Alan Furley

OPUS

Member

ISL Talent

Strong Teams, Built Better. An award-winning talent consultancy. We partner with ambitious startups and scaleups.  

To us, bringing great people and great companies together is personal. We know that the strongest teams are built up from the inside out, starting with first-class people that embody your values and share your vision. So, we apply our passion and personality to go beyond search engines and algorithms.  

We offer a range of plans to meet your talent and recruitment needs. We’ll be your talent partner. We don’t just send CVs, we’ll be embedded as part of your team. 

We practice what we preach. Great people build great businesses. Our people are what make us special. And they're the key to making your team special. 

Want to build great startup teams? Or curious about career opportunities in startups? You’re in the right place – let's talk.

Co-Founder & CEO

VenturePath - The Growth Investment Community

VenturePath is the membership-based community of the UK's most ambitious tech scaleup founders (£1-5m+ revenue). It provides these entrepreneurs with the network, knowledge, peer support and on-demand business growth skills training, plus if required, access to VC funding from a pool of £5bn+ of growth capital.

I support the community as an Expert on hiring and building teams.

Founding Member & Expert

FemTech Lab

Supporting on hiring, growing teams and building culture to Europe’s first FemTech-focused accelerator that helps rising stars in the space take their products to market and raise capital, unlocking the blue ocean of female health & wellness for a fairer, better world.

Advisor

Odin

Odin helps founders, angels and VCs globally to raise and deploy capital in a few clicks.

Founding Member

Tech Talent Charter

I support Tech Talent Charter (TTC) with product development via hackathons, content development for their annual report, and participation in their events.

Our aim is to bring together industries and organisations to drive diversity and address gender imbalance in technology roles.

The TTC is a commitment by organisations to a set of undertakings that aim to deliver greater diversity in the tech workforce of the UK, one that better reflects the make-up of the population.

Signatories of the charter make a number of pledges in relation to their approach to recruitment and retention. Although it is very much an employer-led initiative, in March 2017 the TTC was supported in the government’s policy paper on the UK Digital Strategy.

If you are interested in helping to drive greater diversity & inclusion in tech, sign up at https://www.techtalentcharter.co.uk/sign-up

Ambassador

StudentCrowd

Introduced by Mercia to support the founders and leadership, helping them scale their team around a £2.5m seed funding round.

Talent Advisor

Landscape

Helping founders access top tier VCs, angels and family offices.

Venture Scout

The Accelerator Network Ltd

Supporting companies raising seed and Series A funding through The ScaleUp Accelerator & Accelerator Academy programmes.

My role is guiding the startups and scaleups on their people and organisational strategy, helping them attract and retain great talent as they receive investment to grow.

Mentor / Advisor

Computer Futures

Computer Futures is a leading international recruitment consultancy and the founding company within SThree PLC.

My role was as a Senior Consultant with a focus on recruiting for and IT and project management, electronics, web developers, and software & hardware engineering.

I was also responsible for mentoring and leading other recruitment consultants in order to achieve monthly activity and revenue targets.

Billed over £420,000 in final year at Computer Futures.

Senior Consultant

Co-founder & CEO | Strong teams, built better | Strategic talent planning | Venture Scout | Talent advisor | Mentor | Public speaker | 10ksb alumni

I help founders of startups hire better. 

Sometimes that’s by being a sounding board, sometimes that’s providing recruitment services. Often it’s both!

—

If you're leading an ambitious startup or scaleup I can help you:

- plan out your strategy for growing teams as you gain investment
- review your hiring process so that you can attract the right people
- improve your chances of finding the right person, not just a person
- retain your best performers using our retention report data
- adapt your culture and hiring strategy as you scale

If you're interested in working for tech startups and scaleups I could help you:

- develop your strategy for finding the right role
- learning how to engage with your network to gain better opportunities
- presenting your CV with key information
- improving your interview results

If you could benefit from advice on your scaleup talent strategy or your career journey then get in touch. 

==

ISL has 18 employees, based in Bristol, and is a 3 x Great Places To Work company.

I am always interested in talking to driven individuals from all walks of life who would like to achieve in recruitment.

Mentor at UWE, University of Bristol, Digital Catapult, Accelerator Network, Cranfield Trust. Volunteer at Founders 4 Schools. 

2018 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni. Graduate in Business Studies from UWE, Bristol. Insider South West 42 under 42 2019. 

Alan@isltalent.com. 01174280600.

I know everyone reading this has something valuable to say. 

But could you do it in 3 minutes?

That was the challenge for thirteen MicDrop speakers. 

And everyone nailed it 👏 

We had talks on female health, leadership, love in business, tiny habits, retrofitting, naturism and plenty more. 

