.

Ultimately, the work/life balance might be, and probably is different for everyone. It’s something I feel takes self-discipline along with trial and error to find that sweet spot that works for you. It may take a little bit of time to strike that balance just right, but it will come eventually and like myself, you should find yourself being more productive in and out of work.

As someone involved in talent acquisition, you've likely witnessed various technology and trend shifts. Which technologies or trends do you believe have had the most significant impact on the industry, and how have they influenced your role?

AI, AI, AI…need I say more! It’s the hot topic at the moment, it’s not going anywhere and ultimately, I think it will have a massive impact on how we go about our jobs and daily lives. I do think it will be a positive impact, I understand why some people are hesitant about it, but I truly believe that used in the right way, it will work for us. It’s certainly not going away so we have to embrace it, learn about it and utilise it as best we can to get the most from it.

To add to this, remote/hybrid working has become more of the ‘norm’ over the past few years which has led to the increased use of video conferencing, remote hiring and much more. This shift has enabled businesses to be able to cast their recruiting nets further and wider than they may have done previously which in turn has had a positive impact on the diversification of workforces. I’m a massive advocate of the remote/hybrid model as it has opened up so many more possibilities, not just in terms of the companies I can engage with on a personal level but also as a recruiter. It means I can engage with candidates who would have been totally out of touch previously. I’m conscious that some businesses are still banging the drum for being back in the office on a full-time basis and I get it in some cases, it does make sense for some businesses but I also believe that the positives of having a more flexible approach to the working day/week and where businesses are open to looking further afield for future talent outweigh the negatives.

For those entering the talent acquisition space or those looking to pivot within it, what's the one piece of practical advice you'd give to help them thrive, especially if they are actively job-seeking?

If you’ve managed to make it this far in my ramblings then you’ll have already read that I’m a big believer in leveraging your network and getting out there and making new connections so I’ll say it once more. Talk to people, make those connections and stay close to them. This applies to job seekers and non-job seekers I must say. Think long and hard about how you can make a real difference and a real contribution to a potential employer. Always stay honest, be kind and stay true to yourself and I’m sure good things will follow!