As a Secondary Teacher turned Recruiter, I am well-aware of how the decisions we make in our youth can influence the paths we take in our future. I frequently speak with junior candidates and recent Graduates who have no idea when it comes to career aspirations, and I strongly believe this is due to a lack of direction and guidance in those critical final years at school.



I remember the Career Education I received; I answered some form of online questionnaire and it gave me recommendations of “suitable careers”, none of which were of particular interest. I was utterly unaware of the kaleidoscope of career opportunities that were available and ended up falling into the Education sector because that’s where my mother worked. Often, a child’s career choices are influenced by what they know i.e. the careers of the adults around them. The only way to better equip our youths to make these life-altering decisions is to better educate them on the different paths they can take.

In Australia, as in many other countries around the world, there is a shortage of women in STEM roles. This disparity can be clearly traced back to secondary schools, as there is a huge difference between the number of boys vs girls choosing to further study STEM subjects at University. Numerous studies have pointed to gender bias as a contributing factor as those subjects are seen as ‘masculine’ and thus become male-dominated. Better education for girls about the different roles available in those industries would surely help to address that imbalance. In my last role, I was a young, female secondary mathematics teacher, and I would like to think that I had some small impact in influencing the students I taught and helping them realise that you should not allow yourself to be limited by stereotypes.

Similarly, as a Recruitment Consultant my aim is to better educate people about the opportunities available to them and to help them in pursuing their careers. I am more than happy, as are any of the Consultants here at Cox Purtell, to go through interview prep with my candidates if they are nervous or help them update their resumes to better showcase their skillset. Some people think that all recruiters are cold sales people that are purely driven by money but truly, what motivates me is the satisfaction in knowing that I am helping people achieve their goals.