CAREER PROFILE: Lauren Dick | Recruiter & Trainer
We are excited to welcome you to our new journal series ‘Career Profile.’ Each month, we sit down with inspiring people doing inspiring things in their careers to discuss what inspires them. Join us for a monthly career musing that explores both career and fashion advice with some of our favourite industry professionals.
To kick off the series we had a chat with Lauren Dick, the founder and heartbeat behind Relier Group. Lauren shares with us her career journey, what led her to where she is today, her goals and aspirations and her advice for those looking to follow a similar path.
First things first, how did it all begin and what was the lightbulb moment that led you to pursue a career in recruitment?
Believe it or not, recruitment (in its purest sense) was never the career or business model I was aspiring to pursue. I love the 360 degree process and adore meeting new people, so it is absolutely a passion of mine, but my career bread & butter has always been training and development. Although I had been recruiting in house as part of my roles over the last 6 years before launching Relier, I essentially launched our recruitment service as a bi-product of COVID.
I took my multi-site retail career interstate to Sydney & Melbourne at the ripe age of 22 (senior opportunities in QLD are far and few between, after all) but was always searching for a way to bring my career back home to the Gold Coast. I knew long term, the only sustainable way to do what I loved, for a brand that I loved, while living where I loved, was to launch my own business… Consultancy had been on my mind for around 4 years before launching Relier and it was my way of getting myself out of the matrix of constant flights and travel to Sydney & Melbourne.
I built up the confidence to launch Relier two weeks before COVID hit (woops), with the hairy, audacious goal to be a highly sought-after training & development business in the Aus Designer space. Of course COVID had other plans for us all. Retail closed down for an extended period of time and bulk redundancies were made industry-wide. I knew that the pendulum would swing the other way at the end of the tunnel and that eventually, when retail doors reopened, companies would be scrambling for staff. And so our Recruitment Headhunting Service was born out of necessity - it was an unplanned pivot that led me to much more success than I ever imagined I could achieve. Thank you universe!
I love recruitment and training equally and do believe one can’t exist without the other. You have to have the right people on the bus before a training program can truly be effective. I’m so grateful to have grown up in the space of people development and adore being a part of the career journeys of our gorgeous fashionista community across the nation.
Tell us, what has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Gosh there are so many milestone moments that come to mind. I have to say, Relier wouldn’t be what it is today without the mentors and learnings I had at Tigerlily. In my time there, the trust I was given in my role was wild. I rolled out some really cool projects and the brand relied heavily on support from external consultancies, so I met a lot of people (internal and external) who are now clients or who refer new business to me at Relier. The learnings I had in that role - the mistakes and the big wins - were a really pivotal part of my personal and professional development.
Launching Relier and hiring my first staff member was also an absolute TREAT and every time we get new enquiries from the brands I love as a customer gives me a big buzz too.
On the flip side, what have you found most challenging?
One of my most challenging career moments was when I stepped into my first National Retail role. It really just wasn’t what I expected - I had romanticized the role in my head without properly understanding what that particular brand would be needing from me given their current state of growth. I wanted (and imagined it to be) a role that was full of people development and coaching, but the business at the time was going through such rapid change and the role demanded I spend most of my time on contract negotiation, project management and new store builds… There was some great people strategy involved in the role, as well as so many incredible learnings about fluidity, rapid growth and working in a smaller business, but overall, at the time, it wasn’t a position that I believed could nurture my passion for being on the ground with my team, writing learning programs, recruiting etc. It was my dream title, but the reality was that particular position wasn’t right for me. Making the decision to quit was my biggest challenge to date. I gave 3 months notice when I was only 3 months into my role because my gut knew it wasn’t right for me long term. Quitting the dream role left me feeling directionless and like I wasn’t cut out for retail any more. I went through a bit of an identity crisis at the time and a really rough patch of career downs.
What advice would you give someone looking to follow a similar career path? Are there any short courses or study pathways you would recommend?
I think the biggest thing in T&D roles is that you need to have experience in a role before you can teach someone else how to do it effectively. So my biggest advice is to do your time on the shop floor, ask for help with pathway mapping from your current manager, and be loud and clear about wanting to be in the training or multisite space (remembering the Cluster/Area and State Managers are heavy handed trainers in smaller brands - so don’t discount those roles and rush straight into demanding a pure training or recruitment title).
In terms of short courses or study pathways - I spent a long time working for a brand who did HR training very very well, so I learnt most of my skills on the job. However, a couple of years ago I completed my Cert IV in HR and that’s a really practical course to have behind you if you are looking to give your skillset a little boost before stepping into a P&C, training or recruitment role.
How do you balance work and life when running two businesses and teams? Do you have any advice you could share on staying organised and on track?
