The recruitment rollercoaster: Argentina, bullets, and air conditioning repairs
I’ve never been a big believer in destiny, but it’s funny how things turn out sometimes.
Over the Christmas break, I had a bit of downtime to digest the year that was and recharge for the year that lay ahead.
The staggering growth in digital supercharged by the pandemic has kept everyone on their toes over the last couple of years, so when I finally slowed down for a quick break, I found myself thinking about how I got to where I was.
The road that led me down the path to tech recruitment has by no means been a linear one. There’s been more twists and turns and unexpected highs and lows than a rollercoaster, but my instincts and values have served me well.
Of course, it’s a bit hard to plan to specialise in a market that didn’t yet exist, but a trip to Argentina in the mid-2000s would set me on my path to where I am today.
A long working holiday
In my twenties, I decided to do the big world trip and living overseas thing. A few stars (and relationships) aligned, and I found myself setting up camp in Buenos Aires without an end date.
Even though it was on the other side of the ocean from home, it could have been a world away from the life I knew, but that’s exactly why I loved it. New culture, food, language, landscapes and people, it was everything I needed at that point in my life.
Being out of my comfort zone was an eye-opening experience. I essentially had to relearn how to communicate, not just by mastering Spanish, but in so far as picking up on subtle signals and unspoken cues.
Between rowdy River Plate home games and bar hopping, I needed to find a way to make ends meet. Initially, I took on a sales role, but after a while, I was introduced to a new industry by a friend — recruitment.
Packing bullets and fixing air conditioners
I never set out for a career in recruitment, but I’m glad it found me. The company I first worked with had clients all over the Americas and needed someone with a good grasp of English and Spanish to help bridge language barriers.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was so fortunate to be working with such an interesting spread of clients that provided an insight into all aspects of the recruitment process at such an early stage of my career.
I was immediately drawn to the diverse nature of the job and I found it super rewarding to be a link in the chain that gave people opportunity. I worked with customers in air conditioning installation, logistics, real estate and even ammunition.
The tech side was growing too, with customers including Microsoft, SAP and Hewlett Packard providing me with a solid introduction to the industry I would soon come to specialise in.
A pivotal time
After eight incredible years in Argentina, I made a permanent move back across the Pacific to Australia.
As the world evolved with the tech revolution, my niche naturally aligned too with an introduction to Salesforce. I’m thankful that I was exposed to Salesforce all those years ago in Buenos Aires. Obviously, that’s where my focus lies now, but it’s always underscored by the early years of being exposed to the industry from all angles.
I realised recruitment was something I could do for a living when it made me feel good about helping people. It’s an industry often preoccupied with KPIs and sales, but I find that if you’re doing it for the right reasons in the first place, those targets will end up being met anyway.
I look back on my Buenos Aires days with a mix of nostalgia and gratitude. It was life and career-defining, and it helped galvanise my values and beliefs as a person.
A lot has changed since then, but the important things don’t.
Having been in the industry for over 15 years now, I’ve come to the happy realisation that my core values remain fairly constant. These values motivate me to keep helping people no matter which direction the industry is pulled in next.
Thanks for everything Argentina.
~Garth Kharitou
