Celebrating Milestones at Trade Assist (Part 3) - Elina Telea's 1st Work Anniversary

We’re wrapping up our "Celebrating Milestones at Trade Assist" blog series with Elina, one of our Recruitment Resourcers based in Wellington. Having just marked her first year with the team, Elina represents the early stages of a career in recruitment that's full of learning, growth and building confidence in a brand new role. Coming from a retail background, she leapt into something completely different and hasn’t looked back since. In this final instalment, we chat to Elina about her journey so far, what she’s proud of and what she’s looking forward to in the year ahead.

Elina Telea - 1 year with Trade Assist

How has your role or journey at Trade Assist evolved over the years?

There’s definitely been a lot of growth since day one for sure. When I started, I gave myself three months to settle in and really see if Trade Assist could be a place I’d call home. Coming from a retail background, recruitment was completely new to me but I wanted to give it a real go.

I started out supporting the Warehousing & Logistics desk but things really shifted when I switched over to Construction. That’s when I had to dig deep, push myself and figure out whether recruitment was something I could see myself doing long-term. If I had to sum up my first year in one word, it would probably have to be “confident”. I feel a lot more sure of myself in the role now and am definitely ready for more.

What’s been your standout moment or proudest achievement so far?

Honestly, just being part of the Wellington team has been a big highlight for me. From day one, everyone’s been welcoming and supportive. They made sure I had everything to get started and it’s never been a ‘set-and-forget’ kind of environment. We’ve got a great culture where everyone’s always willing to lend a hand and back each other up and I’m really proud to be part of that.

On the other side of things, working with candidates has been surprisingly rewarding. You don’t really understand how meaningful it can be until you’re in the role, hearing people’s stories and learning why certain jobs matter to them so much. Everyone’s got their own story and it’s a good feeling when you know at the end of the day you’ve helped someone take that next step even if it’s small, cause they do add up over time.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead at Trade Assist?

Right now, I just want to focus on growing. Keep building on what I’ve started, you know? If the first year was about growing my confidence, then I’d say the next year ahead is about holding onto that and staying sharp. I want to keep pushing myself to that next level as a Resourcer and see where it takes me.