Opinion
In association with:
Talent
spotter
Hazel Slimmon, HR
director at Diversified
Communications talks to
Red Recruitment’s Pragnesh
Karunakaran about bringing
something to the party,
attracting new talent to the
industry and what it takes to
work at Diversified
What makes Diversified a good place to
work?
Do you offer any staff benefits?
What do you look for in a candidate? Yes, we have a great benefits package – I
think it’s an important part of an employee’s
overall package.
We offer a matched pension contribution,
healthcare, gym membership, cycle to work
scheme, childcare vouchers and other less
conventional ones such as money to decorate
your desk, entry into a charity race, a day off
to work at a charity, and paid time off to give
blood.
Strong skillset, great attitude, good
company and team fit. The rest they can
learn! What could the industry do to attract
more talent?
I know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s the
people. We are lucky enough to have such
a talented and hardworking team, who are
incredibly passionate about what they do.
If you don’t believe me, head to our careers
page and watch our ‘magic’ video and see for
yourself.
Who could definitely never work at
Diversified?
David Cameron…am I allowed to say that?
Other than that, I would like to think that
anyone could work at Diversified, with the
right attitude and something to bring to the
party – everyone is welcome.
If you could recruit anyone in the world,
who would it be?
I would love to work with Sheryl Sandberg,
chief operating officer of Facebook and
founder of the Lean In Foundation. I love
her commitment in giving women the self-
confidence to reach their goals and to ‘be
fearless’.
72 — March
I think the events industry is very proactive
in attracting new talent – last year the AEO
created two fantastic videos to give people a
real insight into what it is like working within
the industry. You can check them out on
YouTube – ‘Events Industry Snapshot’ and
‘Experiences of the Industry’.
Do you mainly look for talent within the
industry?
Obviously talent in the industry is a plus,
in such a fast-paced environment with show
cycles it is important that they are able to hit
the ground running. Having said that, when
the opportunity arises I think it’s important
that we bring in new ideas and approaches to
our industry
Pictured: Pragnesh
Karunakaran (top) and Hazel
Slimmon (bottom)