Jessie Strydom

Jessie Strydom is a recruitment and business leader with over 13 years of experience in executive search, permanent recruitment, temporary employment solutions (TES), business development, and client management. She has a proven track record of delivering talent solutions across finance, engineering, technical, commercial, and executive markets while driving business growth and building long-term client partnerships. As Founder and Director of Meraki Talent Solutions, Jessie combines strategic recruitment expertise with strong commercial leadership.

Known for her ethical approach, operational excellence, and results-driven mindset, she is passionate about connecting exceptional talent with outstanding opportunities.

Founder and Director at MERAKI TALENT SOLUTIONS (2025 – Present)

• Oversee the full operational, financial, and strategic direction of the business.
• Develop growth strategies, service offerings, and market positioning.
• Build and maintain long-term client partnerships across multiple industries.
• Drive revenue growth through new business acquisition and retention.
• Conduct market research to identify trends, opportunities, and competitive advantages.
• Manage full-cycle recruitment for junior to executive-level roles.
• Conduct advanced sourcing, headhunting, and talent mapping for niche positions.
• Refine job specifications, create adverts, and manage multi-platform posting.
• Screen, interview, and assess candidates using competency-based methods.
• Oversee reference checks, background verification, and compliance processes.
• Ensure high-quality placements and repeat business through consistent delivery.
• Lead client onboarding, needs analysis, and workforce planning discussions.
• Present recruitment strategies, proposals, and tailored talent solutions.
• Manage key accounts and act as the primary point of contact for all escalations.
• Conduct regular client check-ins to ensure satisfaction and retention.
• Upsell additional services to increase revenue per client.
• Create, implement, and optimise internal recruitment processes and workflows.
• Oversee daily operations, ensuring efficiency and adherence to best practices.
• Manage reporting, analytics, KPIs, and weekly performance reviews.
• Maintain ATS accuracy, compliance documentation, and operational records.
• Ensure smooth coordination between sourcing, interviewing, and placement teams
• Train new consultants on recruitment processes, systems, and client management.
• Supervise and mentor consultants to improve performance and sourcing quality.
• Conduct skills development sessions on headhunting, interviewing, and negotiation.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and performance guidance.
• Ensure team alignment with company standards, values, and service delivery expectations.
• Draft contracts, terms of business, proposals, and service agreements.
• Manage invoicing, financial tracking, and operational documentation.
• Oversee marketing activities, including LinkedIn content and brand visibility.
• Handle escalations, problem-solving, and conflict resolution with clients and candidates.

Senior Recruitment Specialist at NETWORK FINANCE RECRUITMENT (ADVTECH) (2024-01 – 2025-10)

• Managed end-to-end recruitment for mid, senior, executive, and scarce-skill positions across multiple industries, delivering high-quality talent through advanced sourcing, headhunting, market mapping, talent pipeline development, and succession planning.
• Partnered with senior leadership and C-suite stakeholders to provide strategic hiring advice, workforce planning, talent acquisition strategies, and market intelligence.
• Led client briefings, refined job specifications, conducted competency-based interviews and assessments, coordinated executive vetting processes, and managed complex offer negotiations, counteroffers, and onboarding.
• Designed and implemented recruitment processes and frameworks that improved efficiency, reduced time-to-fill, enhanced candidate quality, and ensured compliance with recruitment best practices.
• Produced recruitment reporting, analytics, and talent insights for clients and management, while mentoring junior consultants and providing training, coaching, quality control, and guidance on sourcing and recruitment best practices.

Recruitment Specialist at NETWORK FINANCE RECRUITMENT (ADVTECH) (2023-10 – 2024-10)

• Executed full recruitment lifecycle from sourcing to placement across various industries.
• Drafted, refined, and posted job specifications on multiple job boards and platforms.
• Screened CVs, conducted interviews, and assessed candidate suitability based on job requirements.
• Managed candidate communication, interview scheduling, feedback loops, and follow-ups.
• Performed reference checks, background verifications, and compliance tasks.
• Built and maintained talent pools for recurring and future client needs.
• Supported business development through quality placements, client satisfaction, and consistent delivery.
• Maintained accurate records, ATS updates, and weekly recruitment reporting.

New Business Development Manager at NETWORK FINANCE RECRUITMENT (ADVTECH) (2023-03 – 2023-09)

• Client Relationship Management
• New business pitches and hold responsibility for the effective onboarding of new clients.
• Focusing on growing and developing existing clients, together with generating new business.
• Key interface between the client and all relevant decision makers for new staff requirements.
• Making sure customers' expectations are met.
• Help develop initiatives to increase customer satisfaction and retention.
• Upsell the company’s services and solutions to increase revenue at a new or existing client.
• Manage the client’s projects from beginning to end.

