100 Days. 100 Faces of NZ Recruitment.

When people of all backgrounds begin careers in recruitment, and are tasked with delivering great talent under challenging conditions and tight timeframes, from the outside looking in, you may think that anyone can do this job. It's absolutely true that recruiters come from all walks of life, with a rich variety of backgrounds, experiences and interests. Yet not everyone is suited to a career in recruitment, and it takes expertise, hard work and resilience to remain at the top of your game. It's also the mark of a professional to make the complex seem simple.

I'm on a mission to discover what unites recruiters of Aotearoa New Zealand and what sets us apart. I've launched an exciting project to amplify the voices of professionals within the recruitment industry and highlight some extraordinary stories while revealing the diversity within our industry. A core driver of this series is to provide a platform to debunk industry myths – after all, how do you change perceptions, but through one person at a time. This series is designed to give an insight into the challenges and rewards of a career in recruitment, as well as what it takes to be successful in 2021 and beyond.

@HumansOfNZRec is a 100-day project that will feature 100 career stories within 100 days. The deadline of 10 May 2021 is rapidly approaching, and I'd love your help!

Who would you like to hear from? If you know anyone who has a story to tell about their career development in recruitment, or if you would like to take part, please reach out via @humansofNZRec on Instagram or contact me [email protected]

H?ere's a taste of how this will work if you're happy to answer my questions:

Today's face of recruitment in Aotearoa New Zealand is Rebecca (that's me).

Life before recruitment was going pretty well actually. I left uni without completing my degree because I was building a career in retail management; an accidental career that took me on a different trajectory than my plan to be a financial accountant. After working in every shopping centre in Hamilton and Auckland, I'd moved into learning and development and had been involved in training staff across NZ and Australia. I loved it! The pace, the accountability, the energy.

So everything was going super well until it wasn't. I was devastated when my position was made redundant. This loss was nothing but personal.

It was then that I fell into recruitment.

What rubbish. There was no falling. I know now that I was selected, off the back of an intensely difficult and challenging recruitment process that involved a multitude of psychometric assessments, interviews and role plays. As hard as it was at the time, I think it actually prepared me well for the start-up role I was about to undertake. Fast forward 19 years later and I'm just as captivated by this industry and profession as when I started. After going through redundancy, the most important thing for me was to keep focused on employability and this industry is all about this! With recruiters working in all sectors that are growing, if keeping ahead of workforce and workplace trends is important to you, this could be right up your alley.

I love what I do because I get to be a spotlight and a microphone for people doing amazing work in the recruitment & staffing industry. Recruiters solve really hard people puzzles everyday - they help people into jobs they love, to find talents they never knew they had, or to consider opportunities that they'd never thought of. They help business owners to sleep easier at night knowing that someone else is helping them find talented individuals who will add to their culture, grow their businesses and thrive in their new challenges.

And because all stories deserve a great soundtrack, there is a playlist too.

Massive thanks to all the fabulous Humans of NZRec who have already taken part. Head to @humansofnzrec to see their career stories and advice for a fulfilling career in recruitment.