Get To Know Team TM: Ange
Ange is our Founder & Director who started the Talent Mill 6 years ago! Ange has dedicated her career to Retail and Fashion and has worked in Recruitment for over 10 years. During this time Ange has built quite the reputation internationally and within Australia and The Talent Mill has gone on to become one of the best in the Industry, all thanks to her commitment to her Clients and Candidates. We asked Ange some fun and insightful questions to get to know her more!
Q. Tell us about your career background?
I dived headfirst into full time work out of school. School didn’t really do it for me as I am a practical on the job learner so getting out and making money was way more appealing to me!
I started on the shop floor initially as a Sales Assistant, before pestering my National Manager to promote me to a Store Manager role at 18, I moved around NZ with my company supporting them with store openings and recruitment, as well as working from a base store.
This led to me becoming an Area Manager and National Retail Manager with a remit of 24 stores at 24 years old, before I relocated to Europe after 8 years and made my way into agency Recruitment specialising in Luxury Retail in 2011, 13 years later – I have worked both in-house as a Global Recruitment Manager, Talent Acquisition Manager and set up The Talent Mill in 2018!
Q. What is your most valued career achievement?
I am a career girly - and have absolutely dedicated myself to it – so its hard to say!
I am also very hard on myself and have high expectations – but we just celebrated our Xmas at Team Talent Mill on Friday and it was such a pinch me moment to think that we have such a dedicated, talented team who love what they do, and we get to work with so many incredible clients and candidates.
“I really love what we have built - Its not often I pause to reflect on what we have achieved, and it was really beautiful! ”
Q. What is your go to work playlist to get you through the day?
Spotify’s energizing focus mix!
Q. What about you makes you great at your job?
I guess I would summarise it by saying I am a real people person - I love understanding what makes someone tick, I have a logical and analytical way of thinking, I am very resilient, and I am relentless.
My Dad actually banned me from saying “I can’t“ as a child and it’s something that has stuck with me since. I don’t believe in limiting language, I believe we are so powerful and can do anything we put our minds to!
I think you develop a really incredible sense of intuition in this role, you can just feel when something isn’t right or aligned. I would never want someone to make a move because they feel they have to.
I really enjoy being a source of support for my clients and candidates and that is what drives me. I want them to find the right person or job and if I have been a part of that then fab if not then that is ok too.
Q. What is your idea of success?
Feeling happy and at peace. I don’t love a rigid routine, so success is living a life by design!
Q. Tell us 3 things that are most important to you!
Obviously, the business is right up there but I will try and think outside of that!
My family especially my nieces and nephews – I love that we are so close, and I am really proud of them!
My pup Frank – he has taught me many lessons this year, but he is just the best! When he isn’t being a naughty teenager!
My friends – I have developed amazing relationships through living in so many places and I have a lot of enduring friendships that I really cherish!
Q. What brands are you loving right now?
I am a huge Ganni and Anine Bing fan, loving emerging brands like Lovaan, and Elka Collective are just getting it so right at the moment!!
Q. Tell us something we would never guess about you?
I LOVE fitness – it feels very interconnected with high performance and for me it’s a non-negotiable to move my body every day through high intensity gym classes and running.
I would 100% own a gym if I didn’t have the Talent Mill! Or running a recruitment training business 😉
Q. Describe your perfect day.
Life has been very busy lately – I am pretty excited to go off grid and camp for a few days – kiwi summer, bbq, read my book and unwind sounds pretty perfect to me right now!
Q. If you could have anyone in the world be your dinner guest, who would it be?
David Attenborough!
Q. When you started The Talent Mill, did you envisage it would be what it now is?
Oh my god no!! I thought it was going to be me, myself and I forever!! But switching off is already my weakness so it probably wasn’t a sustainable model 😉 I just wanted to learn and grow and ultimately live life on my terms – to reflect on it now, I am SO proud and it’s really important to me that we maintain our quality and our reputation.
I am endlessly passionate about ethical recruitment, I am not into icky transactional relationships – and I have always wanted to offer our team really strong training that reflects that, the recruitment industry has really inconsistent training standards and I really feel for the entry level Recruiters who are chucked in with some really stringent KPI’s. I want our team to feel successful and proud of being a Recruiter. I had incredible teachers in this industry who really gave me the tools to start a successful business, and I want to have a similar impact on my team.
Q. If there was a piece of wisdom you could pass onto someone just starting out there career, what would it be?
Just say yes to giving things a go! Put your hand up and let people know that you are excited to learn! Say yes to a conversation that allows you to learn more about a role or company.
Our preconceived ideas and assumptions hold us back so much in life. You have to be relentless in pursuing what you want, your career is going to hold a lot of challenges that you need to navigate, and you are the one responsible for making it happen, so just keep going and let the road unfold before you!
Finally, your reputation is your personal brand, look after it, close doors quietly and always try to hold that idea of how you want to be thought of in your mind when you react or make career decisions.
Q. Give us a life hack!
As a reformed messy gal – I can not stress enough that the steps towards Organisation Queen are simple!
Make your bed EVERY DAY, and write a to do list before you finish for the day – the rest will follow!
“Ange was incredible to work with as a recruiter as I was securing my role as Head of People and Culture. Her communication was consistent and she approached every conversation with transparency, professionalism and kindness. I’ve already recommended Ange to others to work with and I’m really grateful for her help in a fantastic recruitment process.”
If you’d like to connect with Ange to take the next step in your career or to join our portfolio of clients please email ange@thetalentmill.com.au today.
By Angela Millar // Edited By Shannon Parsons