Meet our Team: Andrew Hickey

Who are you?

I am a qualified Mechanical Engineer who has experience in engineering design and operations within the agricultural and transportation sectors. I have lived and worked in many parts of New Zealand and have been in Wellington now for over 20 years.

What do you do at Technical Recruitment Solutions?

I am a Senior Recruitment Consultant having now been involved in engineering recruitment for over 8 years. My recruitment experience spans a range of industries and sectors including energy and power industries, heavy engineering, manufacturing, engineering consultancies and local authorities..

What do you do when you aren’t at work?

I am a keen spectator of any sport. I enjoy spending time with the family and visiting Zealandia (Karori Ecosanctuary) in Wellington. Other interests include photography, whisky tasting, reading a good book and traveling.

What did you want to be growing up?

I wanted to be an engineer, and did study and complete my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Canterbury University. I realised that I enjoy working with people more than design and my career moved into operational roles and then was approached about recruiting – which is such a satisfying role as it is not just finding a job, it is assisting with furthering one’s career and future. It is also amazing how through good relationships candidates become clients.

What is the best book you’ve ever read?

I do enjoy travel reading and a good autobiography. I also enjoy a good thriller or mystery, the likes of authors like Lee Child, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, Harlan Coben etc. My favourite books are actually Charles Upham’s “Mark of the Lion” and Willie Apiata’s “The Reluctant Hero” – two incredible New Zealanders – a bit of a theme there!

If you could give one piece of advice to job seekers, what would it be?

I really enjoy working with graduates as we all had to start our careers at some stage. I like to talk to graduates and encourage them to identify some companies they might like to work for and go and ask them for advice and to not sporadically send their CV to everyone, but to be selective and proactive and go and visit these companies. Also, if you ask if there are any vacancies it is either a ‘yes’, and more often a ‘no’ answer. If you ask for advice, it can sometimes lead to a discussion that might proceed to getting further or being advised on someone else to talk to who can assist. It might also lead to a job. 

If you could give one piece of advice to hiring managers, what would it be?

There are two things that I have noticed are a trend of late. One is that employees are leaving because their future prospects within the organisation has not been discussed and also that their remuneration has not been discussed to ensure pay parity with new staff coming onboard. Employees always discuss remuneration and if a new employee is offered more than the existing incumbents, this can lead to dissatisfaction. As such, I would recommend hiring managers to keep tabs on their staff future desires and pay parity.

How do you think the industry you recruit for will change in the next five years?

I can only see the high need for technical staff to continue. It is great to see recognition of the need for more apprentices and trade staff. Hopefully we will see more trade qualified technicians and not just degree qualified engineers – there is a need for both but not everyone needs to go to university.