What is your role at MRG?
I’m an Associate Director in our UK business and sit within the public sector team focusing on FM leadership appointments across higher education, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors.
What are you most proud about that you have achieved in your career to date?
Prior to joining MRG, I spent over a decade with my last employer, where I played a key role in the growth of the public sector FM division there and, in particular, drove that division significantly forward through the 2020 & 2021 lockdowns against a significant backdrop of economic challenge and uncertainty. Some of the results achieved during that period are the proudest of my recruitment career when I look back on how wild and challenging that period was for society.
How did you get into recruitment, and why?
I studied law at university and spent three years working in private practice as a litigation paralegal, but that area of practice didn’t stimulate me and really wanted to seek out a new career that could offer me more stimulation, diversity and ultimately, opportunities through life, which I certainly feel recruitment has delivered on for me.
What energises you about working in this sector?
Recruiting FM roles in the public sector affords me the opportunity to engage with some really fascinating public sector organisations and to gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of how their estates function and operate. I’ve been able to visit numerous high profile public sector organisations and gain insights and tours that just aren’t available to the wider public.
What’s the biggest thing that’s changed in recruitment since you started?
The 2020 global pandemic and ensuing lockdowns changed recruitment in so many different ways and largely all at once! Most people, myself included, were forced into working in new and different ways with little to no preparation. This meant that candidates were available to talk to throughout the day rather than outside of core business hours. More significantly, opportunities started to become available with hybrid working, which removed a lot of geographical barriers for recruiters and candidates, so I’d say the pandemic changed the landscape of recruitment forever.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
I love Irish dancing. I can’t do it, but I find it mesmerising to watch (as you would be able to tell from my YouTube algorithm!), and it’s a celebration of a culture close to my heart, as all four of my grandparents are Irish. My wife is taking me to see the Riverdance later this year for my birthday and it will be my third Michael Flatley production that I’ve seen live.
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Invest money wisely and start doing so at the earliest opportunity.
What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
Committed. Focused. Engaging.
And finally, who would play you in the movie about your life?
My three favourite movies are A Few Good Men, Top Gun & Top Gun Maverick so it would have to be Tom Cruise.
Contact Joe for an informal chat about how he can help you with your recruitment needs.