How to reconcile the desire to travel with work? We talked to Aneta Parciak, IT Recruiter, Client Success Manager and Business Development Manager at Talent Place, about how to thrive in IT recruitment regardless of location, but on your own terms and with the support of the Community.
What was your career path before you came to Talent Place? And how did it happen that you conducted recruitment processes in Hawaii?
I worked in a “traditional” recruitment agency as a team leader. And after almost four years, I decided to quit and go to Hawaii (laughs). Initially, it was to be three months of vacation, and then I planned to return and look for a new job. However, after such a vacation, once I was in Poland, I found that I wasn’t drawn to the office and that I wanted to return to Hawaii for a bit more. After about a month, I was able to leave again. I spent a total of one year there. I didn’t plan to look for a job at that time, I thought I would do it only after I returned to Poland permanently, but then Talent Place reached out to me. I was offered the option of working 100% remotely, more of an outsourced, freelance job, which was the perfect option for me to “stay” in business at the same time. So I took up the cooperation and we started working, at first on a commission basis, then when I returned to Poland I decided to stay for a longer period of time. And since September, I have already started working full-time for Talent Place.
Other than the opportunity to work remotely in Hawaii, which you’ve already mentioned, what made you decide to join the Talent Place Community?
Certainly freedom of action. With assignments, it was up to me to decide how many projects I take on and when and how I complete them. In addition, also a lot of decision-making and independence. I liked that. At Talent Place there is no situation where someone is looking over your shoulder and telling you what to do and how to do it, you decide everything. There is full trust and cooperation. Still the atmosphere – this is also something I appreciate very much. Despite working fully remotely, we talk to each other a lot and exchange experiences.
And what concerns did you have about joining the recruiting community?
That there won’t be many orders or projects. As for the community, I had no concerns. Important to me were issues of financial stability, and continuity of orders. Talent Place does not work on a 100% success fee model, which was new to me and I didn’t quite know how it would work in practice. Agencies that work on the basis of this model are not always treated well by clients, there is often a lack of contact, and topics get blurred. At Talent Place, due to the prepaid of the project, clients are committed to working together from the very beginning because they want their investment to pay off. It was cool on the one hand, but on the other hand, I wondered if there would be orders at all. I thought: if every agency works on a success fee, why would anyone choose to work with Talent Place? I wondered how Talent Place would acquire customers, as this is not a popular method of operation. Unnecessarily, because it turned out that there is no shortage of orders and you can realize yourself in a really diverse range of projects.
What was your path in the Talent Place community like? What has changed since you’ve been working here – what tasks did you do first, and what projects do you handle now?
I’ve probably done everything here! (laughter) I started in recruiting, and then became a Client Success Manager, while also creating project analysis/feasibility studies and occasionally attending sales meetings. Eventually, I began to get even more involved in sales, in customer acquisition. And now I do both sales and recruiting in the RPO model, meaning I work for the client while having my own team. I am currently operating on 3 fronts, but it is sales that are leading the way. Since September, that is, since I’ve been here permanently, I’ve been focusing mainly on business development, which I’ve grown very fond of.
What does your workday look like?
This is highly variable. There are days when I have a meeting after meeting, and on other days little happens. As a rule, it is sales that take up most of my day: meetings with clients, mostly foreign, preparing offers, ongoing communication and taking care of various customer-related processes. I also coordinate the project for the client, that is, I prepare recommendations, send proposals to candidates, and ask for updates.
What does working at Talent Place give you? What kinds of things do you particularly appreciate?
Definitely, development, because a change of career path is possible here. Also customization. If I really have a specific preference, the activities are spread out and tailored to make everyone happy. I appreciate it very much. What else? Certainly cooperation, and mutual support. A lot of independence. I am completely non-corporate and can’t imagine working in such an environment. I appreciate the great freedom of action that comes standard here. And that’s from every angle, whether we’re talking about recruitment or sales. I don’t have to confirm everything, I just run each project myself.
What value do you see in a community like Talent Place ?
Certainly the exchange of knowledge and how many diverse people we have in the Communities, with really great experience in every possible industry. We have people working in recruitment agencies, HR Business Partners, people with little seniority and those who have dozen years of experience. There is a huge diversity of people here, and it’s cool that you can support each other, communicate and share knowledge because of this. This is a very high value for me.
To whom would you recommend working at Talent Place?
Individuals who appreciate a work model other than office style, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. To someone who does not want to work in a corporation, who is above all independent and, importantly, self-reliant. By working 100% remotely and with a large number of people, you have to make decisions on your own and not wait for confirmation at each successive stage of the project. Distributed cooperation can be a challenge, but if one is looking for freedom of action and a non-corporate atmosphere, this will be an ideal place. I recommend working with Talent Place because whatever happens here, we solve problems and challenges together.
