Bravery, reliability, commitment, conscientiousness, orderliness, taking pride in what they do, and being “hungry, humble and smart”.

Those characteristics and qualities top the “wanted” list for newcomers to recruitment businesses Carrington West and Sanderson, managing directors at the firms told an audience on 24 June at the REC Live 24 conference.

James Fernandes (above) of Carrington West and Donal O’Donoghue (below) of Sanderson outlined necessities of contributing to outstanding teams in the world of now in a session focusing on team dynamics and success in a panel discussion led by Heather Salway of Jump Advisory Group. And at both companies, the skill and attitude of collaboration are essential, the two MDs said.

At Sanderson, O’Donoghue said, the company’s approach is “outwardly competitive”, meaning that their consultants are keenly competitive external to the business, but “internally collaborative”.

At Carrington West, ‘trust’ is key to its foundation. For instance, Fernandes said: “The number one thing people want from their employers is, they [the employer] has their backs.” Behaviours must be evangelised and modelled from the top, he went on to say. Continued and purposeful learning and development is one such line of behaviour that leaders at Carrington West consistently model by taking courses and undergoing training for their own growth and knowledge expansion, he explained.

Image credit | Harry Elliott Photography | Ireland Portrait Ziunete