Welcome to our latest blog series – get to know the team. We wanted to give you a chance to get to know the people behind the emails and phonecalls, and to get an inside look at who we are and what we do.

So, without further ado, here’s Freya, our Head of Engagement. 

What’s your role at ISL?

I am Head of Engagement. My role isn’t the traditional recruitment service you might expect with a consultant, I’m much more involved within the tech startup ecosystem from an educational point of view, understanding what it is that startups are struggling with and helping point them In the right direction when it comes to people strategy and hiring.

How did you get into recruitment?

The same way everyone does, by accident! I graduated university and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t apply for any graduate schemes and wasn’t too sure which route to take. What I did know is that I liked startups and I liked people, so I joined a graduate recruitment startup in London and ended up really liking it. Then, when I moved back to Bristol I knew I wanted to stay in recruitment, and that’s when I found ISL.

How do you differentiate yourself from other consultants in the industry?

My role is quite different. While I do some hands-on headhunting activities, the majority of my role is the actual definition of consultant. It’s not just CV finding, it’s consulting startups on how to design a very early-stage people strategy from talent mapping to organisational chart design to salary benchmarking, employer branding and D&I. Basically everything as well as the headhunting part.

What roles or type of clients most excite you?

To be honest, it changes all the time. I get very excited by interesting and cool things, and what I love about my job is that I get to meet loads of cool people doing interesting things. Right now, I’m really into climate tech or any other tech for good. As well as that, I’m really into VR and AR – there’s some really cool companies doing great things within the metaverse and in the immersive entertainment space.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

When I was doing traditional recruitment, it was enjoyable and I was good at it, but being Head of Engagement gives me so much more scope to understand the world better. That sounds very grand, but understanding where innovation is happening, how it's happening and then having my part in being able to help that come to life. One of the most important parts of any startup is people, I get to meet the coolest people doing incredible things that are going to change the world.

What are some misconceptions people have about recruitment consultants?

Don’t get me wrong, there is a fair share of recruiters with selfish intentions. There’s a stereotype that recruiters just want to win the biggest fee, earn commission and don’t care about the job they’re doing; but that isn’t all of them. There’s a big chunk of recruiters out there who are genuinely trying to do good and are focusing on providing value, educating you on the market, and have your best intentions at heart. When you find a recruiter like this, stick with them because you don’t know when the next one will come around.

What would be your best piece of advice for a founder looking to grow their startup?

It's never too soon to think about your people and talent strategy. Firstly, evaluate who you have now, what are their strengths weaknesses and hire as different as you can get from yourself. There are countless studies that suggest that more diverse teams improve ROI for investors. To truly be diverse, you must think about it from the very first moment of hiring.

What would be your best piece of advice for a candidate looking to join a startup?

Know what you're getting into. It’s massively rewarding, but it is not your typical corporate job. You will be wearing lots of hats and doing something different every day, but if you’re someone who can take on a challenge, is happy to turn your hand to something you’ve not done before and then have massive rewards pay off in the long run, you should give startup life a go.

To learn more about ISL or to chat to Freya about career opportunities, connect with her on LinkedIn here.