Written by: Katrina Lubiano
Lucy Wilson is a Director of People & Culture at Leadbolt, one of the fastest growing companies in Australia and a global leader in mobile advertising.
A successful, energetic, and charismatic personality, Lucy was once a candidate looking for temp work through majer. I caught up with Lucy, who is now based in Sydney as she shares valuable insight into her HR experience and working with a recruitment agency for hiring.
Q: majer connected you to your temp role at PwC which led to a permanent role in HR. Broadly speaking, what has been the key takeaway earlier on in HR that has shaped how you’ve progressed in your career?
A: I’m often told I’m not the traditional HR Leader, my background is different, so I’ve really worked hard at building meaningful relationships/connections and quality networks.
As a Leader it’s also my job to know who the “up and coming talent” is and where we are going to go to find them, so the relationship becomes more and more important. Given our focus is usually on others and organisations, sometimes we don’t necessarily keep your eye on the bigger picture and future planning for our own careers.
I believe the connections we build are integral in planning both our future and also connecting others with opportunities – which is something I love to do. Building those networks is how you’re going to get that trusted, sound advice whether that be from colleagues or mentors that will lead to making active decisions in your career. If you take on that role, where will that lead you? Does it align with your values and where you see yourself in the future? Especially as a woman, we really need to make active and strategic choices in our next steps.
It’s also important to share aligned values with the organisation, as you are going to be the poster child for them as an HR leader. Understand the organisation’s DNA before you take on the role, ask for thoughts from trusted advisors and remember to think about the future.
Q: What are some of your best networking practices for building quality relationships?
A: One of the things I learnt at PwC and have always taken with me is to “stay commercial” I love the news and reading. I chat within different HR forums and Linkedin regularly. It’s important to build on your LinkedIn presence and use that technology to your advantage in order connect with people, but there is no better way to connect than by making time to meet people face-to-face.
I schedule an hour or so once a fortnight to catch-up with people whether that’s over coffee, lunch, a walk, or popping into an office to say hello. The one thing I’ve established, for what it’s worth, for networking is that you only need a couple of really good, positive, well thought-out contacts to connect with who act as the best PR agents for you.
I think we use the word “mentor” quite loosely, a great coach and great mentor to me have different roles. Having played both roles as a mentor and mentee, I’ve learned you must connect and that takes time, it’s not right for everyone you meet. You need to have a mutually beneficial purpose and have something valuable to share and of course putting in the time to
nurture that relationship.
Q: Having been on the other side, using a recruitment agency to find work and now when looking to hire, what qualities do you look for in a candidate?
A: This largely depends on the role and the company culture.The success of a candidate and client is largely based on making that cultural fit.
Overall, I’m looking for a candidate who loves coming into work and shows an interest in their chosen field outside of the office and can bring in a diversity of thought and innovation. It’s not always easy to find these people.
If I’m hiring through a recruitment agency, I expect the candidate to have clever listening skills and have taken the recruiter’s interview briefing seriously.
