Meet Team USA – Mark Chaumeton

Mark Chaumeton joined QCS Staffing in January 2021 and has spent the last three years recruiting and focusing on serving organisations on a global scale within the life sciences sector. Mark recently relocated to North Carolina to join our team in the USA to help build QCS Staffing across the pond. We spoke to him about how he’s getting on so far:

Why did you relocate to the US?

It has always been a dream of mine to work in the US. My dad used to work in New York and has spent a lot of time there, so I always wanted to do it myself. And then there’s the opportunities, the work we’re doing within the life science industry with the clientele, size, and scope of projects is massive in the US – an opportunity we wouldn’t get in the EU. This is therefore an opportunity which is perfect for me going forward. I’ve also wanted to live in America for a while, I visited North Carolina three or four times over the last year and it’s just a great place to be – up and coming, very social, and very green. So, lots of different reasons.

What excited you most about the opportunity?

Apart from the weather? It’s a great location. Where the office is based is halfway between the mountains and the beaches which are both two to three hours away and are both a whole different way of living. In terms of accommodation for people my age, it’s perfect because virtually all rental accommodation has swimming pools and a gym. It’s great to be on the doorstep of clients as well.  Since I’ve been here, over the last three weeks, I’ve been to a major local client of mine twice already.  Being able to see multiple clients every day and meeting new people is a massive perk. 

What’s exciting about the Life Science industry in North Carolina?

It’s booming. Here as a whole, not even just life sciences but data centres and, semiconductors. Apple are also opening their new headquarters here. It’s growing massively and it’s an easier place to attract candidates because the climate is great, and it has good connections to the rest of the country. My belief is that it’s going to be a bigger hub than California in years to come. So, it’s definitely the right time to be here, we’ve opened the office at the perfect time.

What are the benefits of being in the USA?

Being able to be face to face with the clients is a real bonus. If, for example, we have a job with one of our local clients, they’re on average only 20 minutes away, so I can meet the manager on site later that day and get a real understanding of their requirements. We also host monthly networking nights to grow our brand, reputation and meet new candidates which we do in different areas in Raleigh and Durham on either a Wednesday or Thursday night.  The feedback we receive is excellent, everyone loves it, and we get a huge amount of benefit from meeting people.

In the three weeks I’ve been here, I can see huge opportunities in the short and the long-term where we can make a huge difference and really grow the business.

How have you adjusted to US life?

It's not too different, to be honest. I find it quite similar to UK in terms of the way of living like the people that live here are very similar. The road networks are definitely better. Bigger roads and no potholes. The way of life feels more laid back and it’s been invested in people enjoying life, especially in terms of living accommodation, you get more value for money.