Taylor Prestopino

Take us back to the beginning. How did you start your career?

Fresh out of school with the freedom to do whatever I wanted, I decided to defer my plans to study and instead focus on earning money and travelling. I was compelled by the sense of independence.

To build up my savings I started working at Betts, a retail footwear company and made my way into leadership positions. After a couple of years, it was time for my next chapter. That’s when my career started at The Just Group and where my first role as an Assistant Store Manager for their Jay Jays brand begun. That initial move to Jay Jays was the beginning of the next 10 years of my career at The Just Group. I worked really hard to make my way up through the company, moving from Assistant Store Manager to Store Manager which exposed me to the processes of recruitment, induction, compliance, training and development of internal and external staff – an aspect of the role I became heavily involved in for the brand and a reputation I built within the business which I was known for.

I always knew I had a passion for policies and procedures, leading and developing teams, performance management, and recruitment, so I put my hand up to help whenever the opportunity came up. Working in retail was great, but it really did feel like a part of me wasn’t being fulfilled and although I had exposure to the people function of the business in the Store Manager role, I knew I still wanted to explore a career in HR to really understand the generalist areas of HR and management. I knew at that point that I needed to study to propel my career forward.

I found a college where I could study for a double diploma in Human Resources and HR Management and juggled study with work for a couple of years. As disruptive and life-changing as COVID was, it coincided with a year of my study and gave me the time and space to fast-track my degree.

My goal after finishing my studies was to work in the support office at The Just Group, so I ensured I made key relationships with leaders such as the CEO and General Manager of Retail whilst I was studying and working. Networking and cultivating relationships helped build my credibility and reputation within the business, and within a month of finishing my study a position became available in the HR Department. My first official HR role was a People Support Advisor for Western Australia and South Australia. It was a generalist role, so I was responsible for recruitment, ER, training and development and performance management.

I continued to learn and develop my generalist HR skills in this role for a couple of years before realising there wasn’t any more room to grow. After 10 years at the same organisation, I wanted to expand my experiences and apply my knowledge at an employer ready to invest in their HR team. I came across the role I’m in now

People & Talent Coordinator Carey Grammar

on SEEK and got in touch with Talentpath to learn more. It’s been quite the journey! I knew retail like the back of my hand, so to then pivot into a completely different industry like education was challenging – but I’m loving it.

tomakeahugelifechange.”

How does Carey Grammar support your work/life balance?

Honestly, Carey Grammar has been phenomenal. When I moved from a corporate to school environment, I noticed such a difference in the workplace culture – it’s quite a nurturing/ positive place. I value the flexibility that Carey Grammar allow me to have which in turns gives me a better sense of work life balance. I feel valued as an individual and have a sense of belonging at Carey Grammar.

What piece of advice would you pass on to someone wanting to pursue a career in HR?

If you’re thinking about studying and you want to work in HR, I definitely recommend it. In addition to studying, I think try to get as much exposure as you can to any recruitment and training processes in your current workplace or role. Working hard, understanding what my passions were, networking relationships and taking on new challenges is what landed me my first HR role, so don’t be afraid to show you’re keen to progress your career in HR even if that isn’t where you work now, only you can get yourself there! I also encourage people to take a leap of faith, its important to put yourself first and follow your dreams!

Zoe McHaffie Manager

RACQ

Take us back to the beginning. How did you start your career?

As a flight attendant for Air New Zealand! I was quickly promoted to In-flight Service Manager, responsible for leading the onboard team. We travelled to various locations in Australia, alongside a number of tropical island destinations. As I embraced my leadership role, I found myself naturally drawn to the talent process. Attending open days and information sessions sparked a genuine passion. I soon discovered that I enjoyed the process of finding and selecting the right individuals to join our teams more than being a flight attendant. It was in those moments that I realised my true calling lay within empowering others and creating supportive teams where everyone would thrive.

of Talent

a different approach to address effectively. Through adaptive leadership and continuous learning, I was able to navigate these hurdles to cultivate a strong workforce.

Another one that’s come up a few times throughout my career would be overall resistance to change. This could be around introducing new processes, tools, or a new idea to access a new talent pool. People need to understand the why and some people take longer to come around to new innovations than others. However, resilience is key. People have their own motivations and choices, and it is helpful to anticipate potential setbacks and have at least one or two contingency plans incase needed.

Ultimately, people are unpredictable, but this is what makes my position both exciting and challenging. I consistently emphasise a motto at work of “We do like a challenge” to ensure myself and my team are always growing and developing our expertise.

What skills have served you well in your career?

From there, I made a decision to pursue a career in Talent. I then transitioned into a role within a recruitment agency, firstly in Wellington, later gaining experience in both in-house and agency in London. My time in London was truly remarkable, I joined DAZN - a venture capital backed sports streaming business. The magnitude of resources and opportunities surrounding DAZN was incredible. DAZN would bid for sporting rights and, when successful, show those particular games or matches on DAZNs live streaming platform. DAZN was similar to Netflix but exclusively for sport. From a people perspective, winning sporting rights for countries like Portugal or Spain required setting up a brandnew office there, and we were responsible for making it happen from a talent acquisition standpoint. This exposed me to diverse employment and hiring legislations across different countries including Spain, Portugal, France and the United States.

When it was time to leave the UK, I found a great employer who cared about making a difference to the life of Queenslanders –RACQ. I am now leading a team of talent acquisition partners who provide expert talent advice across our banking, insurance, and roadside assistance business lines. Our team strive to facilitate the attraction and successful onboarding of great talent. Overall, my core passion lies in creating a supportive and inclusive environment where individuals feel empowered to contribute their best work. By continuously learning and refining our talent skills, we can better serve as the bridge that connects the unique potential of individuals with our organisation’s needs - fostering a culture of growth and engagement.

What hurdles have you faced in your career so far?

I have faced lack of suitable talent issues, fierce competition for top-tier talent, balancing workload of my team and managing teams on a hybrid working model. Each of these hurdles required

The ability to empathise and put myself in other people’s shoes. Many leaders tend to jump straight into problem-solving when faced with an issue. However, I find what people truly need is someone who will listen. Sometimes, people don’t require immediate solutions; they simply want to be heard. Building relationships becomes easier when you have empathy and genuine understanding on where others are coming from.

Also, continuous learning and genuine curiosity has proven to be essential throughout my career. As our business landscape is constantly evolving, with new technologies, market trends, and emerging stakeholder and member requirements. I’ve found continuous learning has hugely assisted in staying up to date with changes and adapting our talent strategies accordingly.