My journey in recruitment began in my 20’s: as a young woman I left the ‘retirement city’ of Tauranga and headed for the bright lights of Auckland which was to become home for a few years.
I fell into the industry quite by accident, initially working as corporate Receptionist for an international consultancy. I remember the interview vividly – it was the end of the day when I met with the Branch Manager.
The meeting started with the buffet, a bottle of wine popped and the offer of a cigarette. I was tempted to partake but my parents’ words came racing back: “First impressions are lasting impressions.” I politely declined. Perhaps it was a test? I was successful in securing the job.
I absolutely loved the role and took every opportunity to learn, eventually ending up as Personal Assistant to the Executive Team of Consultants. During those five years I realised my love of the fast-paced job encompassing people, processes and intuition – I knew it was something I wanted to be involved with for a long time.
A new opportunity eventually arose in Wellington and with my zest for fun and adventure, I relocated and was employed by another recruitment consultancy – this time a medium-sized national firm that offered a great career path. I joined as an Assistant Consultant, after three months I’d moved into a Temp Consultant role.
My memories of those days are of fun – fast and fabulous. I was fortunate to work for a manager who believed in me and my capability. Over the next five years I seized every new role that was available.
A highlight was setting up a specialist Tele-Staffing Division that recruited for Call Centre staff – it gave me new levels of responsibility and unlimited rewards. My time with that firm ultimately gave me the confidence, knowledge and expertise to set up The Staffroom a few years later. I learnt about not cutting corners, the importance of quality and excellence and how effectively those attributes delivered the right results every time.
When I eventually returned to Tauranga with a young family, I worked in part time sales and people-based roles for a short period; but the recruitment memories kept returning and I eventually decided the time was right to set up The Staffroom.
Initially the goal was to have work-life balance where I could be available for my two daughters (now 17 and 23) through their school and sporting years. But as the business grew I realised it was too much for one person and subsequently took on more staff.
My vision has always been built on my previous learnings – to offer a quality process with excellent results. That is at the heart of everything we do at The Staffroom. My experience of having a manager who believed in me was invaluable; It is something I offer to my staff today.
Over the past 11 years, our business has been built on referral and reputation. We continue to be busy offering quality solutions-based staffing to businesses, along with a valuable service to candidates.
I will always be grateful for those key people who believed in me and taught me about the right way to recruit.
