I genuinely wish I could say yes every time someone asks for my help.
But the reality is that I have to tell a lot of people…
“Sorry, but I can’t”.
It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s more that, in some cases, I simply have no power.
We’re a specialist corporate treasury recruitment firm. That means we go deep. Not broad.
And because of that, there are a lot of situations where I’m simply not the right person to help.
However, rather than just saying “no” and leaving it there, I thought I’d put this together to actually help you understand where I can add value and where I can’t.
So, here are the most common situations where I’m probably not the guy you need to be coming to.
The first one is the most common…
- If you’re working in banking and you reach out asking about corporate treasury roles…
I get it. You’ve heard about corporate treasury. It sounds interesting. You want to make the move.
But here’s the challenge…
Our clients don’t come to us and say;
“Find me someone from banking who wants to try treasury.”
They come to us and say;
“Find me someone who has done this before.”
Cash management. Liquidity. FX. Systems. Funding. All of it in a corporate environment.
It’s a different skill set. A different shape of role.
So when I say I can’t help, it’s not a brush-off. It’s just being honest about what clients are asking for.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
But it does mean the route is usually longer, and often involves stepping sideways or even backwards to get the right experience first.
- Experience (or the lack of…)
We don’t recruit entry-level treasury roles.
So if you’re just starting out or trying to break into treasury from scratch, I’m not going to be able to place you.
Again, that’s not me being unhelpful.
It’s just not what we’re hired to do.
But what I can say is this: Treasury is a practical profession.
All you need is a little exposure…
That might come from moving internally, picking up treasury-related projects, or building experience alongside your current role.
But sending your CV to a specialist recruiter without that foundation won’t get you where you want to go.
- “Do you have fully remote roles?”
Short answer: almost never.
When companies are fully remote, they typically hire directly. They don’t use a specialist recruiter.
And in treasury, most teams still want some level of collaboration. Being in the room still matters.
So if your search is only focused on fully remote roles, you’re narrowing your options significantly.
- It’s the geography.
If you’re based in a region we don’t cover, I can’t represent you there.
If you don’t have the right to work in the region, I can’t legally place you.
And I know that’s frustrating. But there are still options; it just requires a different approach…
Think about local recruiters, internal moves, or targeting companies that offer sponsorship.
Those are your best ways in.
Now, every single week, I hear from at least a handful of people who fall into one of these categories, whom I just can’t help. But here’s the important bit:
If you read any of this and your heart sank thinking I could’ve been talking about you, know this:
None of this is a dead end. Think of it as direction.
What frustrates me isn’t people reaching out. It’s when people ignore the advice and keep pushing in the same direction… Or they send the same generic message to twenty recruiters and hope something sticks.
That never works.
The people who make progress are the ones who take a step back and think, “OK… if this route isn’t working, what do I need to change?”
They go on to build the right experience.
And when they come back a year or two later…
That’s when I can actually help.
So if you’re thinking of reaching out to me, here’s the simplest way to approach it.
- Be specific.
- Be relevant.
- Do a bit of homework.
And if I can help, I will.
If I can’t, I’ll nudge you in the right direction.
My goal has never been to get someone a job. It’s to help them get the right one, even if I’m not the person who places you there.
Best regards,
Mike
