1. People R us was engaged by the Business Strategy & Improvement (BS&I) Group with an objective to find
Five (5) Business Improvement senior staff at Band 1 and Band 2 level with a preference for women and
a Melbourne location.
Sourcing of candidates commenced in August 2014 and was conducted by People R us. Over a 3 week
period 5 candidate lists totaling 91 candidates were generated and presented to HR Business
Improvement staff to initially cross reference these lists against an existing pool of candidates within
Telstra. A total of 85 candidates were contacted by People R us by either telephone or email
communication.
1. The Market for Business Improvement Staff
The need to find staff with project delivery and business transformation experience led to finding 3 types
of candidates:
1. Senior Consultants from Consulting Firms
2. Senior Staff (eg: Senior Project Managers) from Blue Chip Corporates
3. Sole traders/Contractors
From the initial list of 85 candidates People R us was able to generate interest from 25 candidates and
bring them to an initial agency interview. As requested, these candidates were sourced from Melbourne
only with a focus on females.
The breakdown of 25 candidates by type is as follows:
 14 from the consulting firms (eg: PwC, Accenture ,Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young)
 8 from Blue Chip Corporates (eg: IBM, Australia Post, Australian Unity, Toll) and;
 3 independent contractors with extensive and multiple industry business transformation
experience.
From the 25 candidates People R us screened, a total of 19 (14 x Band 1 and 5 x Band 2) candidates were
presented to the BS& I group for 1st
round interviews conducted by Jason Start (Director, Strategy &
Delivery) and Gina Andrianopoulos (Human Resources, Business Improvement).
*Gender break up: 16 women and 3 men.
Our conclusion from the work conducted is that a viable market for Business Improvement candidates
exists if the scope for search is expanded to Sydney.
2. The Attractiveness of the Role at Telstra
It was apparent quite early in the process that Telstra as an organization and as a potential
employer was being regarded in a very positive light.

2. Candidates’ views of Telstra came from a variety of sources including:
 their own direct dealings with Telstra (client supplier relationship)
 family members or friends working at Telstra
 own research of the organization, eg: press releases and public forums
“My time in Telstra as a consultant has given me some good exposure to a small group of people. This
small group has demonstrated a helpful, can-do culture that I align with and appreciate” … Candidate
from KPMG
“My friends who have worked there speak very highly of Telstra on a variety of fronts, including ability
for career progression, the interesting work, that it is well managed, provides good benefits, and is
respectful of work/life balance” … Candidate from Australia Post
“I am a keen observer of companies. Telstra is a company that continued on a similar path for many
decades and had appeared to lose its way under the previous leadership and its combative style. Today’s
leadership team, under CEO David Thodey and Board Chair Catherine Livingstone, has redefined the
company’s strategy in fresh, transparent terms and worked steadily to execute on it– progressively
rebuilding relationships and credibility with all stakeholders: government, consumers, large customers
and investors. Telstra has reimagined its founding purpose (universal telephone access) to bring it into
the present (creating a brilliant connected future for everyone)” … Candidate from IBM
Telstra was also perceived to be an attractive proposition as an employer for several reasons.
a) Corporate Brand
Telstra shares a few success factors with other companies who are in the top of a prestigious index of
The World’s Most Attractive Employers and these include:
 Being a global organisation
 Setting up employees for success and not failure
 Being an industry leader
 Developing employees both professionally and personally
“I am eager to again work with a large ASX global company who aims to be an employer of choice and
has values and drivers that correspond to my own. Further the opportunity for career progression,
longevity, challenge and learning are qualities I am actively seeking from my next employer. Telstra
partners these perfectly” … Candidate from Australia Pacific Airports Corporation

