As a generalist commercial recruiter, we at R13 are having tons of conversations with a huge variety of business and individuals all of the time. And that hasn’t stopped now during this crisis – we’re still making ourselves available, as far as possible, to chat, to share stories and info and generally to offer support to the people around us.
During this pandemic (and who thought we’d be saying that at the start of the year?!?!), we wanted to offer our skills in the spirit of helping others, and also generally to just be kind in a time when things can be feeling a bit pants. We racked our brains about what we could do, came up with some zany ideas, but nothing which really felt like us….
Then we came upon an initiative set up by a guy called Mark Gaisford. We’d been following Mark for a while on LinkedIn and he shared an idea called #nofeefriday. An initiative whereby we would use the power of our network to support someone who’d lost their job as a result of Co-Vid19 with no strings or charges attached. BRILLIANT. And much as I hated the idea of putting my tired, haggard face out there on a video, the sentiment behind it spurred me on and I was intrigued to see what we could do if we really got behind it.
So, I had to find a willing accomplice. I’d been chatting to Charlotte Khor for a week or so. Her story resonated with me. She’d moved to the UK only a year ago. She’d handed in her notice at work to go and start a new job in a marketing agency, but as a result of CoVid the offer got rescinded. I made the proposition to her of recording a chat and sharing it online. Of course she was a bit nervous, but she was game. We did a couple of takes. We made a couple of amends, and came up with something we were happy with. Something which gave an insight into Charlotte both professionally and personally. (PS – she’s LOVELY).
And then came the day to launch. Just try saying No Fee Friday. It ain’t that easy!! But we got there and the video launched. We all got behind it – my network, R13’s network, Charlotte’s network. We proactively shared the post with people we thought could help and who were influential online. The support for Charlotte was amazing, and a big shout HAS to go to every single person who got behind it, who watched the video, who shared it, who tagged others in it. We got to over 3000 views in 2 weeks. Mind-Blown.
And we got Charlotte an interview. EXCITING. Then a second interview. WOOHOO! Then she only went and got the job!!!!! Charlotte’s got an amazing opportunity with the team at Herrco via an intro I made on the off chance to their MD. The job wasn’t even advertised. We are all beyond excited and delighted. And to be honest with you, that’s been the professional highlight of my lockdown. Using our specialist skills to help someone out, for no other reason than just to be kind. And in the spirit of Mental Health Awareness week, I can hand on heart say, that is one of the most cathartic; one of the most genuinely satisfying moments EVER.
So I guess the moral of the story is that we’ve all got our struggles at the mo, as we have at other times in our lives. But if you can inject a little kindness, offer a little help, then why not do it? We’re all in this situation and the feeling of everyone pulling together, even people you do not know, is heart-warming. One of the team posted something really poignant and I’d like to end on that note. “This is why I love working for R13 Recruitment Ltd, it’s the ethos that the whole business shares, putting people first! Congratulations on your new role Charlotte Khor.”
You can watch the video here