There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein that says – “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”– and as we all know this extremely talented visionary went on to change the world! Living a life with an energy, or passion, can keep us going through the tough times and periods of uncertainty. For Peter Francis, his career has been driven by a passion, and a love for people, operations and organisation, that has allowed him to accomplish anything he set his mind to and to live life to the fullest extent possible.
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your role.
Although I am Australian born, I called New Zealand home for a number of years from 1989 to 2015. My partner and I have been together 35 years and still can make each other laugh.
I found my passion for Human Resources in 1996, studying and working in the field – which seems like a lifetime ago but still only yesterday! I enthusiastically worked my way up to managing HR for a large supermarket in Auckland before moving back to Australia. A true generalist in HR, I still enjoy the work of operational and strategic HR administration.
What are two positives you can tell us about your new situation due to the current Covid-19 climate?
1) Apparently I qualify for the JobSeeker payment which will help as there is very little in the way of jobs for me to apply for. In saying this, I did manage to secure a role with Telstra, not in HR, but have not heard when I am to start. They may have over recruited, but either way I will be happy to help out at this time if they call on me (casual engagement).
2) My partner was stood down in mid-March in his role, so we have been self-isolating together. It is nice to see him relaxed and fortunately he will qualify for the JobKeeper payment as his employer will re-open when things improve.
What is the best career advice you have received?
Easy to hire; hard to fire is a saying that has stuck with me. (This is particularly true in New Zealand as there is no NES probation period and it can be quite litigious if an unfair dismissal is pursued through the Employment Relations Authority or Court).
The other great piece of advice that I took personally was – Go back to Varsity and study Human Resource Management – which I thought would be a moot point at the time – but turns out this was the best thing I ever did for my career. I now have a Graduate Diploma in HRM and I am very proud of this as it is difficult to fit in study when working full-time as HR Manager.
Describe Majer in three words:
- Professional,
- Personable, and
- Realistic.
Want to set out on your next career adventure? Suzie, Nia and Nelita are just a phone call away (07) 3253 6565.
