"We have flipped the traditional jobs board model
on its head."
Valeria Ignatieva and Gemma Lloyd launched WORK180 in 2015, as a jobs board with a difference. Every company on the WORK180 website is pre-screened against a set of 20 criteria, including pay equity, flexible working, women in leadership and paid parental leave. WORK180 caters to a wide variety of occupations and includes a strong presence in what are traditionally male-dominated industries, championing and effecting change in the workplace.
Gemma Lloyd and Valeria Ignatieva launched WORK180 in 2015, as a jobs board with a difference. Every company on the WORK180 website is pre-screened against a set of 20 criteria, including pay equity, flexible working, women in leadership and paid parental leave. WORK180 caters to a wide variety of occupations and includes a strong presence in what are traditionally male-dominated industries, championing and effecting change in the workplace.
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What's your company's point of difference?
Over the last three years we have flipped the traditional jobs board model on its head, whereby the employers are the ones who are being screened.
WORK180 is the go-to job platform for female job seekers to find work with pre-screened employers with a proven commitment to creating inclusive workplaces. This means WORK180 only lists jobs from businesses that are pre-screened against a set of 20 criteria, including pay equity, flexible working, women in leadership and paid parental leave.
WORK180 is the only job site to make this information publicly available to job seekers. WORK180’s clients are from across different industries and include Atlassian, Microsoft, NAB, BHP, Caltex, Mercy Health, Cbus, Qantas, NSW Government and Telstra.
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How did Heads Over Heels provide practical support?
We found Heads Over Heels to be a fantastic forum where women are supporting women. I will never forget how more than 80 people put their hand up to help us. Heads Over Heels introduced us to people who are now our major clients, being part of Heads Over Heels has been invaluable for our business.
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What is the single biggest thing that helped you grow?
Sticking to our values and becoming a jobs board for only those businesses that have been pre-screened, helping us to build WORK180 to where we are today.
We turned down investors who wanted us to be a jobs board without our stringent screening. But by being true to our philosophy, our clients are proud to work with us and we have continued to grow and thrive.
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Who or what were your 'connections for growth'?
Diane Grady, introduced us to a number of senior executives who have helped our business. We’ve found every connection we’ve made is valuable, whether they can help us now or in the future. You have to be there for the long haul.
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What one thing would you do differently?
When we first started hiring people we made mistakes, which can be extremely costly. We were apologetic for being a startup and found ourselves convincing the candidates to work for us! Now we understand that one of the most important aspects of hiring is to make sure that the candidate complements the WORK180 culture and that they are on board with our steadfast focus of providing inclusive workplaces.
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What advice would you give the women following you?
If you are working for an employer who isn’t valuing you or providing the workplace conditions you would like, know that there are jobs available where you will be valued, and with WORK180 these employers are easy to find.
WORK180 helps provide the confidence to those women who didn’t realise there are alternatives to the male-dominated corporate culture or the 9-5. WORK180 is providing employers with candidates who previously may not have applied for positions to work with them, and giving women the opportunity to find the workplace conditions for which they are looking.
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Anything else?
Join our Facebook group at diversecitycareers. Twitter: @WORK180_ANZ. Instagram: _WORK180. www.work180.com.au.
