Jodie, tell us about Wear for Success. 

Wear for Success is a Melbourne-based organisation supporting people of all genders return to work. We recently kicked off our “impact 5000” campaign. Our goal is to positively impact 5000 people per year by 2022! Our service addresses a real need and a gap in the market. 

We try to help as many people as possible. We provide access to our services through Wear for Success in Melbourne and delivered a mobile service to support people in Geelong — we will look towards assisting in other rural locations too. When there is a need, we also look to provide services interstate too. 

Tell us about the partnership between Wear for Success and RecFest.

It’s amazing how connected people are these days! Andrea had a connection through one of our volunteers. When we spoke at the beginning of the year, and The Recruitment Events Co. made us their charity partner for RecFest. 5% of all ticket sales will contribute to Wear for Success. 

There’s a real synergy between our purpose and recruitment. Andrea contacted us, as she appreciated that we support people of all genders, people who are transitioning, and people who are non-binary. If someone has a need for our service, it doesn’t matter how they identify; we can help.

We’ve worked with other recruitment organisations who also love what we do. It’s an important service. I’m really excited for RecFest in October this year in Melbourne. 

Why should Australian recruitment and talent acquisition leaders attend RecFest? 

I think anywhere you have the opportunity to meet with likeminded people and learn new things in your community is great. It’s fantastic to find your tribe and meet others. It also provides the potential for collaboration. People are very openminded and open to innovation at this event. It’s a goldmine! 

What are you most excited about for RecFest? 

I always love the opportunity to meet and connect with different people. I’d love to raise awareness about our services for recruiters. Some people are diamonds in the rough. If they could be supported by Wear for Success, they can become an amazing candidate! 

The people who use our services visit us based on need, for example, people on Newstart or who are struggling financially. We give them the opportunity to put their best foot forward, and they can be seen as really great candidates by recruiters. By using our services, they can present themselves in the best way possible. 

The people we support are incredible. But some just don’t have the networks to link into or the support. Sometimes, all they need is some encouragement from a service like Wear For Success. If more of us work together, there would be more happy and successful people out there. 

What are your thoughts on this year’s theme, “heroes”?

I may have to wear my Wonder Woman cape. 

Overall, I just love meeting new people and learning new things. There are a diverse array of speakers from different backgrounds. It’s going to be incredible. 

The Recruitment Marketing Mag team will be RecFest. We hope to see you there! 

Register for the event and purchase tickets through The Recruitment Events Co. Australia website. 

The post The recruitment event supporting Wear for Success  appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Tell us about yourself, Hung. 

As CEO for Workshape.io, we offer an automated tool for organisations to hire software engineers and connect with them in a way they prefer, that is, away from emails and advertisements. Instead, we collect information about what developers want to accomplish, help them visualise it, and match services to their company vision,  

I also started a weekly newsletter, Recruiting Brainfood, and it’s become very popular over the last couple of years. I collect the best and most interesting industry news to share with my colleagues.

How did Recruiting Brainfood begin? 

I was getting frustrated in my own discovery of content about industry trends, it was difficult to do. The world is very noisy! There’s great content, but it’s overwhelmed by clickbait. I wanted to create a collection of content that I myself would like to read, and then share that with others. 

It works adjacently to work at Workshape.io. I never intended for Brainfood to become a business, but that is what it has grown into. It’s an important service to provide, as that is what our audience is really interested in. 

Last year, you were the MC for RecFest. Will you be doing the same this year? 

Yes, it was fantastic! I’m honoured to do it again this year.  

Why would you say to talent acquisition leaders considering attending RecFest? 

If you have the opportunity to go, you should definitely take part! It is a unique conference. RecFest comes from the idea that it’s possible to get together with people in the industry, learn and have fun. Conferences don’t have all of those elements. People have the change to build a community and relationships, and experience a real depth of emotional enrichment by being there. You’ll be inspired, refreshed, make connections, and come away being motivated to do great things for your organisation.  

I’m really enthusiastic about events. Good events always deliver great ROI. And this event is 10 times a typical event. It really is a place to get a lot of value from, commercially, emotionally, and professionally. 

What are you most excited about for RecFest? 

I’m really excited about the freshness of it. There’s always a demand for the event. I’m excited to see the format Andrea (Director for The Recruitment Events Co.) will come up with. 