It’s amazing how powerful a message you can convey in just 180 seconds. 

Particularly if you’ve had the benefit of storytelling advice and guidance from Alex Merry. 

Someone we’ve all had the delight of working with as part of the MicDrop community. 

And where we’ve all had the benefit of learning with and supporting each other. 

It was brilliant having so many of us together in-person for an enjoyable  evening last week.

Some truly memorable talks, leaving me inspired, more knowledgeable, and proving that time isn’t a barrier to learning. 

Maybe this is the way forward. 

Talks of 3 minutes only. 

What do you think - would it improve some of the talks you’ve heard recently?

And back to the valuable thing that you have to share - could you deliver it in 3 minutes?

I’m feeling mixed about our best quarter in a while.

Something to celebrate, or only feels good compared to a low base?

It’s been such a challenging period for anyone in the startup and VC space – us included. 

None of the last 3 quarters have delivered what we wanted when to comes to revenue, and that hurts. 

But we just had our best quarter in that period.

Plus April was 24% over our revenue target.

I'm increasingly confident that our message is resonating and that people get what makes us different.

This week, we spent half a day reviewing the past three months and planning ahead.

It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on our recent achievements, including:

🍜 Hosting 250 attendees across various events, from intimate lunches for 25 healthcare founders to multiple AI South West events and roundtables for Heads of People and Chief Commercial Officers.

🤝 Partnering with 8 clients on retained hiring campaigns, six of whom were first-time clients—proof that new business is out there!

⭐ Some great feedback and a Net Promoter Score of +50.

🔄 Receiving continued referrals from investors and chairs.

I know numbers often dominate the narrative in business, and it’s hard not to focus solely on this month’s revenue when asked how things are going.

But no matter the debate I’m having on revenue this quarter vs last quarter, the main reason I’m feeling optimistic is the team at ISL Talent – they’ve never been better.

And maybe we’ve escaped from a challenging period stronger than ever.

I’d love to know how you think about comparing good and bad periods in your business?

And how it’s going for you at the moment?

Is payroll tech sexy?

Maybe not, but I loved everything I heard yesterday about the Zellis story.

A fascinating journey told by their CEO John Petter – from his swift introduction to the 2,500 employees as he agreed to join in 2019, to an exit two weeks ago in a deal said to value Zellis at £1.25 billion.

It was a story of turnaround to growth, going from £130m to >£200m revenue and transforming the client Net Promotor Score.

John shared plenty of how he and their backers, partnering with James Stevens & Bain Capital, had achieved so much.

A couple of the key things for me were the shift to a customer centric approach and the importance of the right people in the key leadership roles.

Plus disaster planning with his team, which helped Zellis navigate through their most challenging time with a cyber attack putting them on the front page of the FT!

It was a privilege to hear John’s story in an intimate setting and made me grateful once again to be part of the incredibly valuable Boardwave network.

If you don’t know about Boardwave, it’s an superb community for UK and European tech leaders founded by Phill Robinson.

They’re doing great things to develop and strengthen leadership, and I’m proud to endorse Boardwave’s White Paper, which outlines its 10-year vision to shape the future of the European software industry. 

You can read the white paper here https://lnkd.in/d7kFrJR2

And if you want to chat more about the Boardwave network feel free to drop me a message.

#Boardwave #Makingwaves

No contact with the hiring manager?
 
Sorry, but you need to find another recruiter.
 
Don’t tell us this is a key hire, and you want someone excited to work for you, and you want them to really understand what you’re looking for.
 
But then refuse to give us the quality time with you and the key people hiring.
 
I know we can deliver quality hires for your startup, but it has to be a relationship where we’re both investing the time.
 
Otherwise, we’re both better off looking for somebody else.
 
Think as a candidate – would you want your recruiter to be able to talk in detail about the people and the company you could be working for?
 
Or just recite words from a job spec?

Every job has an appeal to someone.

But when you won’t put the effort into telling us what’s special about your role?

That’s a sign we probably can’t help you.

Maybe you’ve written a great job description.

But does it tell us why you’re hiring?

What the plans for your startup are?

What would excite someone about working with your team?

We hired the best people for our clients last year when we could tell the story about them as if it was our own.

And we could only do that after spending quality time with the founders, understanding their origin story and their ambitions for the future.

So that we could explain why someone in a good job would see this as a great move.

That won’t happen if you’re just emailing us a job spec and asking if we have any good candidates.

Would you rather a recruiter simply sent you a bland and boring job description and asked if you’re interested?

Or tempted you to explore the role because they knew the real story?

Like any founder I get excited when I make a hire for my business.

But if you've not made a boomerang hire, then you're missing out on a whole new level of eagerness about bringing someone on board.

