Planned Resources recruit across the niche markets of planning, engineering, architecture and design, property, and government support. We operate across private and public sectors in Melbourne, Victoria, and Australia.
In this video, Russell Locke chats to team member Cindy Tran about her recruitment experience and role at Planned Resources as Business Manager – Public Sector Recruitment.
They cover:
00:05 Cindy’s background prior to Planned Resources
01:50 Some of the interesting executive search assignments that Cindy’s worked on
04:17 How Cindy’s experience influences her approach to working with clients & candidates now
6:22 Why Cindy choose to recruit for the local government sector
7:23 How to connect with Cindy
Q&A with Cindy Tran
What’s your previous experience prior to Planned Resources, in a nutshell?
CT: “I’ve been working in recruitment for almost seven years. I was lucky to start at a British recruitment powerhouse, a global top three firm, at their Vietnam office. From there, I built up their legal recruitment desk, which was quite a rare practice in Vietnam at that time.
“When the COVID pandemic started I decided to try something new and joined an American expert network and information service firm based in their Southeast Asia office. I gained amazing opportunities to work on exclusive executive search assignments for a number of private sector clients of different sizes and scale – from startups to conglomerates – and across a number of international markets in Europe Southeast Asia, and the US.”
What are some of the interesting and challenging executive search assignments you’ve worked on?
CT: “Wow, there’s certainly a number of roles that have been equally interesting and challenging to fill!
“One was to find a Head of Cardiology (including a few Team Lead positions) for a private international hospital chain. The client couldn’t recruit local candidates due to language barriers and a shortage of local talent, so I sourced and approached candidates from all over Asia, Europe, and America. I presented a diverse shortlist of international candidates from prestigious hospitals that the client’s internal recruiting team had difficulties and limited resources to reach.
“Another interesting assignment was to source a global Chief Executive Officer for an electric vehicle startup in Southeast Asia, I performed a massive task mapping out suitable people from every automotive company out there and I filled the role within 2.5 months.
“I’ve also worked on a Board Advisor assignment for a blockchain gaming startup in Southeast Asia, I approached very senior former Executives from the world’s top 10 leading game developers, with the majority of them located in the US and Japan.”
Has your background influenced your approach to recruitment now – how do you work with clients and candidates?
CT: “For many of the roles that I’ve worked on, the client has come to me after almost giving up after months of struggling with searching and trying different approaches to find candidates.
“Senior level hiring can sometimes be a long process that requires understanding, patience and collaboration from all parties. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ methodology, so when I take on a search I ensure we take the right approach whether that’s a retained model or an exclusive contingent model where my, and the team’s, resources and attention meet an agreed timeframe with the client.
“I also place my focus on collaboration and constantly seeking client feedback to ensure I’m taking in the right direction every step of the way – this also ensures the end result, which is a decent candidate shortlist delivered within the search timeline.
“But most importantly to me, I always keep both my clients and candidates updated on progress, and if required, I suggest solutions to bridge any gaps between both parties along the way.”
So why local government? What do you want to achieve in your role at Planned Resources?
CT: “As I’ve worked on a lot of international projects, it’s natural for me to consider relocating candidates from one area to another, and I enjoy the challenges that it brings. With Australia’s wide geography, and therefore local governments scattered across Australia, I can bring the ability to source and identify candidates who are genuinely interested in relocation and place them where their talents are most needed.
“Australia’s public sector has interesting dynamics and it’s evolving quickly with many new programs, planning, and policy initiatives across all levels of government. I’m excited to take a deep-dive into this sector and to work with these brilliant minds and talented people… and I also like learning and doing something new!”
How do clients and candidates get in contact with you?
CT: “Feel free to follow the Planned Resources LinkedIn page where we frequently update with our market observations on jobs and salaries for the sector.
“We also have an amazing office at Melbourne Central, right in heart of the CBD, and we’d love to welcome clients and candidates for a coffee chat.”
Cindy Tran, Business Manager – Public Sector Recruitment
Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn
Contact: 0406 849 717, cindy.tran@plannedresources.com.au