Marilyn's Musings

I, Recruiter
A cautionary blog by Mark Thomas of mexec Improvements in the efficiency and affordability of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based computing have created an abundance of tools, software, and services for the recruitment industry. These have been largely embraced by the industry as they have significant potential to enhance staff efficiency and productivity, improve quality

Are we going to be in the same place in 5 years’ time?
I have been fortunate to travel quite a lot recently to several different conference in the MTP sector across Australia. It’s been great to be able to be out and about again to develop my knowledge further, meet with companies and also new potential candidates. (MTP = medical technologies, biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals sectors) MTAA –

3 What & Whys – Part 2
I recently talked on the 3 Big Whys to consider in your job search and hiring strategies for you and your business. The list of items that I can talk about seems to keep on growing each year. Today, I would like to highlight 3 more questions that have been asked of me by candidates

Do you DO what you say you’re going to DO?
One of the many complaints I hear from candidates is about their managers promising they will do a certain task for them, and then they don’t actually DO it. ‘They said they would do x … but it never happened.’ I also have personal experience of this and it cost my business unit significant

Dear Employers that are hiring,
“On yer bike…” I am upset, and I have had enough, but what can I do? The new bike I had ordered in January, which was going to arrive in March and then in April, is now not coming. When I rang on Friday to see where it was, they could not find the order.

To call or not to call? Here is the answer
As a recruiter, I am applying to jobs all the time. How does that work, you ask? I am competing against other agencies for the business of recruiting for organisations. Like many of you, I am continually going to interviews. Sometimes I win the role, other times I don’t. This week, I secured a role against

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
mexec speaks with Michelle Gallaher, digital health entrepreneur and CEO of Opyl, on the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Tell us a bit about what you do. Opyl provides access to AI-assisted decision support and clinical trial recruitment technologies for the life sciences and health industries. Our proprietary digital platforms aim to improve decision-making

The Great Resignation – I don’t want to talk about it!
It’s in the news and in my inbox every day. News about the Great Resignation, the Big Resignation or what some people are calling the Big Quit. But while many people in the US or elsewhere might be changing jobs leading to this so-called phenomenon, we’re not actually seeing it here. Australians are actually changing

Canva CV templates – a recruiter’s perspective
As recruiter I review 100s of CVs. Many of them are excellent, however many I see are filled with information that is irrelevant to the role being applied to or don’t provide enough information. Others have great content but are just really poorly laid out. Full of errors in spelling and grammar that distract from

Leadership and Culture – The 13 Day Jobs of Marilyn Jones
Recently, I was invited to speak at an industry masterclass on culture and leadership, being asked to draw on my own experiences and share them with the audience. While I’m happy to chat to others about their careers, I am not a great ad libber when it comes to talking about myself so in preparation

3 big Whys to consider in your job search
I am fortunate to be able to recruit some amazing positions for companies in science, health and technology. Companies that are developing new drugs and devices, or companies supporting those that are. Overall, I see that things are picking up in the health and technology sector as far as new positions go, which is great,

Referees – a key part of the recruitment process
Checking references is an important part of the recruitment process. It enables your potential employer to confirm the information you provided in your CV, your achievements and results and just as importantly the ‘soft skills’ you brought to the organisation like your communication style and work ethic. So, if references are a critical part of