3. “Telstra is an iconic Australian organization, a leading organisation in the Telecommunication and
information services industry. Telstra is at the forefront of world leading emerging technology. The
Telstra brand and it employees are down to earth, genuine and hard working. An enormous organisation
which would offer varied opportunities and experience. The organization has a global presence which I
would like to be part of in my next career move” … Candidate from PwC
b) Job Flexibility
Flexible work options were particularly attractive to those candidates seeking greater work/life balance,
such as reduced working hours or working from home. These included those with family/carer
responsibilities, (i.e.: mothers with young children) or those with study or personal priorities that affect
their lifestyle.
“Being a career minded woman as well as a mother of a young baby what attracts me about Telstra as
a future employer is the opportunity to work 3 -4 days per week for a while until I am comfortable
moving back to a 5 day week and feeling confident that my personal needs of a mother will not lessen
or compromise my career opportunities moving forward” … Candidate from Accenture
“Telstra supports the community by sponsoring leading Australian sports netball, AFL and NRL of which
I am part of and enjoy outside of work” … Candidate from PwC
“Working from home and knowing there is trust from an organization that employees can perform at
their optimum being offered this flexibility is a huge incentive to join”… Candidate from Australian
Unity
c) Type of Work
Particularly for the candidates who were interviewed from the Consulting firms the key criteria for
considering a move to Telstra were job diversity and project based work.
Candidates with consulting backgrounds advised at interview that their reluctance to move into industry
was that they feared their jobs would not be interesting and varied enough even at a senior General
Management or Operational level compared to the senior consulting roles they were currently assuming
working for firms like Accenture, PwC or KPMG.
Senior women in particular also liked the aspect of working in teams on projects and having that peer
interaction.
Hence, the opportunity to join Telstra during this period of large transformation and being offered
extensive and varied project work (organization-wide and team based) held huge appeal among many of
the candidates interviewed for both the Band 1 and Band 2 roles.
“Telstra is in a very exciting time, with its repositioning strategies and transformational activities,
there is an abundance of opportunity to add value, work on varied projects and be a part of a team that
has every prospect to make a difference, and I have the ability to improve my own personal brand,
through building networks and assisting part of the organisation realise their strategies and objectives”
… Candidate from Deloitte

4. “I believe I have a great opportunity to work on so many different projects, initiatives, and
programmes that would I would not ordinarily be able to be a part of, to develop a range of new skills
that may take many more years to do in another organisation, and fast-tracks the development of my
strategic expertise” … Candidate from KPMG
“The role is particularly interesting because it involves project-based work within the enterprise that
enables personal growth and development that can be re-applied to another project or initiative” …
Candidate from Accenture
d) Calibre of Leadership
Entry into Telstra at a Band 1 or Band 2 level and the opportunity to join the organization at these senior
levels was also perceived by several candidates as highly attractive.
Candidates sourced for these roles were already assuming reasonably senior roles within industry and/or
consulting firms or were highly experienced candidates with over 15 years in an independent contracting
capacity.
However, the recruitment process revealed that the path for many candidates particularly women within
the Consulting firms meant a destiny toward Partnership which did not appear to be a desired career
choice. (i.e.: joining a Boys Club)
Band 1 and Band 2 roles within Telstra were seen to be a great opportunity to continue working in a
senior leadership capacity whilst not being removed from exciting project based work (and working in
teams) unlike becoming a Partner which would mean a one dimensional move into sales and business
development.
A promotion many claimed reluctant to take given the latter skills set would not play into their strengths.
For female contractors the issues of security and longevity in a senior role became apparent in the
recruitment process. Therefore a Band 1 or Band 2 position at Telstra was considered to be a sensible
and progressive move for these women without having to compromise their needs for leadership
(contributor) roles as well as the diversity and challenge of their work.
Women in particular (and across the board) were very excited to hear about the seniority of these roles
and the perceived responsibilities as well as opportunities for advancement based on performance within
the Telstra organisation.
“I see this opportunity at Telstra as a chance to bring my seniority, fresh outlook, passion for delivering
the best outcome and considerable experience in projects and improvement endeavors. I feel that my
experience and my contribution will be recognized and appreciated and for these reasons I am excited
about joining Telstra” … Candidate from Australia Pacific Airports Corporation
“I also see an environment at Telstra where all top contributors have the opportunity to advance and
am keen to have this opportunity and seek a path to general management in the medium term. Longer
term I would like to serve on boards as a non- executive director and corporate experience is key to
realising this goal” … Candidate from IBM

