Recruitment...

I am a recruiter.  I am proud to be a recruiter.  It's what I have always known and I think I'm pretty damn good at it.  I work for a global organisation in an internal recruitment management role. My team, across 3 countries, is working to streamline our processes and the candidate experience and then.. The sky is the limit!

Any who.  Of late there have been a lot of opinions and articles flying around about social media in recruitment, specifically LinkedIn..  I know healthy debate is good for the soul but I question why we are creating such a "who ha"..  In short, it is being touted that people can post bogus information on LinkedIn.  Really?  News flash.  People put bogus information on their resume too.  The job of a recruiter is to weed out the truth whether it be on LinkedIn or in a resume.

LinkedIn is like a database, the information you get out is only as good as the information someone puts in.  So recruiters, do your job and you should be fine.

As an internal recruitment manager I do wonder why agency recruiters haven’t really made LinkedIn and other such sites a bigger part of their sourcing methodology.  Sites like LinkedIn assist internal teams to find talent.  I think some agency recruiters have missed that boat.  Perhaps this is why all the “who ha”.  Sour grapes?

Fiji,,,

I am off on holidays next week - to Fiji, so a new adventure as I'ven ever been there!  Looking forward to sun, swimming, cocktails, snorkelling and relaxing...

I thought everyone had at least of heard of Fiji but my boss, who is in the US, asked me "what's a Fiji" when I told her I was going on leave..  So for all of those of you who don't know..

http://www.tourismfiji.com/

Sydney.. Forgotten How to Care?

I read an interesting article today on "manners" on public transport and some of it rang true to me..  Not exactly on public transport but manners, or lack thereof, in a public place..

In mid January, in the middle of Sydney CBD I took a tumble.  Not just any old tumble..  But an old fashioned "knees up" on a main intersection, with a huge big blue bus coming towards me.  Thankfully I was crossing on the "walk sign" but none the less, I found myself lying in the middle of the street, handbag emptied of contents and my laptop bag having flown 5 feet away.  I was dazed, bleeding down both legs and could not get up as I had badly sprained my ankle.  No one came to my aid immediately, as a matter of a fact one woman walked right over me, turned and looked back and laughed at me.  Her face is etched in my mind for ever.

A the lights for the cars turned green and the buses became impatient, an elderly gentleman (about 70ish) came to help me to my feet, picking up the contents of my bag, retrieving my laptop and assisted getting me to the other side where he made sure I was okay to call someone.

It was a horrible experience.  I was actually quite badly injured and my faith in human nature took a battering.  I cannot believe we live in a world where no one would offer assistance.  But I guess that’s Sydney for you. 

Maybe it’s time to think about a sea change to somewhere where people are not too busy to show a hint of human decency..

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/manners-in-motion-a-sorry-saga-of-commuter-indifference-20120314-1uzl1.html#poll

To Gok or not to Gok...

I admit to being a fashion junkie..  I have a wardrobe of clothes to prove it and I won't even start on the shoes..  I love TV shows about fashion, about what to wear and hat not to wear.  But lately I have been wondering whether shows like Gok's are simply excuses not to lose a bit of weight..

As most of you would know, Gok takes people who loathe their body, for what ever reason, and transforms their views and whole outlook on clothes.  I LOVE the concept, for I to admit to feeling "blah" on many occasions and not being able to find a thing to wear (refer back to paragraph 1; even I know that is a ridiculous statement!).

I feel too fat, too frumpy, I worry about, as Gok would put it, my "bangers" and my butt..  Then I tell myself to toughen up and get dressed.  The more I watch shows about women who need a transformation, the more I think we have become a world that accepts that being over weight is okay.  No, it's not okay.  It's unhealthy.

So maybe Gok et al need to encourage women to change their mind set on everything as well as what they wear to look good.  I know the likes of Gok, Trinny and Susannah etc try but perhaps they need to  make it a part of their shows every week - transform your mind, your body and your habits.

Just a thought.  And for the record I am not a size 6; I am a 12 (on a good day) to 14 (on a bad day); who knows she could do to lose a bit of weight and look after herself just that little more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gok_Wan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinny_and_Susannah

Paula Begoun, Olay & Skincare

I am lucky, I have been blessed with great genes, courtesy of my mum and my grandmother.  To this day, and I am the wrong side of 39 as of a few months ago, I am thankful for this and also thankful I didn't embark on a path of buying expensive moisturisers and skin care products..  You see, I'm an Olay girl, it was good enough for my mum and my grandmother, so it is good enough for me.  The only challenge that comes with that is actually admitting to people that is what I use, especially my beautician.  Up until recently I never told anyone but my closest friends my 'secret" (mixed with the good genes).

