10 Minutes With David Hurst
Managing Director at DH Publishing (Onrec.com)
David Hurst
"When you meet Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster, you know you are in the company of someone special"
David Hurst well known and respected voice in the recruitment industry. He is currently the Managing Director at DH Publishing, owners of www.onrec.com the international online recruitment magazine.
You have been the Managing Director at DH Publishing (Onrec.com) for over 9 years now. You must have seen a lot of activity in the job market. Can you tell us how things have changed since 2000?
I think response handling is probably the biggest change. Many people were getting responses from online adverts straight to their inboxes in the early days. ATS’s have come a long way since then as has thinking on where to point candidates once they have responded to a job advert and how the employer brand is imparted in the process.
What do you like best about your job?
I am fortunate I have a diverse and interesting job. A high point for me is when at our conferences we have a discussion sessions, and the audience share their thoughts with each other and the panel, it creates a special environment, and I know we have created unique content that is at the forefront of industry thinking.
Today the buzz word going around the industry seems to be ‘pay for performance’. This is not a new concept however with Monster, Fish4, Reed and now Jobserve running these models for some time now. Is this the future for job boards?
I think for clients and job boards it’s a good solution. More so for generalists than perhaps niches.
Talking of the future. If you found a genie in a lamp tomorrow morning and he gave you one wish, what would you wish for?
From a work perspective for everyone to know about online recruitment. For those in the industry we live and breath it, but there are many employers out there who still have no idea what we are talking about.
You are well known amongst the job industry crowd but who is the most famous person you have ever met?
I am very lucky I have a few to choose from. From a work perspective, I interviewed Jeff Taylor the founder of Monster on stage at an Onrec.com conference. He created an impressive global business and when you meet him you know you are in the company of someone special. From a broader business perspective I met the late Sir John Harvey Jones former boss of ICI who became a television troubleshooter, he was a great man, upfront and honest.
You are doing a lot of work in the USA at the moment. What could we learn from what is happening over there?
Good news is that the US economy and in turn the online recruitment market feel like they are turning a corner and improving, so with luck Australia won’t be far behind. US recruiters are more used to looking for candidates, so software from the likes of egrabber and broadlook are interesting for the diligent recruiter.
Who is your favorouite American of all time?
Buzz Aldrin, famous for being the second man on the moon. I heard him speak at a conference and I found his intelligence, honesty and passion impressive.
Lastly, you are what we would call a seasoned veteran of the job search game. What tips would you have for budding entrepreneurs looking to enter today’s tight market place?
Don’t stop, keep working hard and keep thinking about how you can make the recruitment process better for the candidate and the employer.
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