At Shortlist, we love building and growing our team as much as we love building yours. In this edition of our Shortlister Spotlight series, (a Q&A series to get to know more of our team members), meet Reynold Owuor, Executive Search Research Associate in our Nairobi Office.
He’s many things including a recruiter, career coach, and model. Get to know what he loves about his career in recruitment, what makes him stay on top of his game and some of the things you’d find him doing outside work.
01. Tell us about what you do at Shortlist. What does an Executive Search Associate role entail?
As an Executive Search Associate, my main role entails recruiting senior-level executives for our cross-industry clients across Africa. I have carved a niche in recruiting senior-level finance professionals and also handled a few technical roles among others.
02. What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
What I enjoy the most is the research aspect of my role, where I get to do a deep dive into new industries and also find and interact with senior-level professionals across Africa who I would not have otherwise had a chance to interact with.
03. What is your professional background, and what were you looking for in your next career step when you found Shortlist?
I was a recruiter and career coach in a fast-paced recruitment firm that was primarily specialized in hiring for impact-driven organizations. Funny thing is that I was headhunted by Shortlist and was on a sabbatical when the Executive Search team found me. I was well-rested and hungry for the next challenge and was particularly looking for a role that would stretch me and help me grow, to which I am happy to have found at Shortlist.
04. What’s your professional superpower?
My superpower I believe is tenacity, I always strive to push through until we get the job done.
05. What keeps you motivated and focused on most days both professionally and personally?
The money:) haha but on a serious note, I think I always look at my role in the grand scheme of things i.e getting the right people to the right jobs will have a significant impact on the client’s bottom line, so if I do my job well we will have happier people at work, working in their dream jobs and clients who are able to achieve their end goals and as a final result contribute towards the economy. So I always like to think about the amazing work our candidates will be able to achieve and that helps me stay motivated.
06. What’s your favourite Shortlist value and why?
One team – something that I have come to appreciate while working in the Executive Search team is the unity and strength that comes with being supportive of your teammates. And the same can be said across the entire organization, we get so much done when we buckle down and work together. It reminds me of the quote that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far go together’
07. What are three words you would use to describe Team Shortlist?
Exceptional, witty and diligent
08. Why is the Shortlist mission important to you and what makes Shortlist different from other organizations?
Supporting our clients build high performing teams enables them to meet their objectives and also helps the people we place live happier lives in their dream jobs. Shortlist is different from other organizations because we only work with clients with a stellar company culture and Shortlist itself is more people-driven than cash-driven which most organizations prioritize.
09. What are you mostly doing when not working?
Looking for the next adventure which can take any form I want it to: be it travelling with friends, starting a new book that will throw me into a fictional world, or watching an anime or movies with a compelling storyline.
10. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
(insert cliche response) I wanted to be a doctor. Not because I wanted to save lives but primarily because one of my core drivers has always been to help people even from a young age and the earliest exposure I had to that was my mum who is in the medical field. However, after finishing a degree in Psychology I later realized that helping people could take many forms. So now I help connect people to their dream careers.
11. If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Not a meal per se but a fruit hehe, an avocado (in guacamole, or in a sandwich or burger) to be precise.
12. What are you currently reading, watching, or listening to?
I am currently watching Black Clover(it’s an anime series), reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and listening to Doucement by Banembe Jeremie
13. If you were to swap places with one person for a day, who would it be and why?
It wouldn’t be a person but an animal and it would be a cat, cats usually have the biggest egos and audacity. I would want to know how that feels like because it’s the complete opposite of who I am. But if it was a person it would be Lewis Hamilton, just so that I get to race all day on some of the best tracks in the world. That thrill for a day would be worth it.
14. What’s the best career advice you have received/ learnt thus far?
Start small and grow from there, we always have this grand idea of where we want to be in life but always get lost in the details. If you focus on doing the best with what you have now doors that you didn’t even know existed will start opening for you.
15. Final words?
You don’t need to be great to start but you need to start to be great. – Zig Ziglar
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Stay tuned for our next Shortlister spotlight feature to read more about the amazing team at Shortlist. Join the Shortlist community to stay up to date with opportunities available, within Shortlist as well as our partner organizations.
Have you had the opportunity to take on a role outside your field of study? Please share some of your key learnings with us in the comment section.
If you’re in the process of building your team, talk to us about your requirements for a tailored recruitment solution to suit your business needs.
