Meet the Team: Seon, Our Recruitment Director and Co-Founder

We spoke to Recruitment Director and Co-Founder, Seon about his role at YourCode.

What is a Recruitment Director? What do you do?

I do a little bit of everything really, whether it’s, management, planning, operations, finance, admin, recruitment, being a person’s shoulder, someone to go to for support and advice – and that’s probably the part of owning a business that you never anticipate; I knew the job would involve a level responsibility but I didn’t imagine what it would be like.

It’s challenging and stressful but enjoyable at the same time. I really do enjoy the responsibility and being someone that people feel they can go to if they need to talk to somebody whether it’s advice on work or even personal advice.

I still enjoy the recruitment side of things and I try to stay involved with it as much as I can whilst balancing my other responsibilities. I like talking to people, helping and understanding why someone wants to change their job. Whether that means helping them gain an increased salary, that can get them a better mortgage or help them afford childcare. I think that’s why I’ve always preferred speaking to candidates because there’s that chance to build a better relationship and have a significant impact.

How did you come to be Recruitment Director and Co-Founder at YourCode?

I was studying for a degree in Psychology and towards the end, I wasn’t sure what direction to go in after university. I considered continuing my studies in business psychology or sports psychology but I wanted to start work so I started applying for jobs and a role in recruitment came up. I kind of fell into it really, I interviewed in the finance and IT sectors and secured a job in IT recruitment. That’s where I met Josh, we were working in the same team and we just clicked, we worked really well together. We decided to set up a business on our own and four years later, here we are!

Are there any other experiences that shaped your career development other than qualifications and work experience?

Living and studying in America set me up really well. I moved out when I was 18, I didn’t know anyone and I had to become very independent very quickly.

It was all relatively spontaneous, I was studying Psychology at college and I didn’t know what I wanted to do afterwards. My sister is a university lecturer and she knew someone who could help me with an application for a scholarship to play football at an American university. So I created a highlight video, completed applications, passed my SATs and flew out there. I was really quite fortunate, I was able to study for free, play football, travel around, see things I would never have otherwise seen and meet some really interesting people.

The experience taught me many things like discipline and drive. For them, education came first, and if you’re grades drop you don’t play and potentially lose your scholarship.

Do you think that you use your degree in Psychology in your work?

Yes, a little bit. I think it helps with understanding why people do things, what people want and maybe why someone wants a new job, for example.

What advice would you give to someone who has aspirations to set up their own business?

It’s not as easy as it looks. It does have its benefits but at the same time, it’s not easy. I’d say as long as you’re up for hard work, putting in the extra hours and you’ve got a goal in mind then definitely go for it. 

What advice would you give someone interested in a career in recruitment?

Don’t get disheartened by the bad days. There’re so many ups and downs in recruitment but the good outweighs the bad if you are able to manage your emotions and expectations on a daily basis the possibilities are endless.

What advice would you give someone interested in a career in tech?

Do it! Tech is not going away. If I could go back to university I’d do a technology degree because it’s so exciting and valuable. It might be different now but, when I was in high school, IT wasn’t valued as much as it should have been and teaching lagged behind where technology was. I’ve advised my nephew to get into tech.

For anyone who enjoys new things, learning new things and understanding how things develop, you’d find technology really interesting. It used to have a bit of a stigma for being a bit nerdy but it’s the opposite! There are so many opportunities with a career in technology, it can see you travel, meet new people and learn new things. For anyone wanting to get into it, I’d advise getting into it any way you can whether it’s through university or online courses, just do it!

How have you developed in the role?

I have a lot more patience. I’d had some management experience before but it wasn’t a large part of my day-to-day. You always need to be able to find solutions to problems and I’ve learned that there is always a solution to any problem.

What key skills are essential in your position?

Hard work, communication, time management and organisational skills and being open and honest.

Josh and I are almost opposites, I think that’s why we work well together. I’d describe Josh as an extrovert and myself as an introvert. Josh has strong sales skills and I’m good at responding to issues; It’s not that we’re not able to swap roles but we tend to play to our strengths. 

What makes YourCode a great place to work? Why is it different?

We are very open and honest. We understand our employees and treat them as individuals. We’re adaptable and flexible and give professional and personal support. I think we’ve built a great culture which is important because a company is only as good as the people who work in it.

What impresses you most about your employees?

Hard work, honesty and the ability to adapt.

I like how we’ve all got a good relationship. We don’t have that hierarchical gap between team members that a lot of companies have, we’re all on a level playing field and we all respect each other.

Can you describe a typical day in the office?

5 or 6 coffees, rubbish banter from Stefan, admin, calls, breaks, highs and lows. I have a list of tasks for the day. The morning is usually taken up with admin then I’ll spend a lot of time sourcing and communicating with clients and candidates. Adhoc things and meetings come up so my days vary, no one day is the same.

What projects are you most proud of?

I’m proud of a large, longstanding client we’ve been working with because I think that relationship demonstrates the quality of work we do. The projects that we’ve completed are impressive for how young the business is.

What does the future hold for the world of tech recruitment?

Expansion. The sector will keep growing as new technologies develop, especially tech to tackle the climate crisis and support the environment. It’s exciting to see.

What exciting things are on the horizon for YourCode?

More expansion, different countries, more team members, more events and teambuilding things, more fun, more ups, more downs and just enjoying the process.

Someone once said to us, “never chase the money, chase the success and the money will follow” and we’ve stuck to that by setting goals and chasing achievements and we’ve seen so many benefits. We have big plans and we’d like to keep growing.