We recently had the opportunity to have an insightful conversation with Faz Hassan, Joint Business Partner, and Director of GR8 Connect, one of the foremost recruitment companies in the UK. With over two decades of sales and management experience, Faz is one of the leading figures in the recruitment industry today. As a thriving leader in recruitment, GR8 Connect has a dedicated team of experts from multi-disciplinary fields, offering tailored services and fulfilling all types of recruitment needs. Guided by Faz Hassan’s visionary leadership, GR8 Connect has achieved remarkable growth and expansion in the field.
Career Trajectory of Faz Hassan
We started the session by asking, “Can you walk us through your professional journey and how it led to where you are today?”
Faz Hassan shared, “Starting off my work life from the age of 10 as a paper round boy in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK, I always had big dreams and ambition. I started working 3 jobs within my council estate in Farley Hill until I was 17 years old. I decided to leave but then decided to leave Luton and start at new life elsewhere. I travelled around a bit and I ended up living in Poland for some time. Making up for the fun and lost time I sacrificed when I was young. I was fortunate to end up on the property ladder in 2010 and an exciting opportunity to work within a recruitment company arose at the age of 20. I moved back to the UK from Poland to start a new life in Slough, Berkshire.
Promoted from being a Trainee Recruitment Consultant within 3 months to then becoming a Branch Manager of a £40 million firm, I stayed loyal with the same company for 15 years to build my own experience, knowledge, and master the world of recruitment. My vision was to become a business owner of my very own recruitment company. The passion led to an opportunity that arose in 2021, and currently, I am a Joint Business Partner and Director of our very own recruitment agency, GR8 Connect.”
Navigating through Challenges
While challenges are an indispensable part of every business, we asked Faz Hassan to share some of the most significant challenges he has faced, and how he overcame them throughout his career path.
“Like most, sustaining business and staying strong and positive is the biggest challenge. In the recruitment world, you have peaks and troughs like any business. Being fully funded by both partners without going to high street banks and obtaining loans was a tough challenge at the beginning; however, we did not let that affect or stop us from achieving our dreams and visions. We overcame this by the grace of God and now are a multimillion-pound company with constant progression year on year,” Faz mentioned.
Identifying the Trends
We further asked, “How do you balance long-term vision with short-term operational needs?”
Emphasizing identifying the upcoming market dynamics, he added, “We always think and plan ahead, we know when the booms and peaks are likely to happen and when the quiet periods occur. We ensure we plan this into our forecasting, so we know what we need to do with our operational team and where we need to increase additional support and where to cut down. We are always aiming to increase not decrease!
Current Offerings at GR8 Connect
We requested Faz Hassan to tell us more about his services and if he is planning to add something new in the future.
Faz Hassan explained, “GR8 Connect specialises within Industrial & Driving, Catering & Hospitality, Health & Social Care, Events, IT & Engineering, Agricultural & Horticultural sectors. We are planning to add additional niches in due course and spread our wings across the waters to the Middle East which is currently a working progress.”
Staying Ahead of the Curve
In a dynamic market, trend analysis is crucial for staying ahead of the competition. We asked Faz Hassan, “What methods do you use to analyze market trends, and how have these influenced your business decisions?”
“GR8 Connect is a member of REC, ALP, and GLAA, so we are always kept in the loop of what is happening within the market. We also ensure each member of our team is up to date with training programmes in place to enhance their knowledge within recruitment, as well as legislation changes, which are always going to be around. We use the knowledge and our own unique strategic moves to decide what is best for the business and implement this to the whole team to ensure we keep moving forward in the right direction,” Faz replied.
Adaptability Amidst Tech-Driven Innovations
Interested in understanding how digital transformation affected Faz Hassan’s business model, we asked him to share about the same.
Faz Hassan mentioned, “Times are changing; a lot of things are now digital in terms of CRM systems in place, whereas 15-20 years ago it was just a computer, notebook, and pen, and writing information down. Especially now with AI, a lot of companies as well as individuals are using this tool. It is not something that I personally have an interest in, however, we do not let that stop us or get in the way of growing our business. We are ‘old school’ as you would call it, and this is the way forward with us, as well as using our vast connections and network to assist us where we need. A.I. There are pluses and minuses in my opinion, but that is not a story I would like to get into now.”
We further posed the question, “What emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on your industry in the next five years?”
“A.I. is one I can think of right now and I am sure there will be a few more being developed as we speak. However, we are always staying positive and keeping our mindsets strong and high,” Faz added.
GR8 Connect Being More Than Just a Workplace
Interested to learn how Faz fosters a positive work culture, we inquired, “What strategies do you implement to maintain high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction?”
Faz Hassan responded, “GR8 Connect is constantly on the move and gets going when recruiting internal employees. We award monthly bonuses and incentives to our employees when they achieve their targets or even when the business is doing well generally. GR8 Connect awards our internal employees’ vacations abroad, days off with full pay, and even party nights out and meals. GR8 Connect likes to build a professional and personal rapport with our internal employees and those who also need a little helping hand; we are there to assist them through their tough times, too. They are part of the GR8 Connect Family!”
Empowering Employees: Building a Lasting Legacy
We ended the interview by asking Faz Hassan, “How do you want your business to be remembered, and what steps are you taking to secure that legacy?”
Faz Hassan concluded, “GR8 Connect’s motto is very simple: continue to add value and create efficiencies for all partners involved. GR8 Connect is constantly improving all aspects and parts of our business to be the go-to agency for fulfilling your recruitment needs. GR8 Connect is a third-year running Global Awards Winner as a Recruitment Company of the Year in the UK, reflecting our dedication to codes of ethics and conduct, our expertise in what we are doing, and our passion for helping others get the employment they are looking for. We are expanding rapidly and growing at the pace we want to at this stage.
We want GR8 Connect to be remembered as that SME business that has secured and given opportunities to employees where no others have succeeded in doing so. We are unique, and we are improving in all areas to ensure our legacy still continues when our time is up. Our families support our hard work, especially when you come from nothing and build a nice little empire that can be passed down to generations. Losing is not an option for us and we will continue to keep our mindsets strong and high regardless of any situations or difficulties we may face. The dedication and self-motivation we have push us even more to deliver the expectations and standards we need to ensure our legacy is secured.”
Follow Faz Hassan on LinkedIn.
Find GR8 Connect on LinkedIn and visit their website http://GR8connect.com/
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