My recruitment journey began in January 2016.

I was offered a position as an Office Administrator and Recruiter at a top Marketing company in Pretoria. At the time, the company operated with approximately 20–30 sales agents and two assistant managers. I stepped into the role with determination, clarity, and a personal commitment to excellence.

Within my first month, I focused on consistency, relationship-building, and structured recruitment execution. The results were immediate. I successfully grew the sales team by over 20 new agents, which led to my permanent placement within the company.

Over the following six months, the organisation expanded to approximately 80 active sales agents. This growth directly contributed to increased revenue performance and organisational expansion resulting in over 15 assistant managers and seven newly promoted managers developed from structured recruitment and talent relationship management.

It was during this time that the concept of “Mai Recruit” was born not as a business name initially, but as a philosophy. I became known for building strong, intentional relationships with recruits, focusing not only on placement but on long-term growth and alignment.

In October 2018, I was recognised with the Business Partner of the Year Award by CREDICO SA through the mentorship/coaching of my boss Grant Sherwood (CEO- La Granson International), an acknowledgment of structured recruitment performance, team growth, and consistent delivery.

By 2020, I formally registered my recruitment consulting practice. At that stage, many newly promoted managers sought my guidance in building and structuring their recruitment processes, due to the consistency and results-driven approach I had established.

Since then, I have worked with 30–40 businesses across South Africa, primarily within the Sales and Marketing sector. My work has also extended internationally, supporting partners in the United Kingdom and Australia through structured recruitment assistance and backend talent support.

Throughout this journey, one truth became clear:

Many businesses struggle with structured hiring systems.
Many capable professionals struggle with positioning and visibility.

MAI Recruitment SA was built to bridge that gap.

My work today focuses on:

• Providing structured remote recruitment support to businesses
• Helping professionals position themselves clearly and confidently
• Building alignment between talent and opportunity
• Delivering consistent, measurable recruitment outcomes

Recruitment is not simply about filling roles.
It is about building clarity, direction, and long-term growth, for both organisations and individuals.

My commitment remains the same as it was in 2016:

 Consistency.
Structure.
Communication.
Growth.

And I remain open to serving businesses and professionals who value strategic alignment and purposeful recruitment.

MaryJane Ijezie
Founder, MAI Recruitment SA