Today, Laura Johnson is joined by Scott Crowe, Lead Recruiter at Canva.
Scott studied Psychology at university, specialising in Organisational Psychology and Emotional Intelligence, unknowingly laying the foundations for his future career in recruitment. After graduating, Scott travelled for five years before he met the founder of a recruitment agency who got him his first job in recruitment.
Falling into the role, Scott was able to apply his psychology communication skills to recruitment, discovering that his strength lies in storytelling as opposed to sales. Straying away from the transactional side of recruitment, Scott then moved onto an internal position at a new company. Scott differentiates between agency and in-house recruitment by the frank nature of the conversations you can have in-house. By this, he explains that there is no room for over-inflation or to misrepresent a role to a candidate.
“When you’re an agency, you place somebody and you don’t have to see them at lunch […] in-house you do.”
In 2015, Scott was able to apply this mindset further when he moved to (then) startup company, Canva. Here, Scott saw an opportunity to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries. Commending this notion, he stresses the importance of finding a perfect balance between not being too comfortable and feeling safe enough to try new things. A start-up environment provided this for Scott, allowing him to thrive while maintaining the humility to admit when something didn’t work.
Scott explains how recruiting in-house requires a higher level of engagement and is often a longer lead. Scott checks back in with candidates six months to a year later with new developments and opportunities and even maintains relationships with individuals who did not land the role but may have been suitable from a cultural perspective. This long term focus is something that has helped Scott to thrive in this industry.
“Relationship building is critical to the long term career”.
The career advice that Scott offers links to his attitude towards the importance of a psychological safety net at work, as well as building relationships. Rather than seeking hero status at work, he encourages people to find satisfaction in teamwork.
“People who are successful don’t tend to do it by themselves. They tend to do it in a team.”
To hear more from Scott, including his use of the baby analogy and acknowledging when you’re in a role that doesn’t suit your skillset, listen to the latest episode of Strivin and Thrivin now!
