We are so pleased to have Australia represented in our Contributors roster for The Source. Andrea Mitchell, a former SourceCon Spotlight, is the functional lead for the sourcing team at HRX, a Sydney, Australia based RPO that has clients across a wide range of industries, ranging from banking and finance to FMCG. In this role she is responsible for the training and certification of new researchers, as well as encouraging innovation and collaboration, and most importantly, keeping an eye on the trends and goings on in the sourcing and recruitment world. Andrea was previously a sourcing specialist with HRX before leaving to help set up a research function within an IT recruitment agency, but was tempted back to HRX in April 2008 and is now enjoying her dream role.

Before moving to Australia from New Zealand four years ago Andrea worked in the events industry, identifying events, groups and people that could hold conferences with the convention center she worked with. This was the first role where Andrea was challenged by hard-to-find information and where she became hooked on Internet research, the thrill of the hunt, and that feeling you get when you finally manage to track down that special tidbit of information.

Andrea is also the founder and one of the organizers of the Australasian Researchers Network. Sourcing and dedicated Internet research techniques, especially within recruitment, are growing areas in Australia and Andrea hopes that this group will not only be a meeting place for people to learn and collaborate, but will also work to promote research as a viable career option.

Andrea’s heavy involvement in furthering the function of research in recruitment organizations in Australia is a big reason why she was asked to be a regular contributor to The Source. We are looking forward to learning similarities and differences in the way sourcing is done ‘down under’!