Ben Kilsby from Holopoint Interactive will be speaking at RecruitTECH 2011, Australia’s Recruitment and Technology Conference at the National Press Club, Canberra on Thursday 8 September 2011. Tickets are selling fast – secure your seat now…
As we start the countdown to RecruitTECH 2011, we thought it would be great to learn a bit more about our presenters. Today we’re asking some questions of Ben Kilsby from Holopoint Interactive (http://holopoint.com.au/) …
Great if you could give us a quick elevator pitch on you and your organisation.
Holopoint Interactive is a digital media company that uses video game technology to create interactive content for marketing and communications.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are working on a quite few things at the moment, some interactive music tuition for a music tuition publishing company, a facebook app for a mining exploration company, a couple of things in the defence space, some healthcare information systems as well as some internal projects… I can honestly say we’ve never been busier!
What innovations in the recruitment and HR space do you think will ‘disrupt’ the market in the next few years?
Hmmm, well that is a tough one. For me, I think it would have to be the digital space, how companies go about their recruitment, and social networking. There is the argument that the current system isn’t broken so why fix it, but I think disruption will come from both sides showing heightened levels of initiative to pursue the connection. Candidates will become more innovative in their approach and I sincerely hope will begin to break the mould of a 2 page (no more, no less) CV, in 12 point font (Times New Roman), no pictures, no fun applications – and that recruiters will be more receptive to out-of-the-box applications, and more innovative in how they pursue their ideal employees. Digital media and social networking could undoubtedly provide this ability.
What’s the best book you’ve read that’s helped you in your career?
Wow – tough question as I love to read! Many, many years ago I read a fable called ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho and absolutely loved it; it’s philosophy on life and following your dream (I read it before Oprah!). But ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell was probably the most positively reinforcing book for my current career path. There’s definitely something to be said to sticking to your guns and weathering the storm.
Can you remember how you got your first job? What was it?
Haha, yes – very clearly. In year 10 I did work experience at a concert production company in Canberra. As an aspiring rock musician I thought that would give me a better angle in the industry than taking the music retail path. When there wasn’t anything for me to do in the first few days I volunteered to sweep floors, empty bins, do the dishes – anything that would keep me busy and demonstrate my enthusiasm for work. This didn’t go unnoticed and I started to get included on maintenance of the audio and lighting gear. By the end of the week, I had my first paid gig as a roadie, and within a couple of years I was a sound engineer, lighting designer and stage manager working freelance in my own right travelling the country with all sorts of acts. Haha – the beginning of the end really!
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to someone just starting out their career?
It might be a bit clichéd’ but I have always found that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.
What keeps you busy when you’re not at work?
Preparing for married life! My beautiful fiancé and I are right in the thick of wedding preparations which is great fun. Aside from that, I really love my downtime and try as much as possible to get out and about, away from a screen and a chair. Walking up a hill ‘just because it was there’ is one of my many pastimes…
What are you going to talk about at RecruitTECH and why is it important?
A couple of years ago at a Simulation conference I met an Australian Army Warrant Officer who is in charge of the day to day mechanical trades area inside Army, and he told me that every new recruit – without fail – can do 3 things. They can read, they can write, and they can play video games. Video game proficiency for the most part remains dormant in the recruiting process as I understand it, often shuffled by the candidate to the ‘Hobbies and Interests’ section of a CV. I will be exploring the value of these skill sets to an organisation, where the virtual achievements of a candidate can match up with real world expectations, and how serious games can be used to test for aptitude through gameplay.
Tags: recruittech
