“Being the head coach of a four boy household (including my hubby) has its moments – in the most part, positive! They’re my everything and my work family has always understood this. Being able to work in a way that suits me has been the backbone of all my successes at work and at home. As my family grew, so did my career, without either being compromised.”
How it started
Anyone that I’ve crossed paths with knows that I’m a people person. So working in recruitment just seemed like the perfect fit for me. My journey in TA began in a secondment as a recruitment coordinator. From there, I was offered a part-time 2 days a week role. It was this role that showed me the ropes of the recruitment process. Creating recruitment packs was a big part of what I was doing – to think we used to print and send out contracts! I then moved into another secondment where I played a part in creating our recruitment team as it stands now.
My first promotion
I was mentored by a great leader who helped me move into a Talent Acquisition Partner role recruiting for the branch network. To this day, I believe that if you can recruit volume, you can recruit anything!
From branch recruitment, I then moved into tech recruitment. Here, I was responsible for multiple portfolios across Technology - which was such a great learning experience. My days in TA tech were spent speaking to candidates and leading continuous improvement initiatives with the team, including driving the introduction of our Digital Interview process.
Stepping into management
The desire to lead a team was never far, and a leadership opportunity came up in TA that I couldn’t pass up – Talent Acquisition Team Leader in Shared Services (the team that books interviews and qualifies our contracts). During this time I led an amazing group of people and supported the creation of what is now the Probity Operations team.
Stepping out of management
Whilst I loved leading this team, I did miss the fast-paced nature of the candidate world and working directly with my stakeholders. The TA tech team was calling my name, and it was for a role as a specialist recruiter looking after Analytics and Testing. Here, there was a focus on (surprise, surprise) technology, and I was able to work closely with our Sourcing & Indigenous careers teams.
Finding my dream role
With my leaders, I’ve never been shy about where I want to go next. And that for me was a Talent Acquisition Manager role. Not long ago, the dream of becoming a Talent Acquisition Manager for Analytics & Digital came true. Without the village of supporters I’ve had I wouldn’t be where I am today.
How it’s going
Today, I have the pleasure of leading a team of 10 amazing TA Partners and Sourcing Specialists who work together to find the best talent for Analytics & Digital across the Group.
A big part of my role is to inspire and influence my team to find joy in what they do. Reskilling, Diversity & Inclusion, goal setting and the Employee Referral Program are just a few of the projects we’ve been working on.
My favourite question to ask in interviews is “on a Friday afternoon you have time for only one call, is it to the Hiring Manager or the candidate?” If you’re thinking candidate, you’re the perfect fit to be a recruiter.
It’s so important we set up our candidates for success regardless of if they’ve been successful for the role or not. Building strong relationships and taking an interest in their journey ensures a transparent relationship is built – I’ve had the pleasure of multiple candidates reaching out across the years to say “hey thanks for my first opportunity within the bank, I’m now moving into an Executive Manager role!” Comments like this are a true testament to why I turn on my laptop every day to work in one of the best recruitment teams in Australia. For anyone that has a passion for people and building relationships, TA at CommBank is the place for them.”
