Hi, I’m Melody Urlich and I’m a Senior Search Consultant with over 20 years’ experience in recruitment and HR. I also head up the contracting arm at Tailor Talent.

With 15 years specialising in recruiting in the construction and engineering industry, I have established extensive networks and a great reputation within the consulting, property and contractor/subcontractor markets.

Having held senior consulting and management roles both in HR and internal recruitment teams, I understand the commercial and cultural importance of getting a company’s resourcing right. Furthermore, resourcing in challenging markets requires a flexible and creative approach. 

I spent ten years working in the Middle East and my first recruitment role was in Dubai in the mid-2000s where I saw the highs and lows of the construction industry. Dubai was a boom town at the time and there was a shortage of skilled construction and engineering talent. The size and complexity of the projects was mind boggling and all the candidates came from abroad.

I learned how to work with overseas job seekers to help them settle into a new country. I also saw the devastating effects of the Global Financial Crisis on the construction industry. It was a really challenging time, but I learned a lot in terms of agility and resilience.

Returning to New Zealand I worked with several leading consultancies sourcing talented engineers and management staff for the Water, Transport and Building sectors around NZ and the globe. I’ve also worked in house as a Recruitment Manager and an HR Manager with both main contractors and consultancies.

There are some cowboys in the industry who are just in it for the money but we’re determined to do things differently. Our reputation and integrity are all we’ve got. I’ve worked with some people who’ve had really bad experiences with recruiters. I’ve heard of agencies recruiting for a role for a client while poaching people from the same company at the same time. I’ve heard of recruiters sending people’s CVs to companies without asking them, and in some cases sending their CV to their current employer. That’s not a good look. We work together with our candidates and clients to get the best results for both.

My passion for recruitment comes from understanding and connecting people. I love the people, the pace and the variety of the work I do. I love making a difference to people’s lives.

When I’m not working, I combine my love of food and travel. Most of the travel I do revolves around food. I go to the local markets and enjoy learning to cook regional or country specialty dishes. I’ve cooked pig trotters in France and frogs in Vietnam so I guess you could say I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to food.