5. 3. Particular Issues considered by Females
i. Critical Mass
The recruitment process showed that the most important issue in getting more women to consider a
change was explicit support from the senior executives. It was also important that women were present
in a 'critical mass', particularly in senior positions so that they could make a difference. This was reflected
in a strongly held belief that a critical mass of women at senior levels with the ability to exercise power
was significant in attracting other women into senior positions. Women also valued opportunities to
network. They put a lot of emphasis on an organisation having strongly expressed value systems and
mentoring programs.
“I would often be in the board room for a senior management meeting and the only woman in the
meeting and the joke would being part of the football team again” … Candidate from Deloitte
ii. Nature of the work
At interviews, women tended to describe the nature of their work and what was important to them in
the following way: The need for a healthy level of collaboration; team based work; consultative-
decision making processes; and more collegial workplaces and less of a “boy’s club“ mentality.
“Candidate has always been perceived as quite talented and one that has continued to progress within
the firm. She has worked with teams of up to 10-12 and even larger. She has also been responsible for
teams and was required to meet regular payroll deadlines which were critical and also led the team to
ensure this happened every month and successfully despite the prima donnas (Partners) all having
their own agendas” … Referee of Candidate at PwC
“Candidate led the organisation, identifying projects, her natural personality/ability to fire up a team
made a huge difference, She was an absolute key player out of all KPMG’s efforts (i.e. well over
50%)..
Candidate left our organisation late last year and when they fair welled her, client had never seen
such a huge turnout for a consultant leaving the organisation, a testimony of her popularity as a
person; she was held in high regard and was a team member mentor for people during her time there.
She was not a one dimensional person. One of the measures in consultancy is clients wanting to retain
you… and this is the case of this candidate” … Referee of Candidate from KPMG
iii. Stepping outside the comfort zone
While the recruitment process revealed some very good female talent which led to some offers being
made, hesitancy in making the move was also experienced on a couple of occasions.
Two women in particular who were perceived to be ideal fits for Band 1 roles decided to withdraw from
the process after some deliberation about being able to make the transition successfully and without
mounting pressure to continue work/life balance and ultimately making the wrong decision.

6. “While I do have some doubts about the future career path at Deloitte, I'm in a wonderful place right
now for balancing work and family and the demands of a new senior role would just be too all-consuming”
… Candidate from Deloitte
“It's a difficult decision for me - as you know I've heard fantastic things about Robert and the work his
team is doing. However I will have to, regrettably, decline at this stage as the timing just won't work
for my family. Over the last couple of weeks it has become clear that I'm needed at home, despite
however much I'm keen to get back into the workforce. Furthermore my partner has just been approved
5 weeks leave to be taken by year end, as his team was just requested to reduce accumulated leave” …
Candidate from Australia Post.
iv. Need to be encouraged
As an agent and having worked in the recruiting industry for over 20 years, the resonating message in
interviewing as many senior women in this recruiting drive as I have for the BS&I Group recently was the
explicit need to encourage and coach women throughout the process despite their obvious talent and
skills.
Self-confidence, conservative feedback and not knowing how they exactly performed after interviews
was consistently clear and in contrast to some of the men interviewed.
“I am not sure how the interview went. I felt I could have answered more and was quite nervous and
perhaps did not articulate my example as well as I could have” … Candidate from PwC
“The dreaded strengths and weaknesses question. I am not sure that I was as articulate as I should
have been here. This is not a surprising question. On the weaknesses point, I made mention that I
hadn’t (after all this time in the workforce) developed my own consistent and measured personal
coping mechanisms. It has since occurred to me that this could be misconstrued as that I don’t know
how to cope. The message I was trying to get across is that I have an ad hoc way of dealing with
periods of high intensity, which could be managed differently.
Despite the obvious improvement opportunities, I enjoyed the interview, as well as meeting and
talking with both Gina and Jason” … Candidate from KPMG
“I don’t think the interview went well at all, I don’t think I am a fit for the role and I was not able to
engage in the way I would normally do” … Candidate from Australia Post.
Interestingly, the above caption phrases were from candidates who were successful in their interviews
and all offered roles within the BS&I group which further suggests a lack of self confidence in women
and raises some interesting questions.

