In 2019 I started targeting environmentally focused businesses to work with because it felt like the right thing to do. Knowing, for the most part, that almost all of us have failed in adjusting our behaviours enough to solve any problems, never mind THE problem!  

Now I knew it would be hard, but that’s where I tend to find the most satisfaction. There are areas of recruitment that are more straightforward, for sure!  But helping industries literally shift their entire operations process through hiring people for jobs that don’t even have titles or defined responsibilities yet… That’s interesting. Finding someone for a job when only a handful of people exist with the necessary skills, and then getting them bought into changing lanes or switching tact, that’s where real progress is made!   With all that said, there’s also a unique balance. In this sector you have to accept that there are times where you'll speak to people who are on a bigger or more impactful mission than you can offer.  The beauty is that there’s no resentment in coming across these people.

The key focus at Rebel and what separates us from the rest is that we care. Working with for-profit businesses, the main goal is not simply making a placement and garnering a fee. We find a person that loves the job and a company that loves them, but when the planet and our species’ future is on the line, it’s a little easier to wish someone well in their endeavours, knowing it’s unlikely any other recruiter will convince them to move on either.  … And they’re always super interesting people too.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, and recruitment is so much more enjoyable when you treat it as such. Hell, there are people I’ve placed that I met in my second year at Rebel, and I’d confidently bet that there are people I’ve spoken to in 2021 whom I won’t find a job for until 2025.