Good but careful - Senior Recruiter Orcan Intelligence Employee Review

*Great view from London Bridge Office. *Ping-pong table is nice.

It's tough to be honest writing this since it's been a while since I've even thought about Orcan. I'm no longer the person I was when I was there, and reflecting back on it I can say unequivocally that it was the toughest job I've ever had. There's some truth to every entry on here, some more than others. From what I can remember though, and this is just my experience, when I look back at my time here I can only really summarise it in one word: empty. It may have been because I didn't gel with the team or didn't feel like what I did mattered. But nevertheless, the only time I felt colour was added back into my life, was when work was over and I could do anything else. People are friendly, Greg is nice. But they're veterans, it's a revolving door for them when new people come and that's exactly how I felt. Incredibly replaceable. This was a while ago, and I've seen how cut-throat recruitment is, and that to make an SME work you need to be brutal in your methods. Things might've gotten better. Maybe the trainings better, maybe the markets picked up, whatever. I've written longer than I expected, guess it's all the memories coming back, but I'll finish this up now with this: Across my entire professional career, Orcan gave me a singular experience that has never (and hopefully will never) be replicated: Leaving a job and feeling nothing but absolute RELIEF that you're not there anymore.

Okay. Let's start with the first truth : Making it in a competitive industry that is money-driven such as recruitment is extremely difficult. Add on top of that starting a business in London, where recruitment was invented, and you have yourself one of the toughest challenges out there. The CEO Gregory Bouvier - is first and foremost a fantastic, giving person. This will be a bit personal - but as someone who never had a good father figure, in fact- mine was the worst you can imagine, and someone who was terrified of male authority due to growing up in a second world country (I have a very difficult past) - Gregory gave me examples of what good leadership can look like. He protects his values, and is highly ethical. He was the most sane CEO I'd met to that point, and I was 29! During my time with them, he would come in first, and often leave last. He was always available for calls, and I have never seen a more dedicated, empathic, intelligent, and positive CEO of a small company do so much for his employees. He would make the effort to do some of the cold-calling HIMSELF to support the growing markets and clientelle. He was the octopus of the company - with 8 brains working on all 8 departments as needed, and more than willing to invest into fantastic talent. They hired me based on one thing only: language, and attitude. They had no reason to do so. I came from Retail. I didn't have any huge successes in my past that would warrant hiring me. But they saw something in me, and that changed the trajectory of my career forever. In 3 SHORT months, I was able to learn absolutely everything. Including - ALWAYS BEING HONEST. It is simply not true that we were incentivized to lie. Recruitment is not about LYING. When done correctly, it is about focusing on the NEED and PAIN of the customer and client. Their problems, what they need to solve, what in their lives is currently going wrong for them to be looking for work, looking for employees, looking for specific skills or projects. It is about how you can HELP support a DIFFICULT JOB - HIRING. ORCAN has taught me how to connect to people, and how to ALWAYS follow up on my word. If I say something, I do it. This has now lead me to a purely sales-focused career. Ethical sales is possible, it is even PROBABLE with ORCAN. Which is why it upsets me to see that some have accused this company if the polar opposite. I am sure they were never perfect. I know they went through a lot of learning to arrive at the success they are seeing today. No manager at the company was ever too busy to train me. The training was personalized, extensive, and I had more attention from Industry-leading performers at this small, boutique business than I had in 6 years of my career prior. And I have been through the RINGER. Marketing Agencies, Games Development, Fast Food, High-End Retail, Freelancing, Tech jobs in 3 countries! The benefits you can expect: *You know how Investment Bankers always want to move into a small business, into private equity, because of the commissions and interesting work? ORCAN is the equivalent of that, only for the recruitment world. This is where you want to start, but most people simply aren't as fortunate as I was. *Access to a commission structure that is completely unbeatable *Social events that are voluntary, catered to the team *International, Accepting environment that is not afraid to put the work in, but will very much laugh together in the process and support eachother through the toughest of times *They have been the most transparent business when it comes to hiring, commission, benefits, and have offered complete freedom of how and when you work. *KPIs are market leading in terms of realism. It took a long time to arrive at what works, and Greg was always transparent when something was still WIP. Nobody went back to me and said : why is this KPI low. They focused on what I do well and what I need further guidance and support with, and used metrics as a LEARNING TOOL.

*For the right mentality, candidate, and fit there is NO DOWNSIDES to joining Orcan. You will leave with more money, knowledge, and a broader perspective and network than you have joined with. Please try not to be arrogant if you get negative feedback. I was LET GO and I am writing this review. I was in a bad place in my life, and starting there set me up for success while letting me go and do something that made a lot more sense for me at that time. *If you have a big EGO - be prepared to let it go. It will only get in the way of your career. Trust me, you want that challenged. Nobody is perfect, and what people respect you for is work, dedication, and effort. Results will come.