Jai
Rocca

WHO I HELP

SMEs. Internal clients. Large international organisations.

HOW I HELP

Recruitment & selection. Onboarding. Outsourced HR function. Pre-Employment Checks. Salary benchmarking & reports. Operational HR administration. HR meeting support. Recruitment process management. Coaching & Supporting Managers.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

Technology. Not for Profit. Public Sector.

“I SEE RECRUITMENT AS A KIND OF PUZZLE THAT I REALLY ENJOY SOLVING.”

Jai Rocca is a Senior Resourcing Consultant for a large global client. His role is to provide recruitment support across various locations and markets, providing end-to-end recruitment support. This includes proactive sourcing, screening, interview selection, and managing direct applications. Jai also handles negotiations, and acts as the key point of contact for candidates.

Jai specialises in fast-growth technology companies and has extensive experience of working on project-based recruitment, contingent recruitment, and business critical recruitment. He is also heavily involved in streamlining processes, and ensuring that both the team and the client are following best practice at all times.

Having worked with a wide variety of businesses, from SMEs to large international organisations across multiple sectors, Jai is able to draw from his considerable experience to provide the highest quality recruitment services.

TRUST & HONEST COMMUNICATION

“To me, the ideal relationship with a client would probably be one that’s based on or built on transparency and trust; a relationship where we have open and honest communication. I think being able to fully consult with clients means I’m able to deliver value outside of traditional recruitment processes sometimes. It’s also important to feel comfortable in challenging clients at times, and be completely honest with them, even if it’s something they may not necessarily want to hear.

That is exactly what clients can expect from me: honesty. If I feel that we’re not doing things in the right way or if a process is failing or whatever it may be, it’s crucial to be able to go back, look at what went wrong, figure out how we can do things better moving forward, and then be able to communicate that to the client. Continuous improvement is something I strive for, so I think constructive feedback is hugely important. To be able to do that effectively, it’s key to have a foundation of trust and honesty.”

FRIENDLY, PROFESSIONAL & RELIABLE

“Clients expect me to be a friendly and professional consultative service that they can rely on. They know that I’ll always have their best interests at heart, and that I have a thorough understanding of what they do and what they want.

They obviously expect me to deliver what I say I’ll deliver, within agreed upon timeframes and in a professional manner. A big part of making sure clients feel looked after is being available. They know they can phone me or email me, and I’ll always be available to help them in any way that I can.”

SOLVING THE PUZZLE OF RECRUITMENT

“I really enjoy the challenge of solving recruitment problems; I see it as kind of a puzzle. So I like to try and build that puzzle as effectively and efficiently as I can. I find it satisfying to help clients solve whatever challenges they’re facing. It’s important to really partner with clients and gain a thorough understanding of the challenges in order to overcome them.

The other side of it that gives me a really great sense of satisfaction comes from the candidate side of the process. It’s great to be able to change people’s lives – to be the facilitator that meant that someone achieved a higher paying position, greater responsibility, or even their perfect role.

I really enjoy working with my colleagues too – being able to collaborate and support each other and learn from each other is invaluable. But a lot of what I do requires me to work alone – so I’m very comfortable taking initiative and managing my work myself.”

USING TECH TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

“With the times we live in, being able to work seamlessly through a virtual approach is really important. Businesses often operate across multiple locations or countries, and its not always possible to physically be everywhere that a client is operating, so it’s important to utilise the technology we now have. It’s amazing how much time it can save, making sure our processes are as efficient as possible.

It’s just about having the ability to build relationships and collaborate remotely – this is crucial, and it’s something I’ve become skilled at.

Having said that, getting some face-to-face interaction does allow you to nurture relationships, and get a really strong feel for the kind of culture and people you’re working with. So, in an ideal world, that’s a part of the communication approach too.”

USING VARIOUS APPROACHES

“In terms of the biggest challenge we face in recruitment, it’s probably recruitment itself! The whole area is the process of solving problems. Within this though, the toughest aspect is probably that we work in very competitive markets. A lot of the roles we recruit for are quite niche, so the pool of candidates is small.

One of the ways we deal with this is ensuring we use multiple approaches. Perhaps, for example, referral schemes, being more proactive with candidates who are more passive, or ‘boomerang hiring’ which is an approach which is becoming more common. This is where we might try to encourage former employees to come back to the business. Sometimes people might be less likely to reach out to a previous employer, but if they left on positive terms there’s no reason why we wouldn’t want to help encourage them to come back.

Recruitment is a challenge but, ultimately, the key aspect to approaching it is persistence. Working in recruitment, there is an inevitable amount of rejection, but it’s never personal. You just have to be persistent, and not allow yourself to feel daunted by obstacles or rejection. It’s a case of creating your own luck in that sense.”

A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

“Of the AAB Group Values, the one that stands out to me the most is that we respect and trust each other. Trust and respect are so important when it comes to collaborating and sharing different ideas from different and diverse perspectives. Building that kind of supportive working environment allows people to feel confident in doing that, and it means that people’s contributions, ideas, and opinions are value and appreciated.”

WORKING WELL UNDER PRESSURE

“The greatest strength I bring to AAB People is probably just my depth of knowledge across the area of recruitment. I have a considerable amount of experience of working with and supporting different types of businesses operating in various sectors, which always informs my approach to different situations.

I’m also good at building strong, lasting relationships with people, including both stakeholders and candidates.

Since in recruitment you are nearly always working under pressure, it’s important to be level-headed. You’ve got to be able to remain calm and composed, regardless of what’s happening. Sometimes that’s challenging, but I also think I work well under pressure.”

TENACITY & INTEGRITY

“In terms of the best compliments I’ve received, I’ve been told that I have a great tenacity for getting the job done and for ensuring that I give the best experience for both candidates and clients. Clients have also expressed appreciation that I never go missing when things become difficult or challenging – I’m always available and make sure to communicate with clients and candidates, regardless of if it’s good news or bad news. It’s also a huge compliment when people recommend me to their peers and are willing to put their name to my skills and ability.”

CHANGING NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS

“There’s a certain the perception of recruiters as being perhaps unethical that people sometimes have, who maybe had a bad experience with a business or was ghosted by a certain consultant. But there are plenty of great consultants in the industry that I’ve probably worked in who genuinely want to provide the best experience for a client or a candidate.

Whenever I come across a candidate that’s maybe standoffish has that kind of perception, I enjoy taking on the challenge of trying to change it. I do this by making sure I have regular touch points with a candidate, and always try and keep them informed whether they’re successful or not. I always try to treat people like I would want to be treated, with open communication, honesty, and transparency.”