Welcome to the second of our monthly interview series called ’10×10′. Ten questions presented to ten specialist recruiters. Our interview this month is with Alison Fortuna.

Based in our Sydney office, Alison Fortuna is a Property & infrastructure recruitment specialist working predominately with public sector and Government clients. Ali took time to sit down with us as part of our 10×10 Series to discuss recruitment, her career, personal insights and future industry trends.

1. Tell us about your career, and how you got started in the recruitment industry?

I started my career young, at just 17, working in real estate in my home city of Canberra. After several happy years I did what many locals do and joined the Public Service. My Government career saw me work in various roles within Safe Work Australia, including their Property, Secretariat and Governance, and Contracts and Procurement Departments. Working in government was great, but Sydney was calling me.

I have to be honest, starting a career in recruitment wasn’t planned. When I moved to Sydney I applied for a Property Management role, but the recruitment company seeing my career and love of interacting with people, instead offered me a job. It was a leap of faith, but an amazing one and I haven’t looked back!

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“To succeed in recruitment today it’s all about developing relationships and partnering with our clients.”

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2. How has the recruiting process changed since those early days?

In my time I have seen recruitment evolve from being very transactional, to one that requires a more collaborative and longer-term approach. To succeed in recruitment today it’s all about developing relationships and partnering with our clients.

3. What is the latest recruitment trend that’s made you take notice?

Candidate sourcing is really evolving. Gone are the days where recruiters can sit back and be reactive, relying on applicants coming through from job boards such as Seek. To be successful and effective today, you need to implement a more pro-active and varied approach to source and then meet the best candidates.

4. Based on your experience, what do you think will happen within recruitment over the next five years?

I think technology will continue to evolve and will provide us with further opportunities to manage our recruitment processes more effectively, creating more time for us to focus on the human aspect. Moving forward, recruitment will be more about partnerships and collaboration with our clients, and long-term career guidance for job seekers.

5. How important is diversity in the workplace and do you have any advice for employers?

This is an easy one. A diverse team is more representative of your customer base. To truly understand what they need, businesses need teams with a diverse range of opinions and experience, which all helps improve decision making, problem solving and ultimately your offering.

Capstone provides unique sourcing strategies and continuously consults with clients to help educate them around innovative ways to build a more diverse and inclusive working environment.

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“It’s important to partner with a company that shares the same values and to ensure that the recruiters’ approach is aligned with yours.”

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6. Not all recruitment companies are the same, so what questions should a client ask when choosing one?

It’s important to partner with a company that shares the same values and to ensure that the recruiters’ approach is aligned with yours. Find out how they source their candidates; whether they rely on job boards, or utilise a more people focused and diverse strategy. It’s also important to partner with a company that has specialist consultants within the area you a looking to grow. They will have an existing network in that field and can open conversations with potential candidates with ease.

7. How do you source candidates for specific roles, and do you have any advice for those seeking to further their careers?

According to the latest stats from the ABS (August 2018), there is 1 job seeker to every 15.79 jobs, as such sourcing must be both proactive and multi-channel. The best way to achieve success is to utilise a wide industry network (which takes time to build) and a current database, as well employing active sourcing via digital platforms such as LinkedIn and Seek Premium Talent Search.

I would advise job seekers to ensure their LinkedIn profile is up to date, relevant and highlights their achievements and key responsibilities. LinkedIn has 467 million active users worldwide and is set to remain the most powerful professional platform. Build your network! When making connections on LinkedIn, focus on quality and relevance, as opposed to how many you can collect.

8. How do you measure success?

Success is different to everyone. To me it means enjoying what I do, at the same time helping everyone (the Capstone team, our clients and candidates) achieve their goals. For me success is also about being able to spend quality time with friends and the people I love, and having the financial freedom to choose the life I want to live.

9. What do you consider the most rewarding aspect about your job?

I love being able to help people plan and choose the next step in their career. To help build successful teams and know I’ve been an integral part of that process. We work with peoples’ futures, their happiness, their dreams and aspirations. It’s an amazing job!

10. Tell us about someone you admire and why.

Captain Starlight! Capstone has recently partnered with the Starlight Foundation and as a result we were invited to visit the new Starlight Express room at Sydney Children’s hospital. We saw first-hand the incredible and tireless work they do giving sick kids and their families a break from the relentless cycle of medical treatments and procedures. If you’re thinking of donating to a charity please consider them!

Alison Fortuna is a specialist Property & Infrastructure recruitment consultant working within our Government Division. Ali focusses on Planning and Policy, specifically interim/consulting roles within the public sector for clients including NSW Government Departments and Agencies, Councils, Housing Associations, and Not-for-Profits. Get to know Ali by connecting with her via LinkedIn or by email.