The partnership of equals – Living our values.
At Snedden Campbell, we have values that reflect our attitude. Chief among them is that forming […]
No! you can’t achieve anything if you just put your mind to it
Do you believe that every morning is brighter and sunnier than the last; that simply getting […]
It’s a leap year so that big career break is a surely a certainty – isn’t it?
At the start of January, the thoughts of many people turn to their tedious and unsatisfying […]
Spare a thought for HR (and Dwaine, the team leader) at this year’s office Christmas party
Once again, the office Christmas party season is in full swing, and HR executives across the […]
I’d rather join a Zoom call than endure all manner of freaks on a plane
One of the benefits of working in the post Covid world is the way in which […]
Your PhD might count for nothing if you don’t know how many Soor Plooms it would take to fill the Albert Hall
So, you’re an aspiring medical technology specialist, going for your big first job interview and you’re […]
Who are the top earners in society and are they worth it?
We choose our jobs for lots of different reasons and, although salary is important, it’s rarely […]
Just because a bot could do your job cheaper doesn’t mean it should
With the inexorable rise of AI threatening to reduce humanity to the roll of trussed-up gimps, […]
I may be paranoid but that doesn’t mean they’re not all out to steal all our business secrets
In a world where nuance and diversity of opinion went out with the Spice Girls and […]
Home working rule #1 – don’t get curry stains on your onesie
Covid changed the world forever in so many different ways, not least in making it acceptable […]
The best person for the job should always be able to tell you why a tennis ball is fuzzy
In a perfect world of our collective, idealised imaginings, where everything always works, processes run like […]
It was a pleasure working for Grinn, Bendover & Clampitt, but………………
Anyone who’s moving job and has been asked to take part in an “exit interview” may […]
‘Waiter, this ice is too cold and it’s in a left-handed glass’
There’s a golden rule in the catering industry that the customer is always right. No matter […]
If you think job-seekers have it tough, spare a thought for us recruiters
No-one thinks life sciences jobseekers have it easy. You spend seven years studying for an undergraduate […]
Dress to impress at interview and always remember the context
Does how you are dressed at an interview really have any bearing on the likelihood of […]
Is there still room for the inspired hunch in the recruitment process?
In an advanced economy like the UK’s, whose future growth is predicated on innovation and technical […]
Don’t grieve over job interview failure: learn from it
If anything, you were over-qualified for the position. Your answers were informed, fluent and confident and […]
Flexible working is the new retirement for the Goblin Teasmade generation
The world of work seemed to simple and predictable for our grandparents’ generation. They worked, generally […]
You might have a job but is it meaningful?
H from Steps may have his detractors but would even his most loyal fans argue that […]
Are you feeling the ‘ick’ about a workmate?
It started as a dating term in the US TV show Ally McBeal (or Ally McSqueal […]
Stay focused when you meet our client and don’t mention that night at Medica
Headhunters are odd, solitary beasts. We spend years polishing an aura and, above all, not being […]
Kicking new year resolutions? Jog on.
For many people, January is a time for reflection and resolution – reflection on achievements, and […]
How long are we prepared to wait and see if the NHS improves?
Waiting times, waiting times…oh how we’re all waiting for the time when waiting times improve and […]
Don’t let Darren and his chums ruin the festive fun
With the office Christmas party season in full swing, it seems almost churlish to point out […]
Constant self-diagnosing risks testing the patience of your GP
Wherever you look, people are testing themselves for conditions that, a year-or-two ago, they had never […]
The future’s bright – the future’s delivering kebabs on a bike
There was a time when we had genuine concerns about what we’d do to amuse ourselves […]
Most of us can be thankful going to work is not a life-or-death decision
When making career choices, the likelihood of us dying on the job might not immediately spring […]
Is there a place for emotion during a job interview?
A boss who went viral after driving a job applicant to tears during an interview, brought […]
Putting on a Show: What stand-up comedy has taught me about business
I don’t know as much about stand-up comedy as I do about business, but I do […]
20 Glorious Years
It’s 20 years since I banked Snedden Campbell’s first-ever cheque – a retainer to find an Assay […]
For Art’s Sake
I went to Art School, you know. I was a dreadfully self-opinionated git and made myself […]
And We’re Back
I don’t know about you, but my post-apocalypse vision was that of emerging from the smouldering […]
*Serious discussion klaxon*
After many detailed conversations with colleagues, friends and, of course, Ziggy the Office Wonder Dog, we’ve […]
On Being a Complete Cult
And so we come to some observations about the recruitment business. To the external observer, the […]
Risk and Reward
From the beginning of time, my dad, Colin, had the Town contract to look after all […]
Welcome to the New Year
Well, I’ve had a week off, and here we are in January. I read that the […]
The Best Time of the Year
Once again, I’ve been caught out by the 23rd of December. One more shopping day to […]
On Not Getting Lost At Sea
I’ve written a few times now about navigation as a metaphor for being a decent headhunter. […]
Where Are You?