🪃 What's a boomerang hire? 🪃

Simple really - it's an employee who worked for a company, left, then returned.

And for me, it's one of the best ways you can fill a role.

Because you're not only relying on a CV or interview to make a judgement on whether someone will be a positive hire. 

You know what they're like to work with.

Of course, that's not always a good sign 😄

But when Jake accepted our offer to re-join ISL Talent earlier this year, it was brilliant news.

And after making an impact in his first month, he's continued to deliver a incredible amount of value supporting our clients.

As you can see here - his latest feedback with a 5 star review.

Jake has joined Harriet & Freya as boomerang employees at ISL - returners who we've been delighted to bring back.

Of course, you need to make sure you've addressed any issues that led to their departure.

But hiring someone second time round can be a game-changer.

Is it something that's part of your talent strategy?

Have you had a positive experience as a boomerang employee?

What if one action you take this week creates a ripple effect for your business? 

Something that could spread value across a wide area - credibility in a sales pitch, secures that star candidate, or forges a pivotal business connection.

At ISL Talent, we've witnessed how award recognition can create a chain reaction, not just for us but with plenty of our clients and contacts.

So, having enjoyed entering and sponsoring the Business Leader Awards over the years, I’m thrilled to be invited to judge them for 2024, supporting the celebration of the best in business in our region – from Customer Excellence to Employer of Year to Business Leader of Year.

Entering the Business Leader Awards could be the pebble that creates waves for your business 🌊

But hurry as the deadline for entries has only days left – take your shot here https://blawards.co.uk/

#BLAwards24

I love John Lewis. I love transparency in a hiring process.

But I’m struggling to fully support the move to give candidates interview questions up front.

Why?

My main concern is that we’re helping candidates to stage a good show and risking poor hiring decisions.

John Lewis are clearly doing this to be more inclusive, and I know it’s great for neurodiverse individuals who often face undue stress in traditional interview settings.

Interviews have plenty of limitations, so something that allows candidates to give a more authentic display of their capabilities is a good thing and one I support.

But I worry about whether this is at the expense of allowing candidates to deliver rehearsed performances.

I’ve played a part in 1000s of interviews over the years. I’ve seen well-prepped candidates deliver at interview, but struggle to keep up in the reality of a fast-paced role that needs someone to be adaptable and agile.

So if disclose interview questions up front, are we falsely elevating the performance of people who can use ChatGPT to prep good answers, rather than improving our hiring process for assessing candidates fairly?

I guess part of the problem here is the disconnect between how we evaluate potential in interview and what the job we’re hiring for actually needs.

I’ve hesitated to post on John Lewis’ move because I’m nervous about being seen to criticise something that improves diversity.

But I’ve seen a lot of love for the move, without much debate around the overall impact.

So please, help me out by sharing your thoughts.

What’s your view on disclosing interview questions up front?

I’m thankful that recruitment is an industry with low barriers to entry. 
 
But I'm worried it’s not the inclusive place it could be. 
 
There’s a real diversity of talent that can get a chance to succeed in recruitment, because you don’t need specific qualifications or years of experience.
 
You can be hired based on your ambition, attitude, and aptitude. 
 
And I’m personally grateful for this. 
 
It’s largely what gave me the opportunity to come into the industry many years ago, and what has helped me make some great hires at ISL Talent. 
 
But I’m not sure that opportunity for hiring diverse talent has been fully realised. 
 
I say that partly because of the stereotypes that make up what a good recruiter cares about. 
 
🤑 Getting the deal over the line at all costs. 
 
🍻 Relying on alcohol and late nights to build a culture. 
 
💪 Judging someone not at 100% as weak and needing to “man up”. 
 
Over the years, I’ve seen how toxic behaviours have made many people feel unwelcome. 
 
Before they've had a chance to show their talents and develop a career, they’ve exited the industry. 
 
But, I do think there’s been significant progress on inclusivity within recruitment since I started in the industry all those years ago.

Some people are thinking differently, and realising not everyone needs to be the same. 
 
So maybe in future the low barrier to entry will be more of a strength for the talent we need in our industry, rather than something that costs us valuable people. 
 
What do you think? 
 
When it comes to hiring the best and delivering quality, is the ease of getting into recruitment a strength or a weakness for the industry?

Anyone else getting frustrated with the latest tactic in spam emails?

Fake intros and 💩 referrals? 
 
Sometimes it’s their founder or CEO who’s personally flagged my details 🤔  
 
Or that my name came up three times last week when chatting to their network, so they felt they had to reach out 🤨 
 
Hey, I’m all for being known in the startup ecosystem. 
 
