The back story.

My name is Jefferson. I run Margins from beautiful Hobart, Tasmania. I am a career and job search coach and recruiter. Margins is both my business and my way of contributing to my community. I launched Margins in response to a problem that I have witnessed firsthand in recruitment over many years.

I’ve seen so many candidates that find themselves frustrated and disillusioned with recruiters and the process of looking for work. Candidates complain about recruiters, and recruiters complain about candidates, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Recruitment should be about connection and alignment, and that is Margins’ focus.

My path here wasn't a straight line. I've pulled beers in bars from London to Hobart, I trained and worked as a lawyer, I’ve supported people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth. I cut my teeth in the ultra-competitive and relentless agency recruitment ecosystem in London. Most recently, I spent nearly five years leading the talent function and team at Procreate, one of the most powerful and well-loved creative tools on the planet.

On paper, I have a scattered CV. I’m sure recruiters have passed me over in the past on the basis that they couldn’t identify the theme of my career or my strongest skill set. It is certainly not the direct route that I thought I would take towards my passion. What I really wanted was to be a pro basketball player. Then I thought maybe I’d be the best corporate lawyer the world had ever seen. Fortunately, neither happened for me.

The skill set.

This diversity of experience is my strength, and it is what gives the work I do its power. I’ve had an interesting, exciting, and sometimes uncomfortable professional life. While I’ve experienced a lot, the lion’s share of my experience is in recruitment. I've spent years thinking about recruitment problems and speaking with hiring managers and leaders about their difficulties in identifying talent, and with candidates from all walks of life, learning about them and their experiences.

I understand the systems, the workflows, the behavioural patterns, and the incentives which drive recruiters. I’ve spoken to thousands of candidates and reviewed tens of thousands of CVs and applications. I know the indicators of candidates that can’t compete and struggle to get interviews. I also know the factors which characterise elite candidates that routinely win jobs. I know how hiring teams make their decisions, what gets you noticed as a candidate, and what gets you cut from the list in seconds.

The Work.

Most candidates never get this type of insider perspective. Recruiters are generally not incentivised to spend time teaching people how to be better candidates. They are incentivised to place the candidates that are already competitive. That's the edge I bring to your search. I help you find the blind spots you can't see yourself, and help you to stand out in candidate pools that are noisier and more crowded than ever.

I'll give you constructive feedback. It will require a willingness to be open with each other. Sometimes these conversations are hard, that's the most useful thing I can offer you. I'm not going to promise you a job. What I'll do is tell you the truth about where you stand, what is working for you, and what may be harming you. You’ll leave our work with better self-awareness around your career, better knowledge of hiring systems, and a strategy and direction that will help you become a genuinely competitive candidate.

I do this work because I like people. I like the moment when I see someone beginning to recognise their own value and be more confident in articulating it. I want to see people living their best lives, and our work and careers play a big part in that. I want to see you succeed. I want more life and goodness for you. Let’s get after it together.