Our Stories > Paul Samuels - Canada
Paul Samuels
Joined Caspian One in July 2011
Today, North American division Manager
Responsible for senior client delivery, business development and team mentorship
[Interviewed July 2020]
What was your path to Caspian One? - where were you before, how did you get here, etc.
I worked with two Caspian One employees before joining; James Roadnight and Dominic Bennett – both of who I had worked with in London. When the previous business G4S Policing Solutions was acquired, we all moved on. Around a year later, I got the call from James and Dom, and I was then working in Amsterdam as a Wealth Manager. I was travelling back-and-forth from the UK every couple of weeks and doing very well, but my son had just been born, which made things very tough as he was only three months old and I was away from home most of the time.
So on the back of us having a successful run over six years before with James and Dom I got a call, and on my next trip back to the UK, I came down to the Caspian One offices with the family for a week and met them and wider management for a chat – and after seeing the area, the beaches, and different lifestyle from that of the hustle and bustle of London I decided to give it a go especially as the position was still in Finance, which was my preference.
That was it really – it was a recommendation to work with people I'd known and had a good relationship with before, so less of an interview and more an invitation to be involved in something new from the ground up for a second time. Both James and Dom brought me into recruitment for the first time when I worked with them prior, and that was my first recruitment job.
They trained me and had seen my journey already - I'd been very successful with G4S and was one of the top two billers in the company. For them, it was less "can you do it?" and more "this is what we're doing, do you want to be part of it?" and here I am 9 years later.
What did Caspian One look like when you joined in 2011?
Well… to be honest, it was a little disorganised. Back then, we had offices over near the Airport and let’s just say the offices were not as glamorous as where we sit today. It was a good vibe, good atmosphere and the management were in the process of really turning Caspian One into a more professionally structured company. What does our CRM look like? What does our data look like? How were we organising ourselves daily? And most importantly, did everyone know what their role in the business was etc.
Overall, it was a great company; it looked good and had strong roots. The people were friendly and there was a really great buzz in terms of environment and banter - but you could see there was work to be done.
Over the last nine years, how has your role evolved – how have you changed within the company?
Well, I'm still hands-on today, which is good; I enjoy being the man in the middle connecting dots, people and everything that comes with recruitment, account management and consulting process. I spent a year managing the division, which was a great experience as when we moved to our new offices there was a need for someone to step into that role for a short period. That experience gave me a real appreciation of people management at a high level.
Today my role allows me to wear many hats like senior delivery for a number of major accounts, business development for both new and existing clients, as well as hands-on recruitment for project managers, directors, senior management and developers. I'm a coach/mentor for my division, and I guess you could say I'm the face of Caspian One Canada, as I hold a lot of the senior relationships.
My time is split between the UK and Canada, where I ultimately build and strengthen new and existing relationships. My role really has evolved hugely, and as the most senior salesperson on the team, I travel to different states and provinces across North America, to go and get it done!
When you first joined, were you working with North American clients, or did that come later?
Yes - I joined the North America team at the end of June 2011, and I had my first trip to Canada the following January. Since then, I've been going out there, pretty much every 2-3 months; it's been busy building clients and relationships and making friends along the way.
How do you have to adapt the way you work, for the fact you're over here in the UK but dealing with people in Canada – do you have to change your process or make any alterations?
It's just worth ethic really. Ultimately, it's not easy working in a different time zone from the UK, going back and forth, along with the shift in hours when you're travelling. It’s just the time management aspect, liaising with the delivery team in the UK team while being on the ground in Canada as most days I am in back to meetings. The other side is that when I am in the UK my day starts around 7am Eastern Time which means we have already done 2 or 3 hours work before Canada wakes up which is a great advantage. The days are long but as long as we are delivering to our clients that’s all that matters.
How has a career at Caspian One impacted your life, beyond just work?
I think the toughest part is the time management aspect. I tend to work late as we have a 5-hour time difference and I know leaving an email for 24 hours could be the difference between doing business with a client and more importantly helping to further someone’s career. The toughest part is being able to spend quality time with the kids, given the hours I work. That's probably been the biggest challenge I've had. For me, all of the challenges and responsibilities I face are a mix of being a father of two active kids, managing clients, candidates, large accounts and fitness – that's basically what my world looks like today.
What have been your big standout moments over the last nine years?
It's been nice working with people and seeing that I've had input on their careers from being green consultants right through to becoming senior figures within Caspian One. Then there is the number of relationships I've built. I have good friends in Canada and the US but also, the way I made those relationships (whether it be contractors or Directors/VPs), I'm proud of the way I handled, managed and developed the large accounts which have come from one or two referrals then built this to working with more than 100+ people in some cases. Consistently being one of the top performers in the company it hopefully shows that I am doing something right.
Looking at the period of time you've been here for, what's motivated you to stay with Caspian One?
Earning potential, plus I like the location of living by the beach and still being able to travel to London when required and of course being able to visit different places across North America is amazing.
Then there has been watching the company evolve over recent years in many aspects. New swanky offices, seeing the number of people in the company grow, witnessing peers around you having children, getting married, buying property – knowing that the company has provided a platform, not just for myself, but for so many other people to make progress in their lives. We have a good environment, great banter (some of us anyway) with a good bunch of people.
Yes, we work hard, but the company really tries to ensure we play hard too, whether it be a night out, incentives, skiing, company cars, Christmas parties or just an end of week drink at the pub – it's just an overall good friendly company to work.
I also enjoy the travel which has allowed me to go to multiple places I perhaps wouldn't have otherwise; I've been able to go to New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto... so travelling the world with the company has been amazing!
If someone was looking at your or Caspian One, considering a career in recruitment – what advice or recommendations would you share?
I would say, be confident, be patient and come into the industry with an open mind. Listen and take in the training but try and build out your own path and your way of doing things in a disciplined and resourceful way, while remaining within the company ethos, core values and structure. And most important have fun!
A lot of people can take this job too seriously, but we're dealing with people, right. If I look at the majority of my calls it’s not always completely work related. If you can communicate on a personal level then you can almost indefinitely communicate on a professional level. I get on with people, I'm a true people person, I enjoy meeting people, building relationships, and the best thing for me is if you can build relationships... that's half the battle won.
I've been in recruitment for over 15 years now and the one thing that has not changed is understanding the needs of your clients and finding great people with good personalities to satisfy those needs.