Who are you and what is your role at luvo Talent?

I’m Phil Hack and I’m the Head of Recruitment at luvo Talent.

What was your first job?

My first job was pulling pints working in a hotel in France. But my first ‘proper’ job was as a Resourcer when I was in my early twenties where I learned the fine art of recruitment, teamwork, and bloody hard work! Trust me in those days if you weren’t on the phone it was thrown at your head! Proper boiler room style.

What are your favourite things to work on?

It may sound clichéd, but I love anything to do with recruitment! After all these years I still get a buzz from placing a candidate, it could be a junior role such as First Level Helpdesk through to a Director of Digital Transformation, but I get a great deal of job satisfaction when I find the right candidate for the role.

I love working with people and helping to change lives for the better. Providing a candidate with a good career opportunity, placing them with a new employer, and knowing they will be happy there.

What does a typical day at luvo Talent look like for you?

Typically, I would drive to work and have a coffee catch-up with the team in the office. We would have a bit of friendly banter, followed by a stand-up to talk about the job roles, what needs to be done, and what needs to be prioritised and actioned. At lunchtime, I would try and squeeze in a quick run around Barangaroo, which I find helps to clear my mind. In the arvo’s, I’ll do some face-to-face meetings with candidates or clients. Who doesn’t like discussing a role over a beer or wine?!

For me, meeting in person is what an ideal day would look like. It’s so much better than virtual meetings, I feel it helps to break down barriers. There are more chances to talk and it’s easier to pick up on social cues such as body language and facial expressions. I think in-person meetings definitely help build relationships and trust.

What makes working at luvo Talent special?

The people! There is a great sense of camaraderie within the luvo team. Everyone at luvo loves what they do for a living, and I believe this shows because there’s this positive energy and that transpires with our achievements.

One of our workplace mantras is to always do as we say and live by our actions. We aim to find the best solutions for our clients, and we never shy away from challenges.

The other thing I love about this company is they give back. Luvo supports several charities and often attends fundraising events. It is something the Directors feel strongly about, and this has a positive ripple effect throughout the business.

What about recruitment appeals to you?

I like providing our clients with solutions, I enjoy helping them to fix their recruitment challenges and getting their IT projects on track. For one of our Melbourne-based clients, we had to find a number of candidates for a new project team. I loved really getting to know the client, understanding the culture, and then representing the brand when liaising with candidates. It was a recruitment partnership that worked well.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

My Mum is Swiss, so we spent a lot of time on the snow or skiing when I grew up. I think I was six years old when my cousin advised me not to eat yellow snow! I think back and this was an excellent piece of advice for a child who loved to muck about in the snow!

More recently, a saying which I have heard is to, ‘Give it a go!’ I hear it all the time living in Australia, and I think it’s very much the Aussie way and something I try to remember when encountering something new.

Seen anything lately that made you smile?

Recently we found some old dog clippers in the cupboard and my wife used them to cut my rather long hair! We watched a few YouTube how-to videos and then did the deed…which made myself and the whole family laugh a lot! My hair is now not too long on top, short on the sides, I feel like a new man, and can leave the house without wearing a cap!

If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a room, what song would you choose and why?

That’s a difficult one to answer, can I choose two? Both tracks are by one artist so hopefully, that counts! The band is U2, and the songs are ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ and ‘Beautiful Day’. They make me smile every time I hear them, and they bring back such good memories of fun times.