Welcome back to the second edition of the wrap up.

It’s been a busy few weeks. We’ve been introducing the Sundstrom team one by one, we released the final HSEQ Leaders podcast episode of the year, and we’ve shared plenty of thoughts on careers and hiring along the way.

Here’s the round up.

Meet the Sundstrom team

Over the past few weeks we’ve put the spotlight on each member of the team. If you haven’t met them yet, here’s who’s who.

Andy Rankin, Associate Director.

Andy leads our consulting team while staying hands-on in the WA HSEQ market. He has more than twelve years of recruitment experience in WA, five of them specialising in Health & Safety, and much of his role is coaching, mentoring and improving process so each consultant can focus on what they do best.

Tori Donaghey, Manager, Temporary & Contracting.

Tori has specialised in temporary and contract recruitment for her whole career, connecting HSEQ professionals with businesses across WA’s process and operational mining sectors. Her service covers leave cover, short-term support, longer-term project support and temporary cover while a permanent recruitment drive is under way.

Milly Green, Consultant, Temporary & Contracting.

Milly specialises in non-operational FIFO HSEQ appointments across construction, commissioning and project work throughout Western Australia. She started in temporary recruitment in education in Wales before moving to Australia and into HSEQ, and she brings a practical, solutions-focused approach to a fast-moving market.

Daniel Horsfield, Principal Consultant, Environment & Sustainability.

Daniel leads our environmental and sustainability recruitment across WA. His focus is on building strong networks in the sector and understanding both sides of an appointment: what the organisation genuinely needs, and what experienced professionals want from their next move.

Janet Murray, Executive Assistant.

There’s a lot involved in running a specialist recruitment business beyond finding the right people for the right roles, and that’s where Janet comes in. With a background in injury management and workforce operations, she keeps the day-to-day running smoothly so our consultants can focus on clients and candidates.

Fergus Maclean, FIFO HSEQ recruitment.

Fergus works with organisations and professionals across Western Australia’s mining and resources sectors. Recruiting for FIFO operations takes an understanding of the industry, the working environment and what matters to people on site.

Bryony, our newest team member.

Bryony brings five years of recruitment experience and works closely with Andy, supporting permanent HSEQ recruitment across Perth. We’re pleased to have you on board.

On the podcast

For the final HSEQ Leaders episode of the year, we sat down with Tiana Connor to talk through her career journey, from nursing in the Wheatbelt to overseeing risk and governance in the not-for-profit and community sector.

Tiana was also the inaugural recipient of the Sundstrom Recruitment WHS Scholarship, so it was a fitting chance to reflect on her development and the experiences that have shaped her career. Her path is a good reminder that HSEQ careers rarely run in a straight line.

• 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slqFVEdRPTI
• 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0E8KSJCtikBqYYS6DYVK6W?si=AjdqsE6ASpujLnZ9xTTxQg&nd=1&dlsi=072361e3acac4904

Tips from the past month

A few of the posts that got the most conversation, split by who they’re most useful for.

If you’re thinking about a move

Changing employers isn’t always the answer.

If progression is what’s frustrating you, start by finding out what’s possible where you already are. Have you told your manager what you want? Do they know you’re after more responsibility? There might be a project to own, someone to mentor or a capability to build. Sometimes the next step genuinely isn’t available, but plenty of people start looking elsewhere before they’ve had the conversation internally. A good career move should solve something, and it doesn’t always need a resignation.

Think carefully about counteroffers.

If you resign and your employer suddenly finds more money, ask why you started looking in the first place. If it was progression, workload, leadership or the direction of the business, a pay rise may only delay the decision. Accepting isn’t automatically a bad move, though. If the employer genuinely fixes the reasons you wanted to leave, staying can be the right call. A better salary in exactly the same situation that made you unhappy is worth a second thought.

You don’t need to tick every box.

Job descriptions turn into wish lists quickly. Find someone who matches every requirement and you’ve probably found someone already doing the same job somewhere else. The better hire is sometimes the person with 80% of the experience and the ability to grow into the rest. We’ve seen strong candidates rule themselves out for missing one requirement, and employers nearly overlook good people for the same reason.

If you’re hiring

Before you refill a role, work out what it looks like today.

Position descriptions rarely keep up with reality. The person leaving may have taken on extra responsibilities, built important relationships or become the unofficial expert on things written down nowhere. Ask what they do that isn’t in the position description, what capability will genuinely be missing, and whether the business needs exactly the same thing going forward. Sometimes a resignation is a chance to rethink the role rather than simply refill it.

Keep candidates in the loop.

When a good candidate withdraws late, it’s easy to assume they were never that interested. Often another opportunity appeared, their employer gave them a reason to stay, or the process went quiet long enough that they started questioning the move. A recruitment process doesn’t need to happen overnight, but it does need momentum. If there’s going to be a delay, say so. Good candidates don’t expect everything immediately, they expect to know what’s happening.

The best interviewer isn’t always the best hire.

Some capable, respected HSEQ professionals struggle to sell themselves in an interview, while some polished candidates know exactly what to say. For HSEQ roles, we’d want to know how someone has handled difficult situations, influenced operational teams and made decisions when things haven’t gone to plan. You don’t always get those answers from the most polished person in the room.

Get in touch

That’s it from us for this edition. If you’re exploring your next move, or you’re hiring and want an honest conversation about the HSEQ market, drop us a message or get in touch with the team through our website.

https://www.sundstromrecruitment.com.au/

And if you know someone who’d find this useful, feel free to pass it on.

The Sundstrom Team