Get to know me...

Tell us about you and your experience?

I moved over to Australia from the UK 10 years ago chasing the dream of becoming an Australian Citizen and making an impact on the recruitment industry. It was a hard decision to move over as I have a large Italian family and family is something very important to me. My interest in technology stems from the Business Information Technology degree I achieved at Bournemouth University, it opened my eyes to development and triggered a real interest. I started out as a junior developer which helped give me a great understanding of coding but changed trajectory to diversify my skills with the hustle and bustle of recruitment.

Who are you outside of work?

Outside of work I spend a lot of time adventuring with my fiancé, whether that be exploring a new restaurant, one of the many amazing walks around Sydney or beyond. I’m also a keen golfer having picked it up a couple of years ago and now well and truly addicted, there is nothing better than getting outside and hitting the course. My third vice is most definitely sport, nothing beats the competitiveness of watching live sports and I’m always my toes following Manchester United and glorious Bunnies !

What led you to start ScaleUp?

Starting ScaleUp has been the brainchild of Sam and I for many years having both always dreamt about starting up a recruitment business together. Our strengths as people are very different and together it’s a perfect combination and we’ve had a lot of fun on the journey so far. Throughout my experience, I’ve always thought that recruitment can be done better and there are many ways to use the platform to really help people. Our main aim is to help people ScaleUp their teams and careers.

What can clients/candidates call you for?

People can call us up for anything as we’re here to help in any way we can whether that be career advice, seeking our help to scale out a team or even just a call to catch up and chat about the latest market trends or even a chat about sport. We are genuinely here as a force for good and always looking to use different platforms to relay information to the market in person, over the phone, through our ScaleUp blogs or even more recently through our ScaleUp Sound Bytes podcast.

Our specialist areas are that of a traditional technology team so we provide recruitment assistance for an array of roles across Development, Digital & Design, Project Services & Product, Infrastructure & DevOps, Data and Leadership positions.

How do you stay current with industry trends and developments?

There are many avenues we use to stay up to date with what’s going on in the market through meet ups, round tables, generally following technology and what’s coming as it’s always exciting to hear what’s new. One of the main things we do is to listen, we are constantly meeting clients, candidates, and subject matter experts to hear on the ground what’s happening in the market. We then use this to relay information on our platforms to help get this information to our networks. We do this in person, on calls and also through our blogs and more recently our ScaleUp Sound Bytes podcast.

What do you think sets your approach to recruitment apart from others in the industry?

We are always asked this question and it’s one I could talk for hours about as I’m passionate about helping people and at ScaleUp we do it in so many ways. At our core we have strong passive networks built up over years so can quickly help you ScaleUp a team with the right people. We truly look to be an extension of the companies we work with, get a great understanding of their culture, needs, pains etc and partner with them to help in any way we can. One of our company values is Service meaning we want to provide a service that helps people ScaleUp their teams and careers. We do this by providing as much information to help via many different avenues allow people to access information, we do this because everyone is different in how they absorb information. Some people might prefer reading the information we post, or reading our blogs, listening to our podcast, chatting on the phone, or meeting up in person.

Your opinion on the market right now and how you can stand out as both a client and candidate?

The market has had a turbulent few years and where 18 months ago there was a huge demand for candidates it’s now slowly declined, it was never going to maintain at that level but the steep drop off that’s occurred has been surprising. The main thing setting each candidate apart from anyone else is themselves so make sure you bring your personality and aside from that really detail what you’ve been doing personally and your achievements. As a client it’s great to give an overview of what you’re doing technically, the good, the bad, what you can offer and most importantly how people can grow in your environment.

How do you foster a positive candidate experience, even for those who don't end up getting the job?

As a business, and as people, we commit to provide an honest and empathetic service to everyone we work with. Our role is not just to help people secure new positions but be a guide for them to ScaleUp their careers. We promote an environment where candidates can come to us anytime if they have questions about the market, want help with their CVs, want information on trends or have a confidential chat to help work out their next career move. Through interviews we always provide as much feedback through the process good or bad and if someone is unsuccessful in an interview we will provide detailed feedback as to why so they can understand and take into account for the future.