 I love the collaboration aspect. Delegates contribute to the event and transform the space into a place where people absorb information and contribute to the construction of the event. 

Attendees can expect to get close to the edges of their comfort zone; that’s where most learning takes place!

Also, I’ve heard Derek Redmond, our keynote speaker present. He’s a great athlete and a phenomenal speaker. I thought he was the best speaker I’ve ever heard, hands down! Other speakers live purely off name recognition, but Redmond is a natural deliverer of content.  

For people who are thinking about attending, even if they have never attended a recruitment event before (surprisingly, many recruitment professionals haven’t), this is the event to go to. 

 The Recruitment Marketing Mag team will be RecFest. We hope to see you there! 

Register for the event and purchase tickets through The Recruitment Events Co. Australia website. 

The post Recruiting Brainfood’s Hung Lee is gearing up for RecFest  appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.

Andrea, why should Australian recruitment and talent acquisition leaders attend RecFest this year? 

Unlike other conferences, we have a real focus on peer-to-peer learning. We don’t just sit attendees in front of a speaker and make them listen. We integrate table conversations so people can connect with others, and those tables move around all day!

People who attend are absolutely committed to the wider recruitment that’s at work in Australia. It’s a load of fun and unlike any other conferences!

Not to mention, it’s a cost-effective form of professional development for TA leaders and their teams. Often, teams attend the event, hear messages, and apply it to what they are working on, instead of just leaders listening and repeating it back to their teams. It’s a great way for teams to learn and be inspired.

While the majority of attendees are from Melbourne, people are travelling interstate and from overseas. Travel costs are always an important consideration, but it’s a relatively cost-effective form of professional development and a really great opportunity for people to come together.

What can attendees expect? What is exclusive to RecFest that attendees won’t get at any other recruitment event? 

Expect lots of great content and short sharp half-hour presentations! Our speakers are more practical than theoretical, so attendees will gain some key takeaways that they can apply to their workplaces.

Attendees also have access to our speakers. We have “ask me anything” sessions sponsored by Indeed with the speakers where people have the opportunity to ask follow up questions to explore ideas and topics in more detail.

The other thing that’s quite exclusive is our evening Recfest Rocks segment where people can network in a casual setting. Our vendors don’t take people away to conduct exclusive events, everyone comes together.

Our events are very equal. We don’t have name tags, so you could be sitting next to anyone – a talent acquisition coordinator, the head of talent acquisition or a vendor. At our events, everyone is the same and is there to create communities. It’s about connecting.

Tell us more about this year’s theme. 

Our theme this year is “heroes”. Last year, our event theme was “Spring” (spring to action, the revolutionary Arab Spring). This year, it’s about the good things we can accomplish through recruitment. Our vendors will host tables and decorate them with the “hero” theme. I hope someone does a David Bowie table…

We really encourage people to have fun with the theme. Some people decorate their hair or work aspects into their outfits. We want to focus on all the good ways we can help people and improve the way we work through recruitment. It’s really a celebration of recruitment.

Not only this, but 5% of ticket sales contribute to Wear for Success, helping disadvantaged people return to work.

What are you most excited about for RecFest? 

I’m so excited! It’s always amazing to see recruiters coming together and the decorated tables. Imagine all those 300 recruiters in capes as superheroes in the main room! There will be so many people in the room having fun and learning.

Our second stage is currently being developed with Pass Technology sponsoring it. The first part of the morning will be people matters, and the afternoon will be about “disruption” using technology with more discussion-style sessions.

Who are you excited to hear speak? Who are your keynote speakers? 

Many of our Australian speakers are all members of our Resourcing Leaders 100 Group. This group meets regularly to discuss recruitment. (Find the full list of speakers here.) 

One of our major sponsors is Thomas International. Derek Redmond is a British Olympian with a truly inspiring story about his journey and crossing the finish line. He is a performance consultant, and motivational, inspirational and keynote speaker who works with Thomas International. I’m really looking forward to hearing him speak about his experiences, overcoming barriers and how to set goals to achieve a vision. It will be so great to have an Olympian onstage.

The Recruitment Marketing Mag team will be RecFest. We hope to see you there! 

Register for the event and purchase tickets through The Recruitment Events Co. Australia website. 

The post Why talent acquisition professionals are heading to RecFest in October!  appeared first on Recruitment Marketing.