OK, here we go... I take a deep breath and here we go... entering into this new world of web2.0. OK so far so good, the water seems to be fine, no sharks yet. Here's a wave though... content... hmmmm, I have heaps to say, but where will it actually go, will anyone be interested.

Firstly, about me... That's what I tell people it all is... IT IS ALL ABOUT ME :)

I have been Recruiting for over 10 years now, specifically in the IT arena in Melbourne, Australia (unfortunately, not as warm as the Florida version). I started my career, as most of us do by "falling" into Recruitment, and now, 10 years later I cannot get enough. I am currently the Recruitment Manager for an ASX listed Software Solutions Consulting company called DWS Advanced Business Solutions. This has been a fun ride, joining as the first person to focus solely on Recruiting when there were 110 of us, to helping the growth to where we stand now at nearing 600.

This time has seen one of my biggest professional challenges, getting the Recruitment function to be taken seriously as a genuine business partner, adding strategic value as well as general market intelligence. This is a long road, not one without its detours, but an interesting road none the less. I am proud to say I feel we are making some real progress. It is amazing how persistence, education and results make a real difference in perception.

I have found one of the biggest tools to get an organisation to take you or your department seriously is to begin to take yourself seriously. I have to admit I did have a bit of the inferiority complex, I had believed some of the bad press Recruiters receive, from candidates and businesses, when I worked in Agency Recruitment and was almost apologising for my existence in the HR team I joined when I joined DWS in a corporate role. I know many HR people, who look down on this function, saying "it is only a small bit of what I do", "I do the whole HR gamut". It took me quite a while to see this, however once I did, I was able to start the journey in the right direction.

Whilst I always knew we had a vital role, it was only once I moved out of the shadow of HR that I really began to believe it. From there on in, I have become a walking advertisement for the function, good, bad and ugly, I have inserted myself into conversations, and to the Management team to an extent. No one will believe or listen to you, if you don't believe it yourself. Once you believe in yourself, the function and especially being to deliver, then you are ready to make a difference.

If that is my one bit of advice to give anyone getting into Recruitment, that is it. KNOW, BELIEVE and TRUST that what you do is essential to the growth of an organisation. Go to work with that attitude and walk out the same way. Live it, and then it will become real.

If you have read this, thanks for your patience, I welcome any feedback or comments, this is my first effort as you can probably see.