But it feels like everyone has been consuming the same webinar or book, pushing this latest tactic of mass emails and automation that’s masquerading as a personal referral. 
 
I love giving and receiving referrals. 
 
It’s a huge part of what I enjoy about the startup world, helping to show that I’m not simply running a transactional recruitment business out to make a quick buck. 
 
So, that’s a big reason why the made-up mention of referrals and intros grates 😠 
 
Although, I’m feeling a bit grumpy this morning. Maybe I should just be grateful that it’s a change from “quick question” in the subject line. 
 
Or am I being too cynical? 
 
Are all these founders really singling me out as a key person to be talking to? 😎

“I can interview candidates asap.”

Does that mean tomorrow? Next week? Maybe the week after next, if you don’t have an investor meeting?

Yes, you’re busy as a founder, and you need to make sure you’re only spending time on worthwhile people.

But failing to commit to specific times you can interview might be costing you more than you think.

Without those interview slots, recruiters won’t prioritise your role as urgently as they could.

But the main opportunity is gaining commitment from the talent you want.

When we have roles with interview availability from the hiring team, it’s so much easier to get things moving quickly with in-demand candidates.

And to create a much better candidate experience – something you shouldn’t overlook.

If you can’t give us the commitment to deliver the hires you need, maybe we’re both better off investing our time elsewhere.

What ties together Sports, Cities and Space?

It’s Bath Digital Festival and the three themes that will be celebrated in May.

BDF is an action-packed three days across May 14th-16th, with talks, debates and showcases of the innovation in Bath and the local region.

Lucy P. and the techSPARK uk team have put together a fascinating agenda – take a look at what’s in store and sign up here https://techspark.co/bdf/

And go quick - it’s only 3 weeks away 😀

#BathDigitalFestival #BDF24

Reid Hoffman has unleashed his AI twin.

Watching this, I bounced between anxiety and inspiration.

Have a look for yourself — you'll see Reid's AI twin is far from perfect. 

But I think it's undeniable how game-changing this could be.

You’d be naïve to ignore the impact on how we work – it threatens to disrupt yet simultaneously offers massive opportunities.

Some thoughts on how you could use your AI twin as a founder:

🤖 Talent Agent:
Imagine a careers page where talent doesn't just read about your company — they interact with your AI twin. They could hear your founder origin story and feel inspired to join your journey.

🤖 Customer discovery
It’s tricky to get out and about engaging with prospects when you have a lot on your plate, so could your digital twin be the way to create a connection at the top of your sales funnel?

🤖 Founder co-pilot
A team of lookalike founders won’t succeed, but how many times have you forgotten key lessons learned from your past? What if your digital twin could remind you of those moment right when you need them most?

What do you think?

Could AI twins revolutionise how we work?

Or just another tech gimmick that makes for a nice marketing video?

Super proud of Magda for helping bring a positive finish to April, securing another retained talent partnership…

🎉 Welcome Rezcomm 🎉

They’re a growing tech firm who have put their faith in us to deliver the people they need.

Why did Rezcomm choose ?

❌ They’ve invested time in multiple recruiters who have failed to deliver quality candidates

✅ They need a recruiter who can deliver more than CVs

😊 They had recommendations on the work we’ve done elsewhere

Everyone knows the right team is key to growth, and right now at Rezcomm we’re looking for people to fill 3 key roles:

👉 Product Manager
👉 Account Manager
👉 Marketing & Communications Manager

Rezcomm are the world’s first combined platform for airport sales, marketing and customer-centric analytics, and work with airports across the globe ✈

These are roles we’re hiring for now, and we need people who can commit to working in Exeter each week.

You can learn more by looking at the details on Magdalena King's profile.

And please share with or tag anyone that could be interested.

We’d love to tell them more about the Rezcomm story, the ambitions driving these hires, and what they’re offering to the right people.

#hiring #scaleup #talent

I struggle to know where to start with applying AI to my business, and I know many others feel the same.

It's one of the reasons I was keen to partner with techSPARK uk to support businesses in Bristol and Bath as they navigate the threats and opportunities that lie ahead with artificial intelligence.

We're kicking things off by inviting people in business to a couple of events, starting in Bristol next Thursday 25th April at 7:30am.

You might be a business leader or simply keen to explore AI in your work, technical or non-technical – all are welcome.

We’ll engage in small group discussions, look at some practical examples of how to tackle real-world AI adoption challenges, and share what’s going on across the landscape.

We also want this event to help us understand the support that’s needed, particularly for SMEs in the local area.

If you’re keen to play a key role on AI in your business, come join us – we want to make this programme something to help strengthen local leaders and businesses.

If you want to know more, feel free to drop me, Ben, or Lowri a message.

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