Carmen Hurwitz
Current Role:
Senior HR Consultant at WorkPlacePLUS.
A little about me:
I grew up in Perth, and always had a passion for Psychology and Criminology. Moving to Melbourne I found myself in a recruitment position. I then completed a postgraduate qualification in Human Resources and found my pathway in the not-for-profit and disability sector. Years on, I commenced a consulting role with WorkPlacePLUS, and have found my specialty in conflict resolution, and generalist HR. I am a licenced Private Investigator and nationally accredited Mediator. I find great professional satisfaction in working with parties to resolve conflict and to get to the heart of the matter, with the aim of finding solutions that result in strong, and respectful working relationships.
Describe your typical work day:
I have very flexible work hours. Lucky me. Each day can be very varied. Mid-investigation, my morning would mean travel to a client site, conduct interviews with participants in an investigation, this would at times require that I spend up to 2 hours with each person, enabling them to share details of their workplace concerns, or alternatively respond to allegations raised against them.
A full day mediation is also a huge day of working closely with individuals to express themselves and communicate openly and transparently in order to resolve issues. These can be very emotional days for the parties involved.
How has your Jewishness impacted your career:
Being Jewish has always instilled in me a strong sense of community and inclusion, I have taken these core values into how I engage with others in the workplace, and how I build my team and teams that I work with.
What is your greatest professional achievement:
Being a specialist Consultant on a project team supporting a not-for-profit organisation in successfully tendering for a large Disability services program, which grew their organisation exponentially, and resulted in over 300 individuals being provided with exceptional quality disability services.
What do you wish you'd known in year 12 or early on in your career:
That you will not always have all the answers to a question immediately. Give yourself the time and opportunity to think things over, and then respond.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given:
When you are having a difficult discussion, before responding to a question, allow yourself 3 seconds to consider the question, think through your response, and then speak. Allow yourself the time to think.
What was your biggest mistake at work and what did you learn from it:
I accidentally sent a confidential email to the wrong person. As I hit send, I immediately knew that I had made the error. After a few seconds of panic, I assumed responsibility for the error, told those personally of the mistake, and gave them the solution as to how I was going to rectify the issue. I will never do that again!!!
What are your thoughts on failure:
In order to grow and evolve, failure needs to be acknowledged and processed, rather than be feared or denied.
What was the last experience that made you a stronger person:
I just completed the Coastrek 30km walk. I prepared for this walk and had great expectations for what the experience would be like. It met all those expectations and more.
What motivates you:
I am motivated by developing rapport with the people I work with and being able to support people to be open, transparent and at times vulnerable in their communication with myself and others.
How do you 'pay it forward' in your career:
I take the opportunity to connect individuals, share employment and business opportunities to those in my community and life, and will offer HR advice and support to many people connected with me personally.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up:
An actress!
What is your definition of professional success:
Being able to do a job that motivates and challenges me, whilst I am able to continually learn and evolve, and have new experiences.
What is your dream job:
I am lucky to say that I feel that my dreams right now are fulfilled in my current role. As I continue to evolve and develop I am hoping that the exposure I get to complex Mediation and Investigations continues to expand
What do you do for self-care:
I cherish my early morning and late afternoon walks with my dog. It clears my head, and keeps my body moving.
What podcast(s) are you listening to:
I love Mia Freedman 'No Filter', Embedded, and a new one, Caliphate.
What are you currently reading:
The Girl who fell from the sky - Heidi Durrow
What are your top 3 life hacks?
Don't sweat the small stuff
If you are kind to others, kindness will be bestowed on you
Have the ability to laugh at yourself
What are the 3 words your colleagues would use to describe you?
Passionate, driven and light-hearted
What would be the title of your autobiography:
Carmen's Courageous Conversations