Greetings from Your November TWIT Editor!
November has arrived, and I’m thrilled to be your TWIT editor this month! I’ve been looking forward to sharing the latest updates in our talent pipeline and giving you a preview of what’s in store for 2025.
Originally from the UK I’ve been living in bayside Melbourne for the last 20 years with a wife, 2 kids and my mini dachshund Rubi (The only person in the house who truly listens to me). In my spare time I can be found coaching basketball, watching ANY sport and short walks with Rubi and the family (She only has short legs and barks at anything that moves).
Reflecting on ATC2024
Can you believe it’s already been three weeks since the ATC conference? The team and I left those two days filled with energy, ideas, and inspiration. We were truly impressed by the talent acquisition community’s drive and the innovations happening across industries.
Discussing Talent and Hiring
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak at an offsite for our consulting team at the KPMG offices. We covered the usual hiring essentials – approvals, requisitions, and job briefings – but the real focus of the conversation was on interviewing. Particularly, on what interviewing should look/feel like for both the interviewers and the people interviewing with MYOB.
I had decided to split the room in half so that we could work in smaller groups and really listen to what the senior leadership team thought were the areas that were important to them and what might be important to our applicants.
The insights were eye-opening. Just because someone is a people leader doesn’t mean they automatically feel prepared to interview candidates. It highlighted areas that we had maybe assumed that our hiring leaders were prepared to have interviews with external applicants interested in working at MYOB. There is room for growth.
I was inspired by Matthew Lant’s presentation at ATC2024 which focused on unified hiring and it made me think about what we’re doing at MYOB currently.
We already have in the works our “License to hire” course where hiring leaders will go through sessions to understand things like preparing for interviews, unconscious bias and letting people get a real understanding of what it’s like to work in the role they are appling for.
But what I wasn’t prepared for is how much they wanted to get this right and how invested they were getting better at it.
Focusing on Internal Candidates
One statistic we’re particularly proud of is that around 36% of our hires come from within MYOB. We’ve spent the past 18 months discussing “squiggly line careers” – career paths that aren’t always vertical but still provide meaningful growth opportunities. Building a range of skills is beneficial for both the individual and the business.
What started as a session on the hiring process quickly evolved into a deeper discussion about our brand, EVP, and ensuring we support both our internal team and prospective hires.
Looking Ahead: Career Mapping, Process Structuring, and More!
The outcome? We’re creating a working group to map career paths within consulting, develop a business-specific interview process, and build a community for those interested in consulting at MYOB.
And that was just one Tuesday morning update! Stay tuned – November is shaping up to be an exciting month.
Links that caught my attention this week:
Unified Hiring
As I mentioned, Matthew Lant’s ATC2024 presentation made me reflect on how we are taking steps to unify our hiring process. Matt spoke to ATC in the lead up to the event and answered 3 questions about his journey at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
Why squiggly careers are better for everyone
Something that we’ve been promoting at MYOB for a little while and think it truly gives people more rounded skills when looking for those vertical moves in the future. Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis give a great TED talk on why squiggly line careers should be considered.
Nurturing Talent from within
REA group and enborder had a peek behind the curtain at REA’s internal mobility strategy in this webinar. It’s always good to see how other talent teams are navigating internal mobility.
CXC contingent workforce lunch
In Perth? ATC are heading your way with a line-up of excellent speakers for lunch at the Stables on 4 December. Let your contingent workforce colleagues know so they can express their interest in attending ASAP.