“It’s like a jungle sometimes It makes me wonder how I keep from goin’ under” Carl […]
How Not to Fall Over
My job doesn’t have that many occupational hazards being mostly indoors and behind a desk. Okay, […]
Going Forwards By Looking Backwards
A lot is going on at the mighty Snedden Campbell just now so the blizzard of […]
The Real Deal
A quick trip to the surface between projects to let you all know that I’m still […]
A Funny Thing
As soon as they enter the building, all prospective employees* of the mighty Snedden Campbell are […]
Can I Be Honest?
In September 1978 I got a lift up to Aberdeen with my pal Kenny to see […]
On Originality
These days it’s possible to fill a great many column inches on social media posts by […]
Blogtastic
At some point over the last couple of weeks, I passed the milestone of writing this […]
Getting Medieval
Take a wander around an old church pretty much anywhere in Europe and especially in France […]
On Being Inquisitive
Headhunting and Consulting for a living can be challenging. However, I’ve learned that it is merely […]
The King of Clockwork
I’m pitching this blog to you as a business piece on how even the best idea […]
Psst! Want to Know a Secret
Would you like to save yourself some time, effort and money? Of course, you would. Read […]
A Hard Days Night
It had been a tough meeting. The kind of board meeting where questions get asked, and […]
The Absolute State of Things
The Palace of Versailles was built, in essence, to facilitate networking. It’s a big building designed […]
30 Years Later
My route into recruitment was pretty typical. I started with a high street chain who trained […]
Ars longa, vita brevis
I went to art school you know. Amongst other things, I learned that beauty is absolutely […]
The Emperor’s Clothes
These blogs don’t write themselves you know. I have to shoehorn writing all this nonsense in […]
A Day at the Beach
Here I am. Sitting by a swimming pool in the heat. Lovely, except that it’s gone […]
Stuff I’ve learned
If you want to ride fast in a group make sure you know and trust the […]
Nature or Nurture
As my children grew up, I found that school parent’s evenings slowly advanced from a focus […]
Lyres, Dammed Lyres and Statistics
In 1482 a 30-year-old Leonardo da Vinci was sent off from Florence to Milan by his […]
Winning at Life
I wrote a throwaway comment on social media the other day: “I think any “leader” unable […]
A Headhunter Hunts
I’m working up to hiring a new member of the Snedden Campbell team. Between writing a […]
The Means of Production
Every five years from the back end of the 1920s to 1991 the State Planning Committee […]
The Reality of Barriers
As an exceptionally talented stage magician, Harry Houdini had an interesting job. He was very very […]
Keeping it Real
Only twice in my time on the LinkedIn platform have I ever written anything that achieved […]
Keeping it Real
In 1969 when we all wore acrylic jumpers and underwear was made out of fibreglass, my […]
The Art of Noise
When I took my first job in the recruitment trade back in 1987 there were a […]
Who Needs Experience?
Anyway, the inspiration for this week’s piece comes from the people on LinkedIn, frequently in consultancy […]
Strategy and How to Have It
Through the final 14 years of the 20th Century, I worked for a succession of companies […]
The Importance of Knowing Where You Are
There now follows a story about climbing a hill. It is also a commentary on why, […]
Gin And the Art Of Product Life Cycle Maintenance
I was visiting clients last week. Tuesday ended in London with an investor friend of mine […]
Those DIY Unicorns
Between, water polo, #2 Son’s swimming career, headhunting and writing this rubbish I do not really […]
On Paradoxes
When I go to lunch I make a sandwich and prepare a bowl of soup. All […]
An Eye For Talent
You may have heard of Dick Rowe. If you have not, he was the A&R guy […]
If Life Gives You Green Underwear…
As it happens, I did not have a great week last week. It was a family […]
What Snedden Campbell does
In all the excitement of setting up the new website and the weekly blog, it seems […]
The Trifecta
I have mentioned before that back when Margaret Thatcher was still in charge of Britain I […]
Pharaoh Down
It’s the superficiality that gets me. Endless articles about how Bob or Janice hired the right […]
The Fashion Minefield
It’s a curious thing but the posts that I put on LinkedIn with pictures involving people […]
A labour of love
I’ve engineered my business strategy so that from time to time I travel a lot. This […]
A Thought Leader Writes
Hi! We have a special treat for you today in the shape of a guest article […]
Reality Bites
I was out with Ziggy the Ginger Wonder Pup on our local mountain on Saturday. He […]
Looking ahead
We can always look back on a rosy past where the shops were clean and tidy, […]
Psst! Want to Know a Secret?
A lifetime ago I had my last job in an industry other than recruitment. I spent […]
Once More With Feeling
I had some decent ideas for this week’s blog: An impending trip to Crete was sparking […]
Following the Herd
How I Changed My Mind It was Aberdeen in 1995 and me and my then […]
On Hill Climbing Metaphors
Before children and sore knees, I used to climb a lot of mountains. Not for me […]
We Need To Talk
My dad was a clockmaker to trade. Pretty much the only useful business advice I got […]
A Short Dialogue About Search…
In the coffee shop two people sit opposite each other nursing Americanos.
The Story Of The Brand
Waiting for Snedden Campbell to produce a new website and branding is a bit like waiting for a comet take a trip close to the sun.
Search Consultancy and Dentistry – the Facts
I'm very old.
100 years ago tomorrow
My grandfather Philip's orders for Passchendaele.
