Proactive, co-ordinated response to the challenge of multiple hires
In April of 2021, Therese Breen, former Assistant Manager of People and Culture at the Australian Space Agency, contacted Rainy Day Recruitment for a new initiative where multiple roles needed to be filled.
Rainy Day was tasked with finding, matching and putting forward several candidates for these new roles in the Australian Space Discovery Centre. Recruiting the Space Communicators – a kind of specialist tour guide – became the first success in an ongoing client relationship between the two organisations. Since 2021, Rainy Day has also filled many specialist technical roles for the Space Agency.
Multiple roles to be filled and managed to timeframe
Therese was looking for a recruitment partner as a capable, big-picture thinker for an ongoing partnership, rather than just a one-off.
“Initially, a recruitment company needed to understand the unique qualities of the Space Communicator roles and how they represented the new Space Agency and the Australian Space Discovery Centre. It was crucial to find a partner who shared our excitement for these roles and vision for the future.”
Then there was the challenge of managing the process of recruiting more than 17 staff to the same deadline. She wanted a recruitment firm who would guide the Australian Space Agency and proactively manage any issues that arose.
As an agency under the umbrella of the Australian Government, the Agency has policies in common with government. This means that transparent procurement and recruitment processes must be followed, such as engaging recruitment panels.
Government often emphasises working with Indigenous-owned companies, a philosophy that matches both Rainy Day’s and the Australian Space Agency’s inclusive values of creating opportunities for under-represented community sectors. Therese engages with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-run businesses where possible. “I give priority to companies that are at least 50% Indigenous owned.”
“It was crucial to find a recruitment partner who shared our excitement for these roles and vision for the future.”
Rainy Day’s solution – first taking the time to understand roles and candidate background
For the first flush of the recruitment campaign, Therese appreciated Rainy Day’s careful consideration through meticulous role research and questions about what they were really looking for in any candidates put forward.
“Because of their thorough approach, we had top quality candidates – every one was potentially a good fit. They don’t just send whoever is on their books and then leave it to you to do the shortlist. They do that legwork and have an amazing strike rate.”
The Australian Space Agency has learned through experience that every candidate put forward by Rainy Day has the potential to be the right fit. All due diligence is performed, and credentials checked before interview.
“They do the legwork to find top quality candidates and have an amazing strike rate.”
Constantly keeping in touch
Therese was also impressed with the clarity and frequency of Rainy Day’s communication.
“They’re very thorough in providing candidate information and potential for suitability. They put a lot of work into this, so we really know who we have in front of us and can be more specific in our interview questions.”
In the past, Therese has found that recruitment companies aren’t willing to share contact information and want to control all communication between applicant and employer. In contrast, Rainy Day facilitated direct interaction after asking for the candidate’s permission.
“It helped us get to the point more quickly, and be more efficient, overall. This also highlights the trust in our relationship – they trust us to do the right thing.”
“They provide thorough candidate information so we can be specific in our interview questions.”
Major benefit for productivity and costs
Clear, proactive communication and anticipation of the Australian Space Agency’s staffing needs have led to a mutual trust between the two organisations. This is built on proven processes where the needs of each party – both employer and job seeker – are discussed and matched.
“With Rainy Day Recruitment, we know we’ll always get high quality, targeted candidates in a shortlist. This has a major impact on our productivity, costs and ability to meet deadlines. Candidates are also so well informed that they can hit the ground running. We end up with happier staff who have role clarity.”
Across all the Agency’s recruitment phases over the past few years, Rainy Day has built and maintained a close, friendly relationship so their hire needs were met.
“They have been great at anticipating any issues arising, like gaps in staff skillsets or when we might need more staff to manage school holiday peaks.”
Therese highly recommends Rainy Day Recruitment.
“All I need to do is give them some information about the role and I can count on them to quickly provide someone ready and capable to do that job. The value for money has been exceptional. The people at Rainy Day are very genuine. There are no tokenistic promises; every conversation is meaningful.”
“There are no tokenistic promises; every conversation is meaningful.”