Many moons ago I walked through the doors of Slade Group to register as a temporary candidate. I had just come off a self-imposed two month work break and I was finally done with lounging in pyjamas and drinking wine at midday.

I decided to register for temp work, as I had no idea what industry I wanted to be in, or even what I wanted to do. You see, I have a varied career past. I’ve been a business manager, office manager, payroll manager, purchasing officer, loan writer, accounts payable, accounts receivable, executive assistant, personal assistant, receptionist, cat wrangler, Jill of all trades…

Whilst it may seem that I have jumped from job to job, I’ve actually only worked for five companies in my entire career (of, cough, 18 years, cough). I’ve been lucky enough to secure roles with privately owned businesses who have allowed me to work my way through the ranks. I’m the type who wants to learn everything I possibly can about an organisation, trying on as many hats as I can during my time. Fortunately the companies I have worked for have allowed me to do just that.

Meeting with a wonderful consultant here at Slade, who was very happy to hear about my journey and understand my need to find my next challenge, I was recruited for an internal vacancy to provide annual leave cover, starting the following week. That was five years ago!

I’ve also been very lucky to have opportunities to grow and expand on my skills by working in different roles. I’ve supported the Chairman and Managing Director, which gave me amazing insights into how Slade ticks. I’ve been a consultant for both temporary and permanent placements, allowing me to see both sides of the recruitment process. Most recently I got to spend 18 months in the role of Operations Manager. This gave me in-depth understanding about quality, compliance and procedures – all of the back-of-house functions that affect everything my colleagues on the frontline do. I am inquisitive by nature, so this was right up my alley. I thrived in an environment where I could really sink my teeth into our systems and processes, and most importantly, improve on them to create a better experience for our clients, candidates and internal staff.

Fast forward to July this year where I took on the challenge of leading The Interchange Bench. I AM LOVING IT! I love that my team and I get to spend our days placing candidates in roles that, although they may start off as temporary, can lead to permanent positions. We enjoy making good matches, which are also the right matches, not just a body to fill a chair. In fact we won’t place someone at all if they are categorically not the right fit for the job. I think that’s why we love our jobs so much, we are matchmakers and home-finders. In some ways recruitment can be like RSVP, but that’s another conversation altogether.

Am I busy? Sure. Do I still have loads to learn? Most definitely. It certainly helps that I’m surrounded by a supportive management team who are here to see me grow, learn and excel. I’m excited for things to come here at The Interchange Bench – our team is growing, the company is evolving and I’ve got an important part to play in steering us in the right direction. I’ll be team Interchange Bench for a while… After all of my previous abodes, I think I am home.

Candice Lewis

Leaving Darwin to further her corporate career in Melbourne, Candice brings 18 years professional experience and has used this to build a dynamic highly customer focused team. Her high attention to quality and process ensures an excellent experience for clients and candidates. She embraces the fact that notwithstanding the need for skills fit and great attitude on every assignment, ‘culture fit’ is also super important even for short term roles. Candice takes her work seriously but can lighten any stressed moment by channelling her stage diva double and sharing the bizarre headlines of the hilarious NT News.