My name is Damien Smith. In July 2019, I began my career at anzuk education as an Academy Recruitment Consultant. My role as an Academy Recruitment Consultant is to work alongside the different teams in our Sydney office to learn how the business operates, how to be a successful consultant and to ultimately support our teams in the delivery of their exceptional service. After spending the first few weeks working in the Business Services Team, learning the integral structures and administrations of the business, I have now joined the Early Childhood Permanent team where I support the team by primarily resourcing candidates to fill positions from Certificate III through to Directors of pre-schools in Independent schools. In the next couple of weeks I will move over to the Early Childhood Temporary Team where I will utilize the skills I have learned thus far to support the hustle and bustle of daily and short term casual bookings.
7.30am – I’m on the bus heading into the city for a 9am start. I like to give myself plenty of time to get into Surry Hills as the Spit Bridge traffic is notoriously problematic. It’s also a great opportunity to chill out and watch some netflix, read the newspaper and check out what’s happening in the world.
8.30am – Generally, I get to the office around 8.30am as this gives me the opportunity to ease into the morning then hit the ground running. It also means I can grab a coffee at one of the many local cafes. My favourite, and perhaps the favourite cafe of the entire Sydney team is ‘The Little Marionette’, which is just up the hill from the office. I can also take advantage of the daily breakfast provided at the office, take stock of my emails and make a plan for the day ahead.
9am – I like to start my morning off the phones doing some educator resourcing for the team. This is a great way to start the day and to tick off some goals early. It is also a great opportunity to engage with all of our teams as you will often find educators that would be great across multiple teams, not just my own.
10am – I jump on the phones and start trying to get in contact with candidates who I have identified for roles in permanent early childhood positions. Often during this time, candidates will be at work and won’t be able to pick up the phone, but by contacting them early in the morning, it gives them the opportunity to call me back in their lunch time or their next available opportunity. .
11am – During this time I will often sit in on a candidate interview with one of the consultants. At anzuk, we place an enormous emphasis on the quality of our educators. We always like to meet our educators face to face before we put anyone forward for a role. During the interviews, it is a great opportunity for us to get an understanding of an educator’s teaching philosophies, their experiences, goals and their desires for their next role. This means that we are able to provide our educators and clients with exceptional service and the best possible career match for their next position.
12pm – Lunch time. Surry Hills is home to some of the best restaurants, cafes and eateries in Sydney. It is also a short walk from a number of gyms, pools and green spaces. During my lunch break I like to have a quick lunch and get out for a coffee and a walk to get some sunshine and fresh air. As the beautiful Sydney weather continues to improve, I’m getting more and more excited about heading to the local aquatic centre to swim a few laps and freshen up in my lunch breaks.
1 pm – During this time, the temporary team is generally very busy as school days are coming to an end. I like to use this time to support the temporary team by helping them catch up on some reference checks. I also use this time to do some more resourcing and search for some new candidates for both Early Childhood teams.
4pm – This is generally the time I’m using to contact candidates as they finish work. I use this time to complete phone screens and ascertain their suitability for temporary and full time roles. Before I leave I take stock of my day, make a few notes reflecting on the tasks in my day that I found enjoyable, the tasks that I completed successfully and make a few goals for the next day thinking about the things that I can improve.
If you are interested in joining the a-team academy you can apply now on our website.
