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5-minutes with Trevor Pinder

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​Trevor spends 50% of his time as a recruitment trainer and coach and the other 50% of his time on the tools recruiter. He has been in the industry for over 25 years and in 2017 he founded J9. J9 Online is now the most forward-thinking recruitment training platform in the world. It is the only online training solution that is designed by a recruiter for recruiters.

Why learning and development, what about it makes you tick? 

"I love it when you get feedback that something that you have trained or coached has worked and is making the team more successful as a result. I also love it when you really know that the room is totally engaged and there are light bulbs going off everywhere in people’s minds. Just a great feeling."

Is there anything you wish you were taught as a recruiter but wasn’t?

"Yes, to trust the process, be more patient with my approaches. Do something every day for 90 days before you decide if it is working or not."

Do you think companies should focus more on developing their employees soft or hard skills?

"I think that companies should hire for soft skills as these are much harder to train than hard ones. In summary, make soft skills part of your hiring criteria and train the hard skills from day one onwards."

What are the biggest challenges you face working in learning and development in recruitment?

"The fact that as an external consultant, I cant stay with the business after my sessions have finished to really drive the learns through into the team."

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to pursue an L&D career in recruitment? 

"Yes, firstly, you have to have a passion for it. Secondly, treat it as a career not a job as it takes time to build your name and reputation. Lastly, break all of your content down into bit size pieces to really allow your audience to get your message."

You’ve now set up your own training agency, how do you think this compares to an in-house L&D? Is there one which is better suited to a certain type of business in your opinion? 

"There is of course more pressure because I am paid to deliver lots of learns in a short space of time. The best thing is that no two training rooms are ever the same and you get to meet and work with loads of really great people."

What would you say to someone who thinks learning and development isn’t needed in recruitment, as they can learn from Managers/colleagues etc? 

"Believe me when I tell you that most big billers who have become managers have not got a clue how they became successful, bearing this in mind how are they supposed to show anyone else how to do it?"

If you are thinking about a career in Learning and Development, Camino Partners works with some of the best quality brands in the recruitment sector and has a deep network of high-calibre candidates. To find out more about how we can help you, get in touch today:

Meet the team

If you are a recruitment company and are in need of training for your team, please get in touch with ​Trevor or J9 Online.