DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER HISTORY AND QUALIFICATIONS THAT LED YOU TO THIS ROLE. I grew up in Canberra but moved to Adelaide in 2009. I went through a recruitment process while I was there and thought “this could be a pretty cool job”. I returned to Canberra in 2011 because Canberra has always felt like home, and I have a close relationship with my family. It was great to move back and that’s when my career in recruitment began. I was interviewing for an admin role, and when the recruiter asked if I had ever considered recruitment, I knew this was my opportunity to give it a go. I started off working in admin and contact centre recruitment which involved putting together bulk business support teams. I then moved to recruit in the early childhood sector. Between 7am and 10am every day I would put up to 30 educators in urgent cover, temp or casual roles. To say it was fast-paced would be an understatement! I worked my way up to Manager of the education team and really enjoyed a specialised focus in one industry. I was with the company for almost 9 years, and it came to a point where I wanted to grow and develop more as a recruiter. A former colleague and someone I very much respected had been with H1 for a number of years, so when he tapped me on the shoulder, I listened! Thanks, Andy 🙂 WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS DIFFERENT ABOUT HORIZONONE’S APPROACH TO RECRUITMENT? HorizonOne is definitely more thorough in the way we screen and interview candidates. The process ensures a stronger quality of candidate and a better fit for the client. I feel more confident putting candidates forward for jobs because I know they’ll not only do a good job but also be a good culture fit. The team also has a mature and positive culture. With some recruitment businesses, you get stuck with a young and/or catty team. That ruins the everyday experience in the office. It’s definitely not like that here, I love coming to work every day! WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ARE THE 3 KEY ELEMENTS TO BEING SUCCESSFUL IN RECRUITMENT? Building relationships. People are where you get your information from, and having strong relationships puts you into a position where both parties can talk openly. This means I can give feedback and have difficult conversations, and they will respect and listen to my advice. This is particularly important because candidates can become clients and vice versa. Being accountable. Following up and holding yourself accountable for your own work is important. Over promising and under-delivering is a sure-fire way of ruining your reputation. Having a strong presence. You need to understand the roles, clients and candidates you work with. You can’t just be there for transactions and quick wins; you really want to be the go-to person in your sector. WHAT ARE YOU ENJOYING ABOUT WORKING WITH HORIZONONE? There’s a great range of skills and experiences within the broader team. They have a mature approach to working, problem solving, and sharing ideas which makes it a great office to work in. We’re also a fun team with lots of laughing, but not at anyone’s expense. I like that we take lots of opportunities to be involved with local charity organisations and the community. WHO IS THE BIGGEST STIRRER IN THE OFFICE? GOT A GOOD EXAMPLE? It’s probably Lucas. I’ve heard him crack the most jokes so far. OUTSIDE OF WORK I LOVE TO… I have three boys, which keeps me very busy! Weekends are packed with swimming lessons, hikes, birthday parties, soccer, Oztag and football. So, in order to keep myself sane, I go to F45 and Bikram yoga. Also, at the moment my partner and I are spending a lot of time in the backyard building a retaining wall. My favourite thing in summer is hanging out with friends and having a beer or two. But in winter, I much prefer to stay at home. I get very cold in winter, and you’ll often see me in the office with a blanket over my shoulders and the heater on under my desk.