General Manager / Business Development Manager at NEXUS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS (2021 – 2023)

• New Business Development
• New business pitches and hold responsibility for the effective onboarding of new clients.
• Focusing on growing and developing existing clients, together with generating new business.
• Key interface between the client and all relevant decision makers for new staff requirements.
• Making sure customers' expectations are met.
• Help develop initiatives to increase customer satisfaction and retention.
• Upsell the company’s services and solutions to increase revenue at a new or existing client.
• Manage the client’s projects from beginning to end.
• Recruitment
• Read, understand and edit all Job specs before placing adverts
• Searching, sourcing, and headhunting candidates to suit clients' specific needs
• Set up all interviews face to face
• Full recruitment process
• Typing of CV
• Various admin duties
• Conduct references and various other checks (MIE and Social Media)
• Ensure repeat business
• Complete contracting with IWCP staff Members
• Full internal recruitment process for IWCP
• Training of new staff members
• Compiling weekly stats
• Weekly team meetings
• Liaising with Pnet and Careers24 on our needs
• Attend client meetings with other staff members
• Create all terms of conditions and TES quotes clients
• Create and Implement new processes
• Research the industries markets to see where to grow the business
• Deal with staff queries and assist where needed

Business Development Consultant: TES / Perm at OXYON, A DIVISION OF THE WORKFORCE GROUP (2016 – 2020)

• Business Development Consultant: TES (June 2019 - July 2020)
• New Business Development
• Client Relationship Management
• New business pitches and hold responsibility for the effective onboarding of new clients.
• Focusing on growing and developing existing clients, together with generating new business.
• Key interface between the Client and all decision makers for new staff requirements.
• Coordinate with operations so that the customer’s expectations are met.
• Help develop initiatives to increase customer satisfaction and retention.
• Upsell the company’s services and solutions to increase revenue at a new or existing client.
• Senior Business Development Executive: TES and Perm (August 2020 - November 2020)
• Manage her client’s projects from beginning to end.
• Recruitment Consultant: Finance (September 2018 – May 2019)
• Head hunt candidates
• Candidate relationship management
• Contact clients for new specs
• Present new ideas and feedback to management
• Weekly reports
• Attend New Business meetings
• Develop and update job descriptions and job specifications
• Build Relationships with existing clients
• Perform job and task analysis to document job requirements and objectives
• Conduct interviews using various reliable recruiting and selection tools/methods to filter candidates within schedule
• Assess applicants’ relevant knowledge, skills, soft skills, experience and aptitudes
• Monitor and apply HR recruiting best practices
• Provide analytical and well documented recruiting reports to the rest of the team
• Act as a point of contact and build influential candidate relationships during the selection process
• Junior Recruitment Consultant: Finance (July 2016 – September 2018)
• Edit job specs that were handed to her to work on
• Read and understand job spec
• Search for candidates on PNet, Linkedin, Careers 24, Placement Partner
• Load adverts of job vacancies if needed on Indeed, PNet and Careers 24, Placement Partner
• Contact candidates via phone, email or linked in to inform them of the positions we have that will suit them
• Conduct interviews with candidates either face to face via Skype
• Contact clients to confirm information about positions and interviews we have set up for the candidates
• Compile stats on a weekly basis
• Make sure application forms and all other relevant forms have been filled out by candidates
• Follow up with candidates and clients
• File relevant information
• Assist senior consultant with interviews, typing, searching, screening and references when needed
• Conduct references on candidates
• Attend client meetings with senior consultant
• Train new staff on Placement Partner
• Screen candidates resumes and job applications

Recruitment Administrator / Junior Consultant at ALPHA LABOUR SOLUTIONS (2014 – 2016)

• Edit Job specs that are handed to me to work on
• Read and understand Job spec
• Search for candidates on PNet, Linkedin, Careers 24 and Executive placements
• Load adverts of Job Vacancies if needed on Indeed, PNet and Careers 24
• Contact candidates via phone or email or linked in to inform them of the positions we have that will suit them
• Conduct interviews with candidates either face to face or Skype
• Contact clients to confirm information about positions and interviews we have set up for the candidates
• Compile stats on a weekly basis
• Make sure application forms and all other relevant forms have been filled out by my candidates
• Follow up with candidates and Clients
• File relevant information
• Assist senior consultant with interviews when needed
• Give feedback in Monday morning meeting of active pending and closed positions we have available
• Conduct references on candidates
• Conduct Ifacts Security risk and qualification checks
• Attend client meetings with senior consultant
• Train and manage new staff
• Present new ideas and feedback to management

Founder and Director at GYM CHOW AND NUTRITION (2014 – 2014)

• Sell supplement products to gymers
• Order stock
• Conduct stock take of products in store
• Follow up with orders
• Phone clients to promote new products
• Conduct surveys on different products customers are using
• Set up client meetings for new product
• Market products on the internet
• Build website and update website of Gym Chow products and services
• Draw up diet and meal plans for customers
• Cash up and pay wages
• Make sure the juice bar is stocked up
• Deliver meals
• Teach staff how to make juices, shakes, and meals
• Prepare ingredients
• Organize free samples for clients
• Create price lists for products
• Ensure we have repeat business
• Sign off new stock that is delivered
• Comparing prices with opposition
• Sorting out accounts
• Dealing with complaints
• Negotiating prices

Receptionist / Recruitment Administrator at COMMUNICATE PERSONNEL (ADVTECH) (2014 – 2014)

• Loading Ads for new Job specs
• Basic reception duties such as:
• Answering Telephones
• Operating the switch board
• Showing customers to their seats
• Taking messages
• Emails messages to consultants
• Calling consultants when there candidates where finished filling in forms
• Dealing with walk in candidate
• Closing of office at the end of the day
• Filling recruiters paper work
• Assisting manager with her stats board in the afternoon
• Booking flights for managers when there where MANCO meetings

NNQF 5 in Generic Business Management – TRAINING FORCE (2020 – 2020)

NQF3 in Business Administration – TRAINING FORCE (2017 – 2017)

Matric – VRYBURGER HIGH SCHOOL (2011 – 2011)