SPHERE
#42
2017
16
OUR EVOLVING WORKPLACE
>>
SOCIALISED
If online marketing was the first wave of
promoting online sales, it now incorporates
the next wave: social media, a hotbed
of jobs in the new economy. Vodafone
Hutchison Australia (VHA) has invested
heavily in people that can help it to succeed
in “new media”.
The process begins with recruitment. If
you’re going to find social media experts,
what better place to recruit them from
than social media? Traditional channels,
such as recruiting out of universities,
are more challenging as education has
not normally trained people for social
media marketing. VHA does see some
providers dipping their toe in the market
and starting to supply training for some
needed skills, but has developed its own
recruitment techniques.
Gray Wilson, Talent Acquisition Business
Partner at VHA, explains how they look
at hiring in this space. “It’s qualification
by experience. This is still a new skill set
and has become an extension to roles such
as digital marketers or brand marketers.”
In lieu of formal training, “Assessment of
candidate knowledge and capability has
been done through behavioural-based
interviewing where we seek examples of
innovative ideas and knowledge of best
practice social media at an enterprise level.”
It is, in many ways, a young person’s game.
Mr Wilson says that “Senior Leaders have
an understanding of this space and the
benefits/impacts it can have on a business,
although may not be avid users of social
platforms in their personal lives.” He
suggests, “With social media only really
erupting in the last 10 years, it’s naturally
a very attractive industry for younger men
and women, particularly within customer
service where social media chat positions
continue to open.”
Keeping the brain limber and up to snuff
is important, but a strong body is needed
to carry out the heavy lifting. The body
corporate also needs to flex its muscles
from time to time – even when those
muscles are powered by steam.
UNDER PRESSURE
The energy business requires the
application of big brains, but also sees PhD
graduates getting their hands dirty. Husky
Energy Inc employs engineers at thermal
plants across Canada’s prairies, and their
work is changing with the times. Power
engineering has become more demanding
and sophisticated and now engineers must
be licensed for steam work. Four levels of
licensing exist, leading to 1st Class Power
Chief Engineer – Unlimited.
Each level is defined by the amount of
(real) pressure an engineer is licensed to
work with. 1st Class Chief Engineers can
command a whole plant with a wide range
of high pressure. As Mel Duvall, Manager,
Media and Issues of Husky Energy, explains,
“High pressure equipment is inherently
dangerous.” Hence the need for extensive
training as responsibility grows.
It’s not always easy to find qualified people,
especially to work in remote areas. Husky
Energy has responded by investing in local,
high-quality technical colleges to bring
local graduates up to par in this niche area
of work (see
Sphere
37). Scholarships and
internships will ideally lead to full-time work
and a long-term commitment that sees
them grow with the company, while settled
in the local community.
