Having started her career in sales, Shaylina had an insight into the recruitment industry as several friends were consultants. Following an introduction, she gained her first role as a resourcer in a London company in 2005 and progressed to a development manager’s role.
Having tasted success, Shaylina decided to explore what career opportunities there were in the bigger London market. Arriving in the city, Shaylina headed up the telecoms division of MSI and later was approached by Arrows Group to take over the role of heading up a new telecoms division.
After a fast track start to her career, Shaylina took time out to start a family. When the time came to return to work in 2014 the thought of “The London Life” was no longer that appealing, as she now had a young daughter so wanted to be local, especially as her Fiancé also worked in London.
She realised she wanted to work closer to home as having the ability to spend more time with her family became increasingly important.
It was around this time Lee Durrant, one of the co-founders of Resource on Demand (ROD), contacted Shaylina. They were very local to her, so it all seemed too good to be true.
Following a telephone conversation with Lee, Shaylina was invited to an interview with himself and Theresa in their Dartford offices. As ROD was a locally based company, Shaylina saw this as an opportunity worth exploring.
Shaylina Uddin joined Resource on Demand after a fast track career in sales and recruitment, having headed up telecoms divisions and led new business development across some well known names in the industry. When Lee Durrant reached out to her, the opportunity to work closley with the founders of a growing, locally based business felt like something genuinely different.
What she found when she arrived was a company in the middle of a significant growth period, one that was investing in its people, building a real performance culture and expanding into new technology sectors. Shaylina has grown with it every step of the way, winning the top salesperson award two years running and developing into a team leader and people manager in her own right.
In this conversation she talks honestly about what it is like to work at ROD, why the culture stands apart from the larger London agencies she had experienced before, and why she would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone considering a career in recruitment.
On her first day, it’s fair to say Shaylina wasn’t sure she had made the right decision as she immediately compared the culture she found herself in with what she was used to in London. The office was quieter than the “lad culture” she was used to as her new colleagues busied themselves on their PC’s.
Developing a sales and performance culture within ROD was part of Lee and Theresa’s growth strategy, and Shaylina experienced a massive change over a short period. Today there is a healthy and competitive environment where consultants operate individually and as a team to increase billings and their earning potential.
During the last three and a half years ROD has;
ROD has a family culture. We like going out and letting our hair down; we gel as a team. Even though the company has a new team structure that means I head up new business while a colleague is the head of the accounts team and we have healthy competition because it builds the revenue because you want to beat each other while offering a fantastic service to our customers; it’s still the same company. Everyone is here to help each other out, in whatever way they can.
When I joined ROD and experienced first-hand the reputation Lee and Theresa had in the market it opened doors for me when I called clients and candidates. I have kept those doors open and have been able to achieve the top salesperson award two years running before going on maternity leave for my 2nd child. I am expecting to win it back having returned from my second maternity leave. I am still learning new techniques from Theresa which enables me to coach and support my team which is how I now see my role, even though I am still an active “360 Recruiter.
What I have learned is that it’s now about how I support my team to increase their billings. How can I use our excellent ROD reputation to open doors for my team in the same way that Lee did for me?
If I can do that for my guys, I will know I have achieved something. That’s what ROD is about, helping each other out.
I would love to have one of the guys in my team have the crown as top salesperson while hitting my own P & L targets.
ROD is a great company to work in; it has a fantastic reputation and an excellent clientele.
It’s been set up since 2009, so we have a robust Salesforce database, but we’ve opened marketing automation, testing, HCM; we’re not going to stop there.
It’s not unusual to experience Founders and Directors who see themselves as better than their team members, and yet Lee and Theresa are regular, down to earth people who treat everyone as equal and don’t take themselves too seriously. What you see is what you get. They mentor and coach you and provide you with the resources you need to succeed. They also celebrate success with you, at every opportunity!
If someone wants a swanky London office to work in every day, that’s fine, but is the cost and time of commuting worth it? Does it make you any more successful? In my experience, the opportunity to earn commission is just as good if not better. Putting a swanky London office to one side then, what it’s about is the people you work with; people need to look away from the office and location. Yes we are in Dartford, but we service clients from all over the world, and we get to be home in time to put our kids to bed, have a glass of prosecco and go again the next day. I would say, look past London and give it a chance. You’re doing the same job, you’re working for a company that’s a lot better, has an excellent reputation, and you can be a part of that.