Australia’s underground coal sector enters 2026 in a paradox demand for metallurgical coal is rising, export volumes are growing, and earnings remain among the highest in Australian mining. At the same time, the industry faces what may be its most serious workforce challenge in a generation. The Snapshot There are 30 active underground coal mines […]
Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed four new Recruiters into our team and the impact has been immediate. What has stood out most isn’t just their results, but the lift in energy, ideas, and culture they’ve brought with them. Each of them has a completely different personality and working style: One is quietly efficient, polite, and just gets on with delivering quality work. One is structured and process‑driven, embracing every bit […]
The first few months in a new job are strange. I guess you walk into an environment where everyone basically understands how things work, and you’re the one trying to piece it together at the same time. You’re learning systems, figuring out who does what, remembering names, and at the same time trying to show why you are here and why you were […]
Starting a new job in a new industry gave me a sense of excitement, uncertainty and eagerness to learn. Coming into the role as a recruitment consultant at Optimum Consulting, my basic understanding of recruitment was “finding people a job”, and whilst that may be a very vague part of the job, I’ve quickly understood that there is much more to it. […]
I’ve always loved this time of year in Asia. There’s an energy that’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it firsthand – the build-up of anticipation, the spring cleaning and new sheets, the red and gold, the ang bao and the yusheng. I’ve been fortunate to experience Lunar New Year in Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi […]
Well, I am sure you are all glued to the TV watching the Australian Tennis Open or if you are one of the lucky ones and living in Melbourne, or have tickets you may have been to a game or two over the last couple of weeks. At first glance, recruitment might look more like […]
Business is built on relationships: from customers, strategic partnerships to relationships between sales and operations, we all know collaboration is a holy grail aspiration, we all know that people work for people and the relationship between employee and manager is a key engagement driver. But as we head into 2026 and beyond a new(ish) relationship […]
Hiring the right people is one of the most important capabilities a company needs to develop. But is there a secret to getting it right more often than not? One of the most common reasons placements struggle is not a lack of skill, experience, or even cultural fit. More often, it comes down to expectations […]
There are plenty of articles written about Gen Z, but very few written by us. As an 18-year-old working in recruitment, I get to see first-hand how early-career talent approaches work, what motivates us, and what makes us excited or disengaged. Here’s what I’ve noticed. Clarity and transparency are non-negotiable Gen Z grew up hearing […]
