Ask me Anything: Arlett Mischke, Director Sales & Recruitment Services

What kind of leader are you?
‍I hope to be a good leader or at least I try to be a leader who always takes part in the team. Transparency, honesty and trust are very important to me. I try to create an atmosphere where everybody gets inspired to work on their strengths and weaknesses, where everybody can honestly state their opinions and where I help them grow. I believe If people have the freedom to be themselves and use their potential, they aspire to go the extra mile. In recruiting or sales there is often the pressure of KPI’s and I think it is important to appreciate the people you work with, train them and support them in a pleasant atmosphere so they can be more themselves, work in their style and not just repeat the patterns. If you find out what the strength of the person is and you help them bring it to the next level, then they are more successful and motivated.

‍What was the most challenging moment in your professional life? My most challenging moment was when I started my career in recruiting business. It was a whole new professional life for me, before that I had been working in a totally different industry and I had no idea what recruiting and headhunting is. The challenge was to understand everything and manage all the tasks in the very first few weeks. At first, I was a salesperson in the pharmaceutical and freelance sector. It was also a new field at Hays, we didn’t have much know-how, so it was a lot about research, business development and learning what the industry actually needed. And I didn’t have many people to learn from, most of it I had to learn by myself. At this point, I miss the pharmaceutical industry a little bit, so I am happy to work on and develop Taledo Medical. So if you asked me whether I regret going through that challenging time in my career, I would say no, and I would not change it. I am grateful for that experience and that I had the opportunity to learn so much so early. It helped me become who I am today. Therefore I am grateful for this opportunity. And to be honest, back then I was not aware of what a big chance it really was and how it was going to change my life.

‍When it comes to recruiting, what advice would you give to someone who is about to have an interview with you? I think it's easy, look up to what the company does, check out the social media, podcasts, blogposts and check the people you are going to have the interview with. I often ask the candidates if they did the research about us and what they know so far. In our industry you need to do your research and be prepared.

‍If you could travel in time (past or future), what era/time would you go to? I would go 10 years to the future, to 2031 to see how we built up Taledo. When I started in 2019 Taledo had already an AI-driven platform, but operated more like an agency. As we developed Taledo further into a suite by adding more andmore recruiting features like video interviews, job multiposting, ATS and communication, I am very excited to see how it will look in ten years. I expect that we will have one of the most successful HR and Recruiting Softwares in Europe.

‍How is working in a startup different from working in a corporation? The big difference is the atmosphere. In a startup you know the people, you are a part of a family, it's more relaxed, it's not that we have no stress or work less, but it is a different vibe than in a corporation and I appreciate it a lot.In my opinion, in corporations you also have too many processes and things happen way too slow. Also, the vibe from the team is different, at Taledo we do not have unhealthy competition and rivalry.Back in 2018 I decided to join Taledo, and I am still here because I know I have a real task, a mission I would say, and it's not just to make the day pass and track the hours in a system. At Taledo I am a creator, I make my way here and implement the changes that have a real impact, I have an impact.

‍How in your opinion will the pandemic change the way business is done and companies operate? Pandemic will change the way we work, that’s for sure. I think in the future we will have a mix of home office or remote work and onsite work. I myself have realized that I like to work partly at home, especially when I have some strategic tasks and I need to concentrate. But at this point I really miss the team and being among the people. So my prediction is that in the future we will have a mix of it, and if you decide to come to the office you can then really enjoy it and focus on, for example, the team building, bonding or training. It is not so easy to train the new joiners from home, so it is easier to be in the office for that. Of course if you have experience, you know what works for you and you can organize your day, it is great to work from home and you can use the time in the office to build up relationships…Another change that I have observed, caused by the pandemic, is that a lot of people started to appreciate the fact of having a job more, they are very careful in deciding on their next professional move. Additionally, before the pandemic we had a candidate-driven market – the expectations of candidates for jobs were going very high and now the candidates changed their approaches a little.I believe we all also realized how important time spent with friends and family are and that we should appreciate it better. I hope the people will keep this in mind for the long term.

‍If you were not a Director of Sales and  Recruitment Services, what would you do? What is your alternative professional path? I think I would be a travel agent, especially for Robinson Club. When I decide to leave Hays – without having Taledo on the horizon – I would think of going out of the recruiting industry and I consider joining a travel agency and change my career in that direction. But I quickly realized that I don’t want to mix my get-away destination with work and I would rather keep using the service than offer it and know it from behind the scenes.

‍What's one thing you can't go a day without? Before I joined Taledo, it was all about coffee, coffee coffee. I even got a coffee-related birthday present from one of my friends, there is a picture of us on the mug and the mug says “coffee-coffee-coffee”. Then, from another friend, I got a very nice bottle for tea so I switched to tea now, my favourite Italienische Limone.

‍What is your favourite place in Berlin/in the world? And why? It’s a hard question, I think I don’t have a favourite place in Berlin. I have some cities in Germany that I am in love with, that would be Cologne, Berlin or Hamburg. But when it comes to Berlin I really enjoy the centre, Mitte. I like to walk around the historic buildings, I just love the architecture there and the atmosphere of old times.My favourite place I have visited – you know I love travelling – would be Australia, which is one of my favourite places in the world. One of the most beautiful places I have visited is also Bora Bora. I have been there in 2016 as a part of my long holiday break. So to me, Australia and Bora Bora are the top two places.Australia was a 6 weeks trip and I got to know the culture better. I was very impressed by the differences in that country, the culture, diverse nature, people, all very interesting and impressive. In Bora Bora I have never seen the ocean and the beach like that before, all the time we had to wear sunglasses because the sun rays reflected in the water created the same effect as the bright sun and the snow – you cannot see! The ocean is so beautiful there.

‍What advice would you give to a 20 years old self? Maybe to be sometimes more relaxed, especially when things do not go the way one plans.Are you interested in joining my team? Whether in recruitment services or in the sales team, if you are ambitious, apply with us and revolutionize the recruiting industry together with me.

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