It's time to get inspired and motivated!
Tom Cole, the Senior Talent Partner at Wirex, shares exclusive insights on his career development in the company.
How long have you been with Wirex?
I joined the Wirex family in January 2022, so just over 7 months ago.
Why did you join Wirex?
Mainly because I held an interest in the Fintech industry and was keen to be part of a start-up environment that was normalizing the everyday spend of Crypto! I liked the product, how It was benefitting its customers too and spotted opportunities for personal growth and development within the business.
What is your background?
Roughly 13 years’ experience in the recruitment and talent arena! Before joining Wirex I had worked in traditional recruitment agencies, on-site within management consulting and I have also set up and run my own agency from scratch.
What is your job now and how long have you been doing this job?
Currently, I am a Senior Talent Partner for the business and have been in this role for about 4 years of my career, just 7 months with Wirex. It is a global role, so I literally speak to people all over the world!
When you left School or University what did you want to be when you grew up?
Honestly, I never really knew! I guessed it would be something in the sales environment because of my personality and the way I approached everyday life. I can remember that it was through playing football, I was offered a place on a graduate scheme for a recruitment agency by my gaffer at the time! I was just 21!
What industries does your job apply to?
My job really applies to every industry, talent is hard to find and there are some really specialist, niche requirements out there. It's my job to help companies of all shapes and sizes source them!
Please describe a typical day of work.
Every day it is my job to ensure that we are keeping up to date with the latest trends in recruitment, using and incorporating the latest tools and sourcing methods that the industry has to offer. Ensuring that we are able to efficiently locate and source any talent required within the business.
You’ll often find me on the phone, nattering away to potential new employees for Wirex. I genuinely enjoy talking to people, listening to the experience applicants have built up and I pride myself on the ability to find common ground and build trust. I am responsible for reviewing our recruitment process and spotting gaps for improvement! Just to ensure that any candidate interviewing with us has a great experience, whether they a successful or not.
Other things I can do on a daily basis would be managing stakeholders, working towards tight deadlines and analyzing recruitment data in order to reduce the time to hire. There’s also lots of collaboration with my people team to implement any new innovative ideas we may have or just discuss any challenges we are facing!
Do you mostly work alone or with others?
I am lucky with the job that I do as it can affect all business areas, therefore I am always collaborating with my own team and cross-departmental. Whether it be Global Compliance, Finance, Marketing or Legal, I find that all of my stakeholders are there to help and make my job as easy as possible!
The people team is very tightknit and we are always ready to roll our sleeves up and get our hands dirty if we think it will benefit us or other areas of the business. We're always open to innovation and we collaborate at every opportunity.
There are times when I am working autonomously of course, but during those times I know the backup is always there if I need it!
How has Wirex helped you get to develop your skills and career?
Wirex is such a fast-paced environment and there is always something that needs to be completed or improved. I often have to solve problems quickly and it has definitely developed my strategic way of thinking.
At the same time, I am learning a completely different industry to that of my previous career experiences which will only be a benefit. This marketplace is extremely competitive and it is constantly evolving, so it is a massive learning curve and I’m happy to have got to grips with it.
What do you wish you would have known about your job before starting?
I wish I had known that it’s impossible to get through a personal list of objectives that I had set myself for that one day! The overall picture is constantly changing and you do have to be quite reactive, as well as proactive at the same time!
What would you like to tell someone who’s interested in applying for a Talent Acquisition position to know?
I most likely say if you're prepared to work hard, learn fast and are keen to develop your career in the FinTech industry, this Is the place for you! If you are a self-starter, who can work autonomously but also buy into being part of a tightknit team, Wirex can offer tremendous personal development opportunities.
From what I’ve seen so far, Wirex can be challenging… and whilst we ask a lot of our people, we give a lot back too!
What career progression is there in your role and/or Wirex?
Currently, I am the only Talent Manager within the UK office, so the position offers many growth opportunities. There is room beneath me to grow a team in the UK that services global recruitment across the UK, EMEA & APAC regions and Like I’ve said previously, none of my ideas to improve a service or a process has fallen on death ears within the people team.
As Wirex is a scale-up business that is growing rapidly, this role is offering me the opportunity to increase our footprint worldwide.
What do you love the most about your job at Wirex?
The people and my team! I am very lucky to be working with such skilled, ambitious and intelligent people who are constantly looking to improve on what they do and what they know!
On top of this, I am lucky to be working in an environment that lets me get on with my job to the best of my ability, without hand holding or micromanaging! I am trusted to deliver and provide strong results and I have full confidence from the rest of my team and peers to achieve this.
If you could give one piece of career advice, what would it be?
Honestly, it would be to have a look at what you are doing now. Does it make you happy? If not, ask yourself the following questions…
- Are you developing or progressing at the speed you want to?
- Does your organization give you the tools to do your job properly?
- Are you respected by your peers?
- Would you say that your current job suits your lifestyle?
- Do you hold a personal interest in the industry your employer works within?
- Are you remunerated fairly for the job you do?
- Does your current employer care about its people and is this reflected in the benefits package they offer?
- Are you part of a close-knit team that listens to your advice?
If the answer to one or more of these is “No”. Then it could be that you’re not where you need to be and it's time to take action!