Until now.  Recently I was strolling through Cronulla, a wonderful beach side suburb in Sydney and I stumbled upon an independent book shop.  I spent ages just browsing and I found a book by Paula Begoun - WOW, what an eye opener.  It's called "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me", the 7th edition.  Honestly, it only confirmed what I thought I already knew about skin care products, but it was an interesting read (okay, the book is over 1000 pages, so I haven't read it all).  It is carefully crafted and rates hundreds of brands of skin care based on ingredients and cost, amongst other things.  Turns out that Olay is good (I should point out I use the Regenerist range, which for what it is and the cost, rates very well) and some of the others I have been "sucked" into using over the last few years are definitely not.

So, I have thrown off the shackles and now proudly admit that I use Olay and throw in the line about being blessed with great genes for good measure.  I'd encourage you to purchase the book or at least go on line and search for information if you are serious about your skin and what you use on it.  It's educational and proves great skin care products need not cost you 100's if not 1000's of dollars. 

At the end of the day there are no miracle creams, but this book can put you on the right path and help you choose what you put on your skin and what you should not (who knew witch hazel was as bad as alcohol!).

You will find more information at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Begoun

Meet Lily...

Lily is our five and a half year old Ragdoll X.  So named for her interest in a lily plant we had when we bought her home, not because I am a mad cat lady (reports suggest those who name their pets after commonly used children's names are trying to replace the fact they have no children, this is not true in our case).

We stumbled on Lily after searching for a cat for some time.  Our Blue Russian, Monte, had passed away four years earlier and we thought it time we adopted a cat looking for a loving home.  We tried the RSPCA and local animal shelters, all to no avail.  We even, against our better judgement, tried a pet shop, only to find the kitten were lucky to be 6 weeks old, which infuriated me no end (how can they be allowed to sell kitten this young?).

Then..  A few days later..  Walking down the main street of our local shopping strip there was a sign in the local florists window: "kitten free to good home".  I could see my poor husband sigh, he only had a few stipulations about us adopting another pet: no kittens, no long hair and definitely not white..  You guessed it - Lily is/was all three.  24 hours later she came home with us.

Our furniture has seen better days, she is mischievous, sometimes down right naughty, and our house looks like an igloo 24x7 because she malts 24x7.  But you know what, we wouldn't have it any other way.  She is definitely a welcome addition to our very mad house hold.  Fair to say she fits right in.

RIP Ian Turpie

It would be remiss of me not to mention Ian Turpie, he of the infamous line "Come on down" from the game show "The Price is Right". 

By all accounts a delightful man with a wicked sense of humour who will be sadly missed by the Australian public.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Turpie

Summer in Sydney. I'm feeling a little ripped off...

As we drift further into March, autumn in the southern hemisphere, when the days are getting shorter and the mornings darker, I can't help but feel a LOT ripped off about the no show of summer in Sydney.  Actually, I think if you ask most of Australia about summer, they feel somewhat robbed as well (except Perth, but it's always been a bit odd and done its own thing anyway).

It feels like it has been raining for ever, and while that is an exaggeration, of sorts, I know the meteorologists will back me up all the way!  In late February we had more rain in a week than in a decade! A decade!  And in December in one week we only had 45 minutes of sun (oh I remember it well, it was late one Sunday afternoon and you could hear the collective cheer go up through out Sydney before we realised the sun was only teasing and it disappeared as quickly as it poked its way through the clouds!).

I tried to remain upbeat - rain is better than raging fires that have become somewhat synonymous in Australia over the years (that have caused catastrophes of major magnitude, so I do not say this lightly).  And yet, very slowly, that upbeat feeling ebbed away..  

So as autumn descends on us, I shall try to delight in the leaves changing colour, being able to dust off my gorgeous boots I purchased in New York in late 2011 (and here's a surprise, it rained for most of the time we were there!), Sundays spent in the beer garden with good friends, clinging to any rays of sunshine as the days get cooler and the reintroduction of "stodgy" food as we prepare for winter.

And I shall try to do it with a smile.  All the while putting out a silent prayer for a better summer next year..