91: When A Lifelong Connector Becomes a Recruiter with Melissa Latham

In this episode, Dan connects with retail management expert, c-suite mentor, and founder of Global Recruiters of Lowcountry, Melissa Latham. Spending over three decades in retail, Melissa has seen and done everything from being a sales associate to becoming the retail vice president for Fortune 500 company Jockey International. She attributes her career success widely to the people she has hired and the teams she has built along the way. Ultimately her experiences with relationships and building connections inspired her to pivot into an all-new territory–recruitment.

And what a fertile ground it turned out to be. With the Great Resignation and other disruptions caused by the pandemic, Melissa saw an opportune time to tap the global talent pool. She and Dan talk about how the corporate landscape is changing with the rise of remote work, spotting an opportunity and going after it, sticking to your core values, and adapting to an evolving market.

In this episode

• 4:08 - Melissa's career journey
• 4:36 - Why recruitment?
• 11:06 - Collection vs. connection
• 28:25 - Using LinkedIn effectively
• 39:00 - Melissa on the evolving talent market
• 45:36 - Going remote
• 58:00 - Anticipating growth
• 1:02:30 - Creating impact by connecting

Notable Quotes

• "I think the network is a huge collection of people that you have some type of connectivity but its not deep, but you know you can reach out to them." - Melissa (09.12)
• "Be more interested than interesting" - Melissa (28.53)
• “Just jump in and make it happen. And all those things that you seem to be worried about? You find a way to overcome them.” - Melissa (7.33)

Resources and links

The Dan Nestle Show

• The Dan Nestle Show (libsyn.com)
• Dan Nestle (@dsnestle) / Twitter
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/nestle
• The Dan Nestle Show | Facebook

Melissa Latham

• Global Recruiters of Lowcountry
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/melatham/