Meet the Team: James Ward
James is one of Archway’s Directors, Engineering sector specialists and heads up our Christchurch office. Get to know him a little better via his Q&As below:
Who are you?
James Ward, Also known as Jimmy to old friends – I decided to move from Jimmy to James in my late twenties. My wife still introduces me as Jimmy on occasion, it confuses everyone, me included!
I was born in England and moved to New Zealand in 2008. We spent 12 years living in Wellington and shifted the whole family to Christchurch two years ago. It has been a great move for all of the family and we are all very settled and embracing the South Island lifestyle.
What do you do at Archway Recruitment?
I have been working on national engineering recruitment work across the Built Environmental sectors for the past 14 years in New Zealand. I’ve built up trusted relationships with companies, HR managers, Directors and Engineers seeking employment over this period.
I think people know I am honest, will tell them what I’m thinking and give accurate market advice and insights into the local markets. This approach has built strong lasting relationships, created ongoing repeat business, referrals and hopefully a good reputation!
My role is very recruitment focused, you’ll find me networking, career tracking, securing new business leads and creating exciting opportunities for Engineers from Graduate to Technical Director level across New Zealand. I also manage the Christchurch office and am involved in the strategic and operational direction of the wider Archway business.
What do you do when you are not at work?
You will find me at the beach most weekends with the kids in summer, watching the surfers or boogie boarding badly with my kids. We also embrace the winter season and love the quick access to the ski fields down south.
I enjoy running, skiing, good food, red wine and craft beer!
How many candidates on average do you interview a month?
20
What is the funniest thing someone has said in an interview?
I once had a candidate who brought his wife to the interview, she sat outside the door in the waiting room. Unfortunately, she knocked on the meeting room door after 45-minutes and told the husband/candidate he needed to leave. Let’s just say he wasn’t hired!
If you could give a candidate one piece of advice what would it be?
Don’t talk salary at an interview – leave it to us, we are on your side and have you covered.
If you could give a client one piece of advice what would it be?
You need a point of difference these days to give you an edge over the competition looking to hire. We are in such a skill shortage market, think about your elevator pitch and sell why you?
Is this your second career? What is your first?
I travelled the world for eight years working on cruise ships.
If you were a movie star, who would you be?
Tom Cruise / Top Gun (no points for second place).
Are you a candidate or client looking for a role or employee within the Engineering sector? Reach out to James for a chat.
