George Rushing, Recruiter at Oxford, has been an Oxford man through and through. As this is his first job, he has learned a lot about successful partnerships with consultants and how to build business relationships.
Q: What is your professional background?
A: Before Oxford, I interned with Northwestern Mutual.
Q: How long have you been with Oxford?
A: Just over 2 ½ years
Q: What daily habits do you recommend for success?
A: Getting ready for the day – I try to get up early, write down the things that must be done, and form a plan around that. Knowing your goals is super helpful.
Q: What would you say contributes most to your success at Oxford?
A: The team of people I work with and gathering information from people on other teams. Be a sponge, listen, and act on things other successful people have done.
Q: What is one of your greatest achievements to date?
A: Becoming a father
Q: What attributes do you think are most important in a leader?
A: Confidence, decisiveness, the ability to pivot, and the ability to compromise
Q: What is the best book you’ve read on business or leadership?
A: Outperform. It’s a pretty good book for sales and performance.
Q: What skills will be most in demand in 2023?
A: Automation, validation, and EU MDR remediation work
Q: What are the top trends impacting your industry that you see?
A: Pharmaceutical companies are putting out products, and the FDA is coming back from COVID, impacting the industry and the types of jobs we’re seeing. Companies are also expanding, which requires follow-up from the FDA. This is telling of what companies must prepare for, and which ones are not prepared at all.
Q: What trends are you seeing in talent and recruitment this year?
A: Everyone wants to be remote, but you have organizations doing paper-based systems, so they can’t have a remote workforce. There needs to be a lot of growth on both sides to create a balance.
Q: As technology continues to advance, how do you see that impacting the recruiting and staffing industry?
A: There will be a lot of expansion in automation, but people will continue to partner with us because the talent is hard to find.
Q: How do you define customer care?
A: I think being a good partner to your consultants should be a priority. You need to have the knowledge to be able to find answers for them, and connect with them and be personable.
Q: What advice would you give to individuals interested in consulting?
A: Talk to other people in consulting. Get as much information as possible, and make sure it makes sense. For example, if you just had a baby and you’re talking about moving across the country, make sure that’s realistic for you.
Q: How do you support driving change with your team or colleagues based on strategic business decisions?
A: Talk about ways to win. Recruiting is like throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. Think about what’s next. Find new avenues to succeed. You just need to pivot.
Q: What do you do to mentor the individuals on your team?
A: I assist my team members on their calls and try to be as helpful as possible. I know how challenging the job can be, so I just try to be there for them.
Q: What do you like best about working with your consultants?
A: I enjoy knowing that I’m helping them support their lives. We’re super helpful because sometimes the consultants aren’t the most talkative, so being able to help people is nice.
Q: Why Oxford?
A: For clients, I think we’re a pretty good company. We do our best to help them find what they need. If you partner with us and use the Oxford process, we can find someone that works for everybody. For consultants, I think we do an excellent job of communicating and building those relationships. So, you have someone to talk to you rather than someone who puts you on a job and disappears. We fight for our consultants. For internal employees, my office is run very well. I like our team of people. If you were to join our team, you would enjoy it, and there’s a ton of help available. I’ve had a good experience. I try to maximize my opportunities. I joined Oxford thinking of it as a career.
Q: What is your work motto or favorite quote on success?
A: No excuses
Q: Do you have any special talents or a favorite hobby?
A: Playing football
Q: How do you like to spend your free time?
A: At home
Q: What would your superpower be?
A: I’d be the smartest person in the world.
Q: How do you take your coffee/ What’s your Starbucks order?
A: I only drink coffee when I’m in the office. Then, I have double cream and two sugars.
Q: What job did you want as a child?
A: I wanted to be in the NFL.
Q: Who are you most inspired by?
A: My son. He keeps me level-headed and helps me make better decisions.
George’s family-oriented mindset allows him to put himself in his consultants’ shoes and do what he can to get the best outcomes possible for them.