Butler HR

13/03/2025

Thirroul Village this weekend.

25 Years of Butler HR

12/03/2025

Happy Birthday!

It’s been 25 years since I launched Butler HR. It’s a milestone I’m proud of for so many reasons.

Ultimately, it comes down to people and their stories — their journeys and my role in their lives, both professionally and personally.

From private businesses to ASX-listed companies, across industries and throughout Australia, I’ve been entrusted with finding star talent. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously and deeply value.

Butler HR has never been just a business or consultancy, it’s never been just a job. It’s an extension of me — my creative outlet, my way of making sense of the world. Sometimes, it feels self-indulgent, but the privilege of people opening up and sharing their personal stories has shaped me as an HR professional. It’s allowed me to capitalise on my strengths and disguise my weaknesses.

Through it, I’ve learned to embrace my neurodiversity, helping others understand themselves while, in turn, learning about myself.
Over the years, it has shaped my beliefs, just as I’ve helped shape careers. I'm forever grateful that the way I practice has been embraced by my clients, allowing me to do recruitment my way.

Enduring businesses thrive on collaboration. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside exceptional partners — Chris Apps, my psychologist, Michael Grew, my accountant and business advisor, my tech friends at Partner IT and many others whose expertise has shaped Butler HR.

A heartfelt thank you to the talented and hardworking staff who have faithfully assisted and shared this journey over the past 25 years. Thank you, Jo, Michelle, Lisa, Greg, Jenny, Karen, Karen B, Rebecca, Shanii, Katy, Faye, and Wendy—I'm forever grateful.

It’s a privilege to have met so many amazing people and shared their enthusiasm for the future. Few things bring me more joy than helping people recognise their uniqueness and understand their employment proposition.

Those who know me well understand that my approach is unique. I don't follow the crowd. To mark this milestone, I've chosen to create a visual art installation and display it for a brief period – and that’s all.

My office on Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Thirroul sits proudly on the main street between many fabulous coffee shops and retailers. It’s conspicuous and the perfect vantage to share my news and celebrate.

I invite you to view the installation in my window — an artistic metaphor for my journey.

A fantastic flower arrangement designed by our next-door neighbour, Luca Luna, depicts the colour that is my life—the people, the places, and all my experiences. The people are my purpose—it’s why I exist, and coincidentally, my surname gives it away. The colour is also part of my DNA — I’ve never been one to blend in.

Behind it, a portrait of me peeks through—obscured, inviting the viewer to look closer and see beyond the surface. I commissioned the work of a friend, the exceptionally talented and nationally acclaimed Caroline Zilinsky. Positioned behind the flowers, Austinmer Blue represents my role in the lives of others over 25 years and the reality that Butler HR is me—although I prefer to talk about you or us.

The work will be displayed for as long as the flowers live—another metaphor for the 'show must go on' and there’s work ahead, with new people and stories to discover.

Thank you all for an incredible 25 years.

19/07/2023

We’re hiring: Financial Accountant

Ericom, AFR Fast 100 Listers, and one of Telstra’s largest Enterprise Partners were named one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Australia by WRK+.

Bradley Ryan-Agnew is looking for an experienced and commercial CA/CPA for this traditional financial accounting role. Good company to keep - employees enjoy a fantastic culture, contemporary offices, WFH options and competitive remuneration.

For more information on the role, visit www.butlerhr.com.au/job

Ericom seeks a CA/CPA for this traditional financial accounting role. Employees enjoy a fantastic culture, contemporary offices & WFH options.

11/04/2023

"Opportunities don’t happen, you create them” … so what action are you taking in your career at the moment to create opportunities that your future self will thank you for?

Possible options include…

✅ Networking – in your current organisation and externally
✅ Upskilling
✅ Refresh your resume
✅ Update your LinkedIn profile
✅ Start looking for a new job
✅ Connect with a trusted recruiter (oh hello, that's us!)
✅ Set up job alerts on Seek & LinkedIn – see what’s around
✅ Put your hand up for a new project o rmore responsibility at work
✅ Create a training & development plan for yourself

…. that’s just a ‘lil food for thought to get you started!

10/04/2023

Hands up if you’d like bring-your-dog-to-work-day to be every day?? Amazon and Canva are trailblazing once again…..

It’s a game-changing perk for young workers in some of our newer corporations.

06/04/2023

Wishing you an egg-tastic Easter and a wonderful long weekend!

06/04/2023

We're Hiring!: HSEQ Manager

Vesuvius’ core business is helping customers improve their operational performance. Your remit is identical. Improve HSEQ performance and outcomes through the application of standards, continuous improvement, expertise and education.

