In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Chris Ciulla, President of U.S. and Cross Border Operations at Comrise, a 450-person global recruiting company with expertise in many verticals, including information technology, finance, media, and legal, just to name a few.

Chris has over 20 years in the business, with stints at big players like Ajilon, Robert Half, and Modis.

Listen in as Chris illustrates the common thread between recruitment and sales, and the foundation that binds them together—culture. He discusses his approach to defining your core values and how to get your employees to buy into your vision-mission as a company.

Chris also speaks on the importance of hiring for core values before experience, and leading a work environment based on trust and human-to-human relationships before all else

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [01:29] From paperboy to president of a global recruiting company
• [04:19] The relationship between recruitment and sales
• [06:26] Defining “culture” and the difference between culture and core values
• [09:16] Embodying your core values
• [15:32] Motivating the right person
• [19:45] Interviewing for core values
• [24:01] Core competencies versus skills and experience
• [27:08] How Chris has grown as a leader over the past few years
• [31:34] Leading a “trust first” environment
• [33:17] Agreeing on an outcome-related goal
• [35:35] Chris’s favorite questions to ask employees
• [38:06] How to differentiate yourself as a recruiter in today’s market

Key quotes:

• “Polite and consistent persistence is how you build relationships with your customers.”
• “If you’re a recruiter, you’re a sales professional.”
• “Our mission statement: We get people better jobs than they had before they met us.”
• “You can teach skills all day. You can’t teach core values.”
• “Trust and connection make up the foundation for culture.”
• “Relationships are cradle-to-grave in our business.”