Welcome to the team, Mitchell Hazelhurst ??

It’s funny how things work….

Allow me to tell you a story here.

I moved to Wellington, New Zealand 15 years ago from Melbourne. Well, actually via the UK where I was living at the time. I had been traveling the world and been in the USA, UK, and Europe and wasn’t ready to go home to Melbourne and so I wanted to live in another country.

My partner was from Wellington and suggested we try living there. I had only been to Wellington for a weekend before and Wellington did what Wellington does best and put on a weekend of...

"You can’t beat Wellington on a good day"

So I agreed to move to this beautiful sunny Wellington city on the waterfront ??

I got a few culture shocks on arriving in NZ. The first was when we couldn’t land initially as it was so windy. When we finally landed, it was pissing down with rain and the wind was blowing at around 80km/h sideways ?? ??

Culture shock number one ??

My second culture shock came quite quickly after when I started applying for jobs and kept getting told;

"You don’t have any New Zealand experience!"

It’s hard to believe that this was a thing and as someone who had run multi-million dollar companies previously, I was definitely confused.

Culture shock number two ??

After being rejected for many jobs on arrival, I eventually got a few offers to start my IT recruitment journey in Wellington but there was one, in particular, I really wanted:

Agility Group. They were a successful IT recruitment company in Auckland that was starting up in Wellington. As you no doubt probably know. I fucking love startups and had started up companies previously and obviously since then.

So that company was the one I wanted. However, after meeting one of the founders and the GM, I heard those horrible words again. “You don’t have any NZ experience.”

However, the other founder in AJ Hazelhurst flew down to meet me himself and we had a really great chat in good old Astoria he told me that he saw something in me and offered me the job.

It’s fair to say AJ took a chance on me and looking at a young, cocky Aussie lad below with a terrible soul patch. He probably shouldn't have.

However, it’s fair to say he made the right decision as I ended up being the biggest biller in Wellington and if my memory is correct, beat the Auckland team in my second month.

All with no NZ experience ??

AJ and I formed a tight bond after that as I really wanted to thank him for his trust in me and I went above and beyond to help him.

Over the years AJ and I have developed a great friendship and so I met his son Mitchell a few times. Including attending the F1 in Melbourne this year. He was supporting MaxVerstappen and I McLaren, but that is ok.

So when AJ said that Mitchell was keen to move on from his IT project coordinator role and into a startup I pounced and asked if he’d consider Talent Army.

Mitchell was interested and as he is based in Auckland and I had a friendship with his Dad, Dan took over and interviews Mitchell.

It’s fair to say from Dan’s feedback that he could have offered him the job from the first chat.

Though we ran him through our detailed recruitment process and very quickly the whole team was also impressed with Mitchell.

He is smart, loves working with people, and had been trying his hand at a tech startup of his own. With the whole team saying we should hire him.

We offered Mitchell the job and he accepted.

It’s funny that his Dad, AJ took a chance on me and gave me my first NZ recruitment job and I now have offered his son his first NZ recruitment job.

As Mitchell is way smarter and more driven than me. I think I got the better deal AJ. ????

So with that long-winded story told, please join me in congratulating Mitchell Hazelhurst for starting with us our newest Talent Manager in Auckland.

To get to know him, Dan has asked him the usual questions you can read below.

Mitchell, please tell us a little about yourself outside of work.

I’m super excited to join the Talent Army team! Outside of work I am a big advocate for health and wellness, participating in yoga, gym, road cycling, bouldering, surfing, and most other outdoor activities you can think of.?

Please tell us a little about your work and what you have done.

I have a formal education in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Auckland, however, have recently worked in the technology space as a Technology and Operations Coordinator overseeing several key work streams partnering with DHBs and the Ministry of Health. In previous roles, I have worked in wealth management, financial markets, architecture, STEM advisory, and hospitality.

Why did you join Talent Army?

People and relationships are at the core of my personal values. I am committed to achieving outcomes through forming great relationships and communication and Talent Management aligned so perfectly with these core pillars for me. On top of this I have personal interests in technology and start-up space, so living and breathing the area presents a great opportunity to upskill and learn in the space!

What is something not many people know about you?

I have a keen interest in electronic music especially DnB and House, producing music and performing as a DJ around the country in my spare time over the last two years! I have recently played my first music festival and am flying to Wellington this weekend to play a gig (and visit the Talent Army branch too!).

What is your favourite movie?

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - an absolute classic and I see far too much of myself in Ferris!

What is your favourite drink?

My nickname is “Tequila Mitch”.

Why do you love Technology?

Technology presents the toolset and capability to solve problems, and the rate of technology improvement means we will be able to solve problems we don’t even know of with technology that doesn’t yet exist! Being at the edge of technology allows me to keep up to date with how our landscape and culture evolve, and ultimately how that affects and presents opportunities to people.

I live by the mantra “People First”; and technology enables people.

So great to have you on the team Mitchell and especially good to get the ‘best Hazelhurst!’ Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on insta if you also like electronic music too.