For more information + to apply visit: https://butlerhr.com.au/job/hseq-manager/

05/04/2023

So you’ve connected with someone on LinkedIn that you’d love to work for, and you want to get on their radar and get to know them better. What should you do next?

Getting noticed isn’t hard if you do the right things. But if you do nothing after that initial connection request? The tumbleweed’s gonna roll!!

Here’s what we recommend you do after you’ve connected on LinkedIn (and sent the obvious nice-to-connect DM):-

1. Comment on their posts – engage with their content and show you’re interested. This in turn will make sure their subsequent posts continue to show up in your feed.

2. Check out their profile – once you’ve had a sticky beak at their profile they will receive a notification of all the people that have viewed their profile that day/week which means your name and face will show up (make sure you’re profile pic’s up to scratch!)

3. Share content – your activity will show up in their feed for two weeks after you’ve connected so make sure you’re posting relevant, interesting content – this is not the time to be a lurker on LinkedIn. Share and get involved!

These 3 activities are super-easy ways to get on someone’s radar and show up on a regular basis, creating opportunities for easy engagement.

Give ém a try and let us know how you get on!

04/04/2023

With a number of very significant projects coming up in the Wollongong area over the coming years it’s good to see that council and the University of Wollongong are already having conversations to develop a skill base in the area with forecasts showing that by 2031 demand will have increased by at least 4000 skilled workers, up to as many as 7000!

Upcoming major works like the blast furnace reline have highlighted the need for Wollongong to take action on...

03/04/2023

Dear Facebook

It is with mixed emotions that I say so long and farewell to the lovely Hollands. Faye has made a remarkable impact since arriving last February, and her contributions have been immeasurable (except the measurable bits).

As her boss, collaborator and friend, I’ll tell you Faye is one of the most talented and hardworking individuals I have had the pleasure of working with. Faye only knows one speed (full) and does the same (amazing) job every time. Her content creation and writing skills are unparalleled, and her marketing and communications expertise has further enhanced our recruitment success. Faye has touched so many friends of Butler HR, whether it’s an ad, insight or update.

Many of us know she has to juggle a big life, making her effort and achievements all the more impressive. You’re simply amazing!

While I’m sad to say goodbye, I’m excited for Faye as she embarks on her new journey as the Family Relationship Lead at the Children's Cancer Institute. This is her ‘Dream Job'! It’s perfect for Faye – her sweet spot for skill and experience, and we know she will be fantastic.

Faye, I want you to know you'll be missed, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with you. I’m incredibly proud of you and wish you all the best in your new adventure. You’ve made a lasting legacy at Butler HR, and I know you'll continue to do great things in the future for CCI and your charity.

Thank you for all that you have done for me and Butler HR. xo

PS: Faye, are you doing the right thing? I mean, it's showtime here every day! Thirroul Village is exciting – I bet CCI don't have streakers etc., or banana-eating dogs. Who on earth will share their personal thoughts, senseless rants or explain the fine detail of bespoke over custom like me? Or hyper-personalise every conversation (without being a narcissist)? And my Instagram sharing – surely there’s nobody anywhere to rival my weird shares. Surely not. Anyway, just food for thought, Faye. xo

30/03/2023

According to a recent analysis by KPMG, almost one in four (38 per cent) of the 491,000 workers who joined the workforce between October 2019 and October 2022 were over 55 – a phenomenon economists have dubbed the ‘Great Unretirement’.

Here’s some food for thought on how to embrace the experience these workers have, address current skills shortages, and take advantage of human capital that would otherwise not be available to employees…

Recent research has identified a trend of retirees reentering the workforce, a phenomenon economists have dubbed the ‘Great Unretirement’.

29/03/2023

The latest data-driven LinkedIn report - The Future of Recruiting 2023 - has been released, and after interviewing dozens of talent leaders, surveying thousands of recruiting pros, and analyzing billions of data points generated on LinkedIn, this report makes 17 predictions on the future of recruiting.

One of them is that recruiting for skills, rather than pedigree, will become the gold standard

“Skills-first hiring is the practice of valuing a candidate’s actual skills over more traditional signals, like an impressive alma mater or a decade of experience at a blue-chip employer. Whether you look back at recent trends or look forward to future priorities, the skills-first hiring practice is on the rise and will be regarded as the gold standard.”

Don’t have a degree? Increasingly, that’s not a problem.

Don’t have shiny brand names on your resume? That’s OK too.

Skills, rather than backgrounds, are finally being much more widely recognised as a way for employers to hire people from a multitude of backgrounds who can bring diversity and different perspectives to an organisation.