A Word with Director and Founder Getleys Recruitment Colleen Getley
I’d name my autobiography…
“If in doubt, smile.”
To me success means…
I am lucky to have the means to be able to do what makes me happy for a living and I see that as success. Day to day, success to me means a job well done with all parties feeling happy and satisfied with our work. Outside of the work environment, success is being able to spend time with the people who are important to me and having time to do the things I love.
I made my first dollar…
Making jewellery. As a student, I made rings out of copper wire for a guy who dipped them in silver and sold them at the Cook St Markets (among other markers around the country). I got paid 50 cents a ring and made literally hundreds of rings! I think he sold them for $10 each.
The most rewarding part of my role is…
Making a perfect match, i.e. placing a great candidate into the ideal role for them. I get a real sense of achievement seeing people grow, succeed and develop as they move on from there, knowing that I had a part in making a true difference in their lives. If I can help a company or a person on their journey to their own success in some way, there is something awesome about knowing you helped make that happen.
The women who inspire me are:
In my role, I meet new women every day and I think each of them has something about them that we can take away as inspiration.
Women who are on their own, bringing up children and still rocking it in the business world inspire me. There is a lot of resilience, patience and selflessness in these women.
My Mum is amazing, probably the most articulate, creative, smart, practical and talented person I know. As kids she inspired us to “just do it”. If she wanted to do something, she would always figure out a way, and get it done.
The gender stereotype I can’t stand is…
The social perception still that some jobs are more suited to men simply because they have evolved that way. Companies in general still have a long way to go to truly recruit candidates for skills and capability exclusive of gender.
The change I want to see in 2019…
I want to see a real change in the mix of gender within roles, within organisation. Real change, not lip service. I feel there are still a lot of companies who on the head count can boast a percentage of diversity within their workforce, but on a closer look, the mix is still heavily weighted in roles that are traditionally gender specific.
