It’s no secret how difficult international travel has been over the past couple of years. And when you’re regularly working with teams overseas, chats and meetings via Teams and Zoom have quickly become our new norm! While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there’s nothing quite like face-to-face interaction.
I was recently able to visit our office over in New York (a far cry away from my Manchester base), and it was truly brilliant to see how the team is thriving over there. I feel super lucky to work for a company that not only delivers on flexibility and work-life balance - but also encourages international relationships and a real feeling of ‘togetherness’, even across different countries and time zones. We’re not called Talent International for nothing…
Hectic and fast-paced is what often comes to mind when most people think of New York. And while I did feel a little bit daunted when I first arrived, it’s definitely not as hectic as the stereotype. I found New Yorkers to be a super friendly bunch! I came to New York off the back of my honeymoon, and being given the chance to visit the team was an opportunity I really didn’t want to miss.
I instantly felt at home in the office (complete with dartboard and sofas) and one thing above all else stood out to me: the team is SO diverse. They’re a very small, close-knit group, complete with people from a bunch of different places and backgrounds. This diversity makes for a brilliant office environment, and the way they’ve developed their working culture is very impressive. There’s a real ‘family feel’ here (bit cringe, but it’s true).
My visit really got me thinking about how Talent truly lives its values on a global scale. No matter which office you’re in, Talent strives to deliver on flexibility and truly helps staff to achieve a healthy work-life balance. If you want to spend everyday in the office, go for it. But if you want the autonomy to have a more hybrid-style working pattern, you’re equally able to have that too.
I’m an IT recruitment consultant by trade, but moved to the Operations side of things around 6 years ago. Being in the industry for quite a while, I can safely say that Talent just does things differently.
Inclusiveness is something that’s always stood out to me here, reinforced on a global scale by my visit to our New York office and spending time with the team. Our #OneTeam mantra is real; you genuinely feel included and involved in the company’s direction and decision making. Everyone is listened to, and I can confidently say I feel comfortable being 100% myself at work.
Talent is first and foremost a tech recruitment company. But, that definitely doesn’t mean it’s just our recruiters that receive leading support and guidance to further their careers.
Carl, our Systems Support Analyst based with me in Manchester, came to us via our charity Talent RISE and the government Kickstart scheme. As a young person, he’d never worked in an office environment before - but received a huge amount of training and coaching here at Talent. And he’s now a permanent member of staff (and doing brilliantly well may I add!).
A lot of other large companies write off young people before they’ve even got their careers off the ground. But here, we don’t have a checklist and we certainly don’t focus on age. We look deeper at what the person can bring to the table, and we do what we can to help them develop and play to their strengths.
I felt really positive and motivated after visiting our New York team, simply because my time there truly highlighted how Talent really does live up to its ‘International’ name. Our leading culture isn’t just an office-based localised thing: it’s in the foundation of the company itself, regardless of where you’re based or which team you’re in.
I feel really proud to be a part of our ‘Better World of Work’ journey - and I can’t wait to see where Talent will be in another couple of years. The sky’s the limit!
Mel is the person to speak to if you’re looking to explore opportunities with Talent. She looks after hiring for Team Talent and ensuring you have an awesome candidate experience with us.
If you’re interested in progressing your career with Talent, reach out to Mel here, or on LinkedIn – she’d love to hear from you.