What I've Learnt after One Year at Weploy

According to the Harvard Business Review, a study of more than a million respondents found that voluntary turnover peaked one year after their start dates. Celebrating that first anniversary re-engages employees at a critical juncture, and provides an emotional lift right when employees are most likely to see if the grass really is greener elsewhere. We're celebrating all things Jules today, reflecting back on the past year, and comparing the Julian Hopper of 2018 to the Julian Hopper of 2019 edition!

What made you make the move to Weploy?

I wanted to utilise my knowledge, skills and network to help grow Weploy into a world class global business and drive its positive impact on society. Being part of this journey is the most appealing thing and I guess why people make sacrifices and take risks to get onboard with a startup.

Specifically I was keen to move into a role that would work closely with multiple departments in order to allow me the opportunity to develop a variety of skills. I wanted to work somewhere where creative thought would be welcomed. Like most people, I wanted a job with a sense of purpose and one where I felt I could truly add value. When you’re passionate about what you’re achieving, work becomes a part of your life that you actually enjoy. I felt the Weploy team had skills and intellect I could learn from and shared a passion for the business and its success.

How are you finding the transition from corporate to startup culture?

I am enjoying have a lot more freedom and autonomy... but equally so much more responsibility. Corporate structures and bureaucracy began to have a bigger and bigger impact on my happiness at work as I progressed further in my career. Those structures made it difficult to express ideas which ultimately affects your engagement. If you don’t feel aligned with a company anymore you have to move on.

When I joined Weploy I felt I was finally in the right environment for me to apply everything that I have learned within one role. In addition I would have responsibility to contribute to things I have no experience in such as product development. In a startup whilst the team is often quite diverse in personalities and skill sets, you are all critical to achieving your shared goal and that's really nice to be a part of.

What have you found most challenging since joining Weploy?

When you are really passionate about an idea, but you are still small, it can be frustrating when others don’t see it the same way. It’s important to recognise that businesses are all different and are all at different stages. You need to identify who are going to be your early adopters and why so you are not wasting your time in the wrong areas.

We are asking our clients to trust in us and try our product despite the fact they have done things differently for some time. There are times when you need to adapt but you always need to keep the long term vision in mind.

What has really impressed you about Weploy?

Prior to joining Weploy, I was impressed by the vision of the co-founders and the ambitious targets they had set the business. Upon joining, it was definitely the onboarding experience. I was flown to Melbourne for a week and welcomed as a part of the family. Plus, I was given awesome brand new equipment. The team took me for lunch and dinner everyday so I could get to know everyone personally and the co-founders made it clear they had faith in me. Overall however seeing the quality of the platform and how that translates into successful outcomes for clients is amazing.

What do you envision for the future of Weploy?

Right now, I just want to enjoy the challenge of growing Weploy in Australia and am looking forward to seeing my work have a positive impact. I’ve met such a diverse group of interesting people already and can’t wait for what’s next.

1 year on…. Why did you join Weploy?

Coming from a recruitment background, I had my concerns with the industry. I guess I was looking for an organisation that was trying to improve on the traditional process, and ideally using technology to do that. So when i came across Weploy, and then met Tony and heard more about his vision - it fitted it perfectly with my own interests and where I believed the industry was heading.

How is Weploy changing the way we recruit?

We are utilising tech to improve the speed and efficiency of the usual recruitment process, and removing the manual elements which I found interesting and innovative. Many people know about us as “uber for jobs” which speaks to that speed and efficiency…. But the biggest thing for me is that it is eliminating the cultural bias and promoting true diversity in Australian workplaces today. It’s often hard for people to admit but anyone who has worked in recruitment knows biases occur every day and cv’s can simply be tossed to the side without a second thought. Some of the most skilled and motivated workers in Australia are not being utilised in the workforce because of things as trivial as they have an unusual name or they are too ‘mature’.

The continued rise of the gig economy means businesses can gain an advantage by being agile and moving quickly. They need the best people available exactly when they need them. This allows them to scale up and down and meet their business demands cost effectively. There isn’t any time for biases and there never should have been.

What is your favourite part of your job now that you didn't think about before you joined?

I get a kick out of enabling people opportunities that they otherwise might not have had. Very often people who come from different backgrounds or have an unusual name that is difficult to pronounce, are not even considered for roles when in actual fact they are the best suited in terms of skills. Last week, I placed a 57 year old Korean man in to a recruitment role at a large white collar firm - a situation which would have been far less likely following traditional hiring processes but Joe is the best available person for it! Weploy is the only Aussie company who I could see was actually achieving the removal of those biases in recruitment.

What is your biggest achievement of the last year?

Without sounding cheesy, myself and the team have had hiring managers and small business owners admit that Weploy has opened their minds and changed the way they think about recruitment in their businesses. We’ve filled roles for them with people through the Weploy platform who would not have passed their hiring prerequisites and failed to progress through their interview processes. After their first experience with us, they’ve told us that those same candidates have been amongst the best talent they’ve ever hired. Hearing first hand, how we’re improving the process and creating good experiences for both employers and candidates, is my biggest personal achievement.

What’s next for Jules, and Weploy?

We are working with some really large businesses and a large number of SMEs in Australia and New Zealand so we want to utilise those relationships to help us continuing scaling across ANZ.  We’re also looking at expanding our networks to eventually be able to grow internationally. I look forward to being involved with that over the year to come!