I RECRUIT AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I believe that’s the recipe to success in any business. Hire great people and remember that being a leader means helping your people build confidence. It does not mean doing everything for them, or only allowing them to do things your way. You have to let your team try and fail until they try and succeed. People build confidence by having a crack and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t ever allow yourself to believe that you don’t have time for training (or that it’s easier to ‘just do it myself’). If you do that, you will never achieve work life balance and your team likely won’t enjoy working with you as a leader. Training is about letting people have a go in order to work out how to do it better next time and it should be happening in workplaces all day long. To be successful, I have to have a team who are confident to do their jobs, who can step in when I need to step out, and who I can trust to be creative and do a great job.
Outside of that - I take time out for myself as often as possible. That means no work before 10am on a Monday for me (because pilates, coffee and sunshine are on the roster!!) and pencilling in social plans or workouts with friends after work. I make plans that force me to either wake up early, or get me off my laptop at 5.30. I’m very well aware that it’s impossible to tick your entire to-do list off in one day so I’m not afraid to leave work until tomorrow like I used to be.
What hiring what's the first thing you look for in a candidate?
I look for sparkle more than anything else. Recruitment is really an intuitive process and is all about how the person makes you feel. I will of course always explore technical skillset, but the best candidates are the ones who you can connect with easily on a personal level and who show real passion and drive for whatever their career pathway of choice is. I love people who get excited easily and have that sparkle in their eye.
A few things that makes a candidate sparkle in an interview for me are:
Someone who is warm and smiles often
Someone who can have a candid conversation and allows questions to flow fluidly from one to the next
One who asks questions in return - throughout the interview, not necessarily at the end!
Someone who has clear goals and is willing to do their time to achieve them
People who are humble but confident. Overconfidence is a big no for me - there’s something I love about a candidate who needs a bit of a ‘back yourself’ chat every now and then
We are strong believers of building a network that lifts you up and inspires. Do you have a mentor or close network that you look up to and lean on for advice?
YES!!! I have a verrrrrrry long list of mentors who sit on the ‘board of directors’ in my life. I’m not necessarily talking to the same mentors every month or quarter - I have different people I lean on for different things. My family and friends are a great emotional network for me, but I also have a Business Mentor who I meet with each month who helps me scale and strategise Relier’s growth, an amazing accountant who is very generous with his time and is always there for me (who says accountants are boring!!! Not me!), and of course my partner who is very patient with whatever the business demands of me. He cheers me on when I want to give up, and tells me to step away from the screen when my eyes are going square.
A day in the office, what does this typically look like for you?
I start my morning with a walk and/or pilates (weather pending) and a large coffee. I WFH so like to do a bit of a house tidy to have a clear space, clear mind for the day. Hit go on my scent machine, write a juicy to-do list and I am ready to go.
My day is filled with 60% socialising, 40% adminning and that’s the way I like it.
Some typical daily tasks …
Team huddles on SlackHQ and lots DMing and lols throughout the day via our instant messaging
Candidate catch ups - either placement check ins with angels who have started new roles through us, or touch base with candidates currently moving through the application matrix with us
LOTS of Zoom interviews (prepping for 8 today as I write this!)
Business Development - which can be anything from approaching new clients, checking in with existing clients, setting up processes, systems or new AI in the biz and more
Finance admin - every couple of days I check in on my quarterly forecasting/billing/P&L management, or if you catch me on a Tuesday I’m usually bogged in book keeping requests - not my favourite task of the week, but has to be done
What are your goals for the next 12 months, is there something you are most looking forward to in 2022?
I am soooooOoOOoOOo looking forward to bringing a third recruiter into our team and have hopes to bring a fourth by the end of the year! Very exciting to announce a new recruiter will be joining our team very soon. I’ve been so lucky to have had such a high volume of interest in the role but have really taken my time and am still in the process of interviews now.
After our recruitment team is a little more established, I will be side stepping into a brand new service which I cannot WAIT to share with y’all. It was planned for a January launch but we grew so quickly in the last quarter that I couldn’t touch it at all. So let’s hope mid-year is the vibe.
We always like to stay inspired. What you are currently watching, reading and listening to.
LISTENING: A new podcast my Brother sent me called ‘How I made it’ that I am loving on my morning walks
READING: A hand-me-down book from my partner’s mum called Heiress on Fire - just started this week - it’s a light, funny and easy read
WATCHING: the AO! We have had this on at our place most nights after having the pleasure of going there last week on our trip to Melb.
And finally, because we all have a love for fashion, what special something is on your wish list?
A set of Nagnata Shorts and Bralette inspired by my girl Jess! I want some for WFH and casual weekend wear. I haven’t decided which set yet, but you’ll see me donning these very soon!