7. 1. Articulation of the role of BS&I and future of reform activity
Key to successful recruitment outcomes will be to continue to clearly convey the current and future role
of the BS&I group to candidates who are being sourced for positions within the group. The message needs
to be consistent and current as more candidates are interviewed in the future.
Given the nature of the work being project based it is recommended that details around specific projects
are drawn up which can be provided at interviews to manage candidate expectations early in the process
and raise their awareness of the types of projects they would be leading or involved in once on board
and working in their roles.
2. Position Descriptions
Job descriptions aren’t just a candidate’s first impression of a company. They’re often included in an
employee’s permanent record, can become a starting point for performance reviews and, in some cases,
may create an employment contract. That’s why it’s vital that job descriptions are written as clearly as
possible.
i. Avoid confusing job titles.
Unclear job titles are detrimental to search engine optimization. Search engines and career listing
websites use algorithms to help choose the most relevant search results. When searching for candidates
based on title, confusing or non-standard titles will be listed lower, if at all.
Therefore it is recommended that a more traditional job title could lead to targeting suitable candidates
quicker, strengthen the brand and avoiding miss hits.
ii. Reduce acronyms and abbreviations.
To clarify job descriptions further, it is better to omit acronyms and abbreviations. Internal acronyms
have no meaning to outsiders and should be avoided. Work codes and other administrative details that
make no sense to the external candidate should also be omitted to minimize confusion. It is
recommended that the Position Descriptions are reviewed for these details.
iii. Reporting lines and Structure
The position descriptions for both Band 1 and Band 2 roles are a little unclear in terms of reporting
relationships and structure.
It is recommended that the Reporting Manager is detailed more clearly, and some detail around leverage
for these positions is included. i.e.: analysts and/or teams of people being allocated according to projects
for the Band 1 Position Descriptions in particular.

8. iv. Concise Position Descriptions
Whilst it is important to have comprehensive documents that reflect the job’s purpose/context, key
stakeholders, key accountabilities, core skills, qualifications and background, if a document is too long
it can lose its effectiveness and become overwhelming.
It is recommended that the current 6 page documents be reviewed again for length and reduced to no
more than 4 pages.
3. Personalizing the process, and candidate “selling approach”
As important it is to have structured behavioral based questions in an interview to assess skills and
experience, equally important is getting to know candidates to assess cultural fit as well as having the
opportunity to further sell the opportunity to them.
It is recommended that at times when a candidate appears to be not as strong as expected or where
there has been some doubt around their performance at interview that they be invited back for a more
informal meet up over a coffee with the hiring manager and/or HR. This forum could provide the
opportunity to further probe a candidate’s suitability in a more relaxed setting as well as further on sell
the role to them.
4. Discussion with existing team members to get “the feel” of the Group
In addition to the above recommendation it is also suggested that when candidates are deemed suitable
but perhaps unsure at their end that an additional step be included in the process. This would allow an
existing team member to have an informal discussion with the candidate so that they’re able to get a
feel for the culture and people and how things are done within the Group.
5. Continue to search for Band 1 and Band 2 females
Aligned with the BS&I growth strategy for FY15, it is recommended that search activity continues at Band
1 Level within the Melbourne market and also commence soon in Sydney. It is fair to say, that consulting
firms have been appropriate targets to find suitable female candidature to date and these remain our
key target organisations.
The search should also be expanded to incorporate additional Blue Chip corporates (experiencing large
transformation) within other industries such as Mining and Retail. This could only serve to elevate the
industry capability of the BS&I group by bringing on board candidates with diverse backgrounds.