The first in five years where I've had both my children within touching distance and, I have to say, it is a huge relief for my anxiety levels!
One very big positive that COVID-19 has given me, is my daughter home again after living overseas for the last five years. My son and I both recently moved into the same apartment building, so now we are all three under one roof again.
As a close-knit little family unit, and being a single parent for the majority of their lives, my children are my world and one of the main reasons that I ended up with the career I have.
Being a single parent was rewarding but bloody hard work, especially in the mid-to-late nineties. Work was scarce, technology scarcer, day care even more limited.
Options were small, money was tight.
Those challenges meant I had to make decisions to keep us all fed, clothed and with a roof over our heads.
One of those decisions was moving back to my home town of Kalgoorlie to find work (Boulder really, but not many people know where that is!). Knowing I had family support and my best friend of 45-plus years (who is also family after that length of time), made it the most sensible and best option for us.
I was lucky enough to find work as a "personnel consultant" at one of the few recruitment agencies in town. That started me on a career that has allowed me to travel the world, have amazing learning experiences, go to University in my 40's and provide a safe and secure home for my children. Added bonus of making a tonne of lifelong friends, and having loads of fun and laughter along the way!
Recruitment (or talent acquisition as it has evolved to) not only gave me the financial ability to raise my family, but the opportunity to add to my skills in many ways: shared services, global leadership of teams, business strategy and operating models, working with failing businesses (huge learnings!) as well as very successful businesses and people.
It has allowed me to expand my knowledge of people from straight "skills assessments" that we used in the 90's to understanding and assessing behaviours, trying to really strike the sweet spot of aligning people to roles and organisational fit. (It starts with recruitment, but boy it continues tenfold through the employee life-cycle!)
Today, thanks to the opportunities I've had and their own hard work, my children are both smart, emotionally intelligent, successful adults living their own versions of adulthood and on completely different trajectories career-wise. But one thing they both have in common is their innate belief in the best of people and the importance of family. Today, as always, I am one proud Munna.
Thank you recruitment, you have served us all well.
Happy Mother's Day
Author: Jude Mahony
10th May 2020
The Optimal Resourcing mapping of your future workforce approach includes:
identification of critical roles and skills that fit your immediate needs and long-term strategy,
an adaptable workforce composition plan, with flexible, scalable options to suit VUCA business environments,
talent retention and acquisition strategies that ensure your team can continually evolve to meet the